Evening star., 1907-05-26


asked suddenly.
Quite good deal of it. Hatch responded 1T
looks if some one, whoever jumped or was thrown
out, received nasty cuts. The edges of the
glass stained.
The Thinking Machine nodded "It is established
beyond all question that the woman who screamed
that second time not one OF those IN the house!
he asked.
oh, yes" returned Hatch confidently "They
had all retired after the first fright, and the second
didn't arouse them. They didn't know of
O'Bren's disappearance until morning"
The police have found nothing yet?'
"Not yet. The articles left in the room, of
course,-the hat and coat and burglars tools,-are
clues that they are working on. They might estab-
lsh identity by their aid
We'll, we'll have to find the man who jumped" ;"
remarked the scientist placidly "When do
that, we can go somewhere with this affair."
Yes, when we do that Hatch agreed, with a
grin.
Machine. Here we seek man with neither hat
overcoat, who is cut up with glass, possibly badly
wounded"
But he's the sort of man who would scuttle to
cover like a scared rabbit Hatch protested.
Wouldn't matter how badly hurt he was, if he
could walk he would hide
You to think, Mr.. Hatch, that leaping
through window, taking all the glass with you and
falling twenty feet to hard pavement, is trivial
affair" declared the scientist crabbedy. " If this
man wasn't badly hurt, it's miracle; there
fore" He stopped abruptly and squinted at
the newspaper man. I'm going to state case
and ask you question: he went on suddenly.
IL
this bit of paper. You an intelligent man;
III demonstrate to you how intelligent minds
run in the channel"
He scribbed few words hurredlv, folded the
paper twice, and handed it to the reporter. .
Now you the burglar he resumed, "a
perhaps we'll known to the police. You
jumped from that window and hurt yourself ser-
ously You need medical attention. yet you J
can't afford to run the slightest risk OF capture.
You have no hat or coat. You go to physician,
not too the scene of the affair." and you tell
tO
You say to do away with all suspicion, and make
yourself perfectly safe, at least for the monent?'
Hatch smiled whirnsically he turned and
twisted the scrap of paper in his fingers then
lighted cigarette and got down to the matter in
hand seriously.
Il think" he said at last slowly, and feeling
unaccountably sheepish about it. that the safest
story to tell the physician would be that l had
been thrown from an automobile, lost my hat,
say, cut myself going headforemost through the
glass front when the away, badly bruised by
the violence with which hit the ground; and all
that sort of thing
The Thinking Machine gared at him aggressvelv
for an instant, then and left the room. Hatch
drew a long breath, then opened the folded paper
reluctantly. He found only these words:
Runaway automobile-cut by diving through
glass front-hat lost-bruses and other decorations
by fall to ground
When the scientist returned, he Wore his hat and
Mr. Hatch go at once to Mr.. Mills and inquire
if he has yet learned of anything being missing from
the study-a paper of some sort, in all probability,
he instructed. lhen, without mentioning the mat
ter to him. take other steps to learn the nature
of any litigation which might be pending in which
he is concerned-I imagine something is either
now going on or will be going. on in a few days.
Run by this evening to me"
Are you going with me-" inquired the reporter.
NO, no. responded the scientist mpatiently.
I'm going to see the man who jumped out of the
window.
When Ruby Reagan, expert craftsman, awoke
to consciousness he found himself gazing straight
into two squirting blue eyes, magnified beyond
all proportion by the thick spectacles through