The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-10-21
XIII.
THE USE OF A LIAR.

XIII.
 THE USE OF A LIAR.
 Just as dusk fell this same afternoon of his interview with Grimbleshaw' Trafford was seated at a table-desk in his room at the Lanceboro House, studying a half sheet of netepaper. Fry was standing before the window, looking out into the street. as he might have done any other of a half dozen things that came first to hand during the minutes or hours of patient wait ing.
 On one side of the paper were writ ten in a fair, clerkly hand. which none the less showed trace of uncertainty. these words. without date. address or signature:
 Unless you prefer to meet me at noon at the usual place will come to your house at s:30 Tuesday evening. As she is away. you can easily arrange so that no one shall see me-"
 The paper bad been folded length wise. with the writing inside. and on the upper end was written, in an ~en- tirely different hand. in pencil: "DF. RODert CrlmDleSIldW.s
 'Tel. 104."
 Only a glance I. unquestioned exam ples of Altenburg's writing was neces- sary to show that this indorsement had been made by him.. But the body of the note? It was equally certain from examples of Grimbleshaw's some what slevenly penmanship that it had not been written by him.
 .eYou found this on the secretary di- rectly under the telephone with the in- dorsement up?" Trafford asked. with out taking his eyes from the paper.
 Fry nodded assent without turning from the window. and Trafford seemed to catch the nod in the glass over the mantel. At least, he accepted it as made.
 You're off on the name being put there to docket it.'' Trafford went on 'It's memorandum merely and has nothing to do with the note itself"
 How do you make that out?'
 "This note came by mail. probably Monday. At least, Altenburg was in town that day and got mail. which was rather an unusual thing for him to get. Later he called Grimbleshaw on the phone and had a talk with him. You see. he looked the telephone number up in the book. showing that he was not in the habit of talking to Grimbleshaw over the phone. made a memorandum of it on the first piece of paper he picked up, which happen ed to be this. and there you are.''
 Fry left the window and coming tc the table studied the Endorsement over Trafford's shoulder.
 You're probably right he said though. you're right so often it's about time for you to go wrong. How do you know it came by mail?''
 Its been folded crosswise to fit ar ordinary sized envelope-''
 And would have been if it were sent by messenger
 'tGoodl But if you'll hold it so the light runs along it's face-so. you'll set just tiny curved mark. that would be round if you could see the whole of it. There. what do you make o1 that?"
 tsI s'pose you make it a, dent from the postmark on the envelope" sai6 Fry, in tone that indicated disgus over conviction of blindness. Mos, folks would call it active imagination 'The difference between folks some. times lies in knowing fact from ina, gination. That mark is fact. It, deeper in the middle of the curve. ana was made with hand-stamp strucl a trifle unevenly. A glass will helr you" and Trafford handed over paper and glass.
 Fry examined the supposed postmarE and saw exactly what Trafford pointed out. He understood what Trafford re- trained from limiting even. that unless some one had pointed it out he never would have seen it.
 "A little more an you'll be telling me you can read the name of the of flee where it was mailed" he said. as he handed the articles back, He could at least cover his irritation thus. Trafford shook his head. Keep in the path" he said. "It's easy as lying to get lost in the bushes Now let's see where the path leads Altenbury has some business or other with Grimbleshaw. I can guess wha | it was. but that has nothing to dc | with the matter in hand. He decides 1 to get his number in the telephone l book and call him up. He picks up piece of paper from his desk. writes | down the name. finds the number ir | the book and writes that down. Ther l he lays the paper down where he car read it as he stands at the phone, ant when he's through talking leaves f where he laid it. It stays there til you find it.''
 Haven't you wandered a little into | the bushes?'' asked Fry. How dc you know he didn't write it all down ] at once out of the book? Whats tn,