Evening star., 1909-09-13
XXVII-Continued.

II suppose he advised you TO warn Bill
ings that he was being tracked in the
woods l suppose he advised you to come
here to warn Billings that he was in
danger. l suppose he advised you to
let him knock you down and come within
a half inch of knocking you into kingdom
come. / suppose. above all, he advised
you to hire Billings to run out of the
state a man who you knew had confessed
q murder, and to do this without warn
ing Billings of the character of the man"
Trafford's voice had grown deeper, but
not louder. as he spoke, and by the time
he finished speech he had thrown into
1t good deal of feeling and force.
Il shall not stop to fool now" he went
on. That man told you. or more prob
ably unconsciously revealed to you, some
thing of Importance. One of the first
things I had done when / took up the
Altenburg affair was to ascertain if this
man had passed between here and Canada
within the twenty-four hours succeeding
the murder. 1 found that he had gone
up two days before and that he came
back two days after. I've apparently
been deceived. I've a buggy here. May
1 take you to Lanceboro?"
HS hHlTlIuS SSASdtiOA IL
shaw's head was gradually ceasing, and
the rush OF the wind against his face as
Trafford drove with speed was like
could douche, that restored the evenness
of circulation. He felt that he hadn't
been quite responsible for the attitude
he had assumed under the detectives ad-
yances, and he wished the other had
waited until he had got his bearings a
little. There was not one chance In
thousand that the man whom Billings
y frI,N ~ <tHn YVcYvv~-
der was not Clayton. OF course. Billings
had not even known of the murder at the
time, and when he learned of it the shock
had startled him to the resolve to aban-
don his old tricks. From this resolution
his feeling Of gratitude to Grimbleshaw,
supplemented by the fear awakened by
the latter's threats, had caused him to
recede. But-and here Grimbleshaw ran
up against a chance that made him for
get the relations in which he stood to
came to his lips had been asked.
Did Fry really track Calden?" he de-
manded. :or did Billings give him up
under an attack of conscience?''
Trafford smiled.
Doctor" he said, with an amused look
in his face that took no account of his
last rebuff, sometimes l think you've
got a pretty good head on your shoulders.
excepting that you lack experience. I'll
wager you've come much nearer reason
ing this affair out than. for example. Fry
has. What you really lack Is the faculty
Of not giving yourself away when you
don't want to. OF course. sometimes a
man wants to, and then 1t takes a still
higher degree of training to do it and at
the same time appear not to intend to-"
When they reached Lanceboro Trafford
stopped In front of Grimbleshaws board
ing place.
II suppose here's where you want to
get out" he said.
UNLESS you wish me to go to Beck
with at once to tell him and get his ad-
vice"
ENTIRELY unnecessary" Trafford an
swered him. There's really nothing i'm
portant / haven't learned already, so 1
don't need to trouble you. BY the way.
though, you've really uncovered the most
important matter since-well. since the
last more important one. I'm going to
close this affair in the next forty -eight
hours. I haven't any objections to have
some one with me and at least. you've
got the very commendable virtue of know
ing howl won't say 'when'-to hold
yonr tongue. How would you like to go
The question came so unexpectedly that
Grimbleshaw scarcely comprehended 1t.
He stood and gazed in an almost imbe-
cile way that made Trafford laugh.
.oh, we'll" he said. you needn't t,dee De,
hours. II in that time you decide to ac-
cept my offer, be at the station. Say
nothing to me, but take your. ticket for
Brentwood Junction. II you've got a
u5n wan bst be rns way oyer yeq oaT %sht
At that he started his horse and drove
down the street leaving Grimbleshaw
with his answer unspoken on his lips.
Three hours. The time was brief
enough, in all conscience. for all he had
to do arrange for the care Of his pa
tients. CONSULT Beckwith and see Judith.
Yes. he was bound to see her whatever
happened. She was entitled to the first
ray Of light that had broken through the
clouds, and 1t was growing on him that
this was almost a stream of sunshine.
He packed dress-suit case. telephoned
DR.. Boyce, decided to cut out BeckWith
and at last found himself, with full
hour on his hands. at the Altenburg
house.
I'm dying to know what all that
meant In the woods today" Judith
greeted him.
II came to him that all that was. as
yet, unexplained. and that instead of a
Single hour he needed at least two; and
then he broke into as succinct a state
ment OF facts as had ever fallen from the
lips of man who hadn't time to be
brief.
Il don't understand word OF 1t. What
was Billings looking for In the woods?'
II don't know" he confessed. That is
exactly what I was trying to find out
when ne knocked me OOWu
"Oh, I don't believe that you ought to
go away until you're certain you aren't
hurt! Where are you going, anyway
Il don't know
She looked at him in surprise.
This I do know, however" he said,
somebody was taken through to Canada
that night from here by Billings. He be-
lieyes Ii was the murderer of John Alten-
burg, and so do I. That being SO. there's
nothing for me to do but to hang to the
trail until we've run him down
But Trafford!" she exclaimed II don't
like your going away with him. He's in
that room now.
I'm Altenburg's room: the room where
Altenburg was killed?' Grimbleshaw
asked in surprise.
She nodded affirmation
"rd give a hundred to know what he s
doingw he declared.
"Td give 1t to know that he isn't plan
ming something against father or
One things certain. it was neither your
father nor Horace that Billings took
through with him, and Trafford's getting
ready to follow that man now. TIN give
them a rest and some time to think, and
when get back I'll know just what he's
done while he's been gone. 1t seems to
me. therefore, that there's no question l
ought to CO. He knew now how eager
he was for the trip which he had not
suspected before. and that he was seeking
excuses that would justify him from other
standpoints than that of mere selfish de-
sire.
He felt, too. that, while there was
charm to him In the adventure itself, the
k.As -