The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1909-04-22

am right worried"
"Of course / believe you," purred
the detective, so softly that the colo
mel knew he did not believe any more
than Mercer suspected. "Of course,
believe you: but / don't know what to
do. 1t amt on the map. | guess it's
up to you to throw little light. I've
called the boys off twice already and
told 'em to wait an hour or a half
hour longer l got to see the colonel"
Il can trust my intuitions, or l can
trust the circumstantial evidence"
thought the colonel. He jumped up
and began to pace the court.
Seems to be like a game of bridge
before one can see the dummy" he
complained; and, as so often happens
in the crises of life, trivial illustra-
ton struck a wavering mind with the
force of an argument. His thoughts
reverted whimsically to the card
table; how many times had he hest
tated over the first lead between even
often had he regretted or won, depend
ing solely upon whether his card in
stinct had been denied or obeyed! 1t
might be instinct, this much-discussed
card instinct" or it might be a sum-
ming up of logical deductions SO swift
the reasoner was unconscious of his
own logical processes. Now"
groaned Rupert Winter, II am up
against it. She looks like a good
woman; she seems like a good wom-
an; but l have only my impressions
parent facts in the case. Well, Aunt
Rebecca is a shrewd one!" He sat
down and thought harder. Finally he
rose, smiling. He had threshed out
his problem; and his conclusion, in
audibly but very distinctly uttered to
himself, was: me for my own i'm
pressions! If that girl is in with this
gang, either what they are after isn't
so bad-or they have made her believe
it isn't bad"
He looked idly about him at the
arched doorway of the outer court. 1t
was carved with favorite mission
design of eight-pointed flowers with
vase-like futing below. There was a
tiny crack in one of the flowers, the
tiniest crack in the world. He looked
at it without seeing it, or seeing 1t
with only the outer half of his senses,
but-he could not have told how
into his effort to pierce his own tan
gle there crept sudden interest a
sudden keenness of scrutiny of this
minute, insignificant crack in the
stone. He became aware that the crack
was singularly regular, preserving the
form of the flower and the f1uting be-
meath. Kito, the Japanese, who was
sitting at the far end of the court, con-
versing in amity with Haley. just here
rose and came to this particular pill
lar. The Irishman sat alone, trimmed
by the sunset gold, little spangles Of
notes drifting about him; for the mer-
est second Winters glance fingered on
him ere it went to the Jap, who passed
him, courteously saluting.
After he had passed, the colonel
looked again at the column and the
crack-it was not there.
"Chito, chito." muttered the colo
Del Carelessly he approached the
column and took the same posture as
the Jap. Unobtrusively his fingers
strayed over the stone. He scratched
the surface; not stone, but cement.
He tapped cautiously, keeping his
hand well hidden by his body; no hol-
low sound rewarded him; but all at
once his cropping fingers touched a
little round object under the bold point
Of an eight-pointed flower. He didn't
dare press on it; instead he resumed
his cautious tapping. He glanced
about him. Save for Haley he was
alone in the patio. He pressed on the
round white knob, and what he had
half expected happened: segment
of the column swung on inner hinges,
disclosing the hollow center of the en-
gagged columns on either side. He
looked down. Nothing but darkness
was visible, but while he stood, tense
ly holding his breath, his abnormally
sensitive auricular nerve caught dis
tinctly the staccato breath OF that kind
of sigh which is like groan, and a
voice said more YEARLY than angrily:
"Oh, damn it ALL"
Almost simultaneously, he heard the
faint footballs Of the men within; he
must replace his movable flower. The
column was intact, and he was bend
ing his frowning brows on the stylo-
bate of another when Birdsall and
Mercer entered together, Mercer. with
a shrug of his shoulders at the detect
ives logged suspicion, preceding the
latter.
Well" said the colonel, did you
get my aunt?"
Eyes, sub, / got your aunt herself,
responded Mercer, with his Virginian
survival of the formal civility OF an
earlier generation. Eyes, sub; but