The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-24
CHAPTER III.

ReVealS Some Amazing Facts. At the kiosk at the door of the Cecil. seating myself in the same cane chair
 in which I had sat with Granny on
 Ine previous evening. opened and glanced at them. one after the other. What I read was practically the same in each-a report evidently SUD-
 plied by the Central News.
 Il sat staring into space. utterly
 dumb-founded. Suddenly I caught sight of the same porter who had spoken to Garshore when the dark haired woman had called for him.
 Rising, I went across and said: Do you recollect last night a lady, driving up in a cab? She was in an opera cloak A gentleman Joined her
 and gave you an address to tell the
 The man thought for a few seconds,
 then, looking straight at me, said: You were sitting here at the time
 with MT. Cough, weren't you. sir?" "Of course, sir. We all know him here. sir," was the mans reply. What causes me to recollect was that he
 came to me afterward and asked what address the gentleman he'd given Did he ask you that?" gasped ''Yes, sir-and I told him. The cab man was ordered to drive to 127a Redcliffe Gardens-out at West Bromp- | turn?''
 we'll think so, sir. I. believe he
 came in about half-past Il. But I
 can't say for certain. You see we
 let perhaps 800 people in and out be- | tween 10 and 12.'
 thanked him and returning within
 the hotel inquired of the smart recep- staying there.
 .'He was staying here, but he left this morning.
 You haven't any idea where he's 
 The reception clerk eyed me keenly. and after a moments hesitation said: ''WeH-f you leave a letter 1t will be sent on to him-providing he's left an That was all the satisfaction I could obtain.
 Therefore returned to the court yard, and again studied the extraorddn- ary newspaper report.
 It read as follows: 'The Central News states that the Metropolitan police are today engaged in endeavoring to unravel what seems sensational crime At half-past this morning a constable on his beat in Radcliffe Gardens, West Brompton, noticed the door of a house slightly and the house seemed to be in dark ness. Suspecting that burglars had visited the place, he entered in order to alarm the inmates. His theory was that the thieves had opened the door with a latchkey, but feared to close it again
 lest they might awaken some one with in.
 ''In the hall a woman's white feather boa was lying upon the ground. but be- yond that there appeared to be nothing unusual. The front room on the ground floor was a well furnished dining room upon the sideboard of which the plate
 was arranged, and untouched; thus at
 once negativing the suggestion of theft The room behind was a large drawing room with bay window overlooking the garden.
 "Entering this apartment and turn ing on his lantern, the constable was startled to see evident signs of a struggle. Chairs were overturned, a small table with bric-a-brac had been taken from the mantelshelf and hurled across the room, while one of the big plush curtains across the window had been torn down and lay in heap. The constable ran in alarm to the
 door and blew his whistle. In a few moments two of bis companions were upon the scene, and they returned to the room, where. beneath the fallen
 the body of a strilingly handsome dark-haired woman of distinctly for eign appearance. She was in a black evening dress, trimmed with silver, but though she was lheless, there was
 no external sign of injury" The Press Association, in another account. stated: s'The police are con- vinced that the unfortunate lady has been assa ssinated, and that a frantic struggle must have ensued before the victim fell lfeless. Cautiously enough, there was no other occupant of the house, and there are several remark to show that the murder, however it was accomplished, had been very in geniously planned"
 Each Journal added note stating eve of going to press, therefore no op- portunity had been afforded to its representatives to make Independent inquiries.
 For a few moments I sat refiectipg. Could it be possible that this foreign woman, with dark hair, who wore the black evening gown trimmed with sill yer, now dead, was actually Lydia She and Garshore had driven togeth- CT to Radcliffe Gardens. That was al- ready established. Garshore had gone fled from London.
 And Granny? Where was he? He had not yet returned!
 In, flash, his hatred of the woman recurred to me. I recollected every word he had used, and also his sudden
 ence over the minister in Bucharest
 he had lost the petroleum concession and been ruined.
 I felt impelied to probe the mystery further. That a terrible tragedy had occurred was certain. But in what
 degree was either man implicated?
 Suspicion rested upon both-upon Gar shore as friend of the woman and as having been in her company that
 night, and upon Granny Cough. be-
 cause of his violent hatred of her.
 And further, both men had disap- peared!
 Was the idea in Grannys mind when he had spoken to me of leaving Lon don? His words were, I now remem- bered. full of gloomy mystery. He might go anywhere, to Germany or
 Austria, and he had urged me not to
 wonder if he disappeared. Was not that in itself a very curious circum-
 stance?. Did it not look very suspic-
 ious as though he had in his mind some sinister intention?
 Suddenly I recollected my old friend George Cunliffe the man with whom l had spoken there on the previous ev- ening and whose presence had given Granny an opportunity of ascertainlng