The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-05-14

wen, he greeted MIN, Ql0 you ma
any trace Of the boy?"
''Of course 1 did," growled Birdsall
"They didn't try to hide i'm. They
had him lodged in dandy room with
his own bath. OF course, he left his
toothbrush. They'd got him some au-
tomobile toys, too, and he'd left some
leggings when he packed, and a letter
begun on pad to Miss Smith-'Dear
Miss Janet it begins, 4 am having
bully time. / can steer the machine,
only | can't back'-thats all. Say,
the young dog has been having it fat
while we were in the frying pan, for
fear somebody was bothering him"
But he is not in the house now?"
mo, nor nothing else"
Nobody hidden away? Where did
the groans you heard come FROM"
queried the colonel, politely.
Birdsall flushed. Il do believe that
slick deceiver you call Mercer put up
a game on us out of meanness-just to
get me guessing"
THAT sort of thing looks more like
the college boys"
Say, it might have been. This
thing is giving me nervous prostration.
Say, why didn't you see the thing out
with me?"
The colonel shamelessly told the
truth to deceive. Il was called here.
l was told that Mrs. Winter, my aunt,
had seen Archie in the street."
'She was just getting out of a ma
chine as | came up. Miss Smith was
with her, and they had their hands
full of candy boxes. They were
laughing. | made sure the boy had
been found"
Not to my knowledge" said the
colonel. But in some excitement he
walked into the parlor The ladies
had arrived; they stood in the center
of the room while Randall took away
the boxes.
Candy for Archie explained Aunt
Rebecca, and these were the first
words to reach Rupert Winters ears.
81 expect him to dinner"
Aunt Rebecca," proclaimed Mill
cent, Il never have been one to COM
plain, but there are limits to human
endurance. | am modern person, a
civilized Episcopalian, accustomed to
regular and well-ordered life, and
for the last few days l seem to have
been living in kind of medieval mys-
terry, with kidnapers, and blood
stains, and for anything | know, some
body ready to stick a knife into any
one of us any time! You people may
enjoy this sort of thing-you seem
to-but l don't. And tell you frankly
that am going to apply to the police,
not to any private detective inquiry
office, as like as not in league with the
crlminals"-thus ungratefully did Mrs.
Millicent slur the motives of her only
truly interested auditor-"but real po-
licemen. l shall apply"
She did not tell where she should
apply, the words being snapped out of
her mouth by the sharp tinkle of the
telephone bell.
Aunt Rebecca responded to the call.
Send him up" was her answer to the
inaudible questioner.
Ole ldlu uOWH lue IeCSlNel' HSh
she put it back. Then she stood up,
her silver head in the air, her erect
little figure held motionless.
Janet Smiths dark eyes sought
hers; her lips parted only to close
firmly again.
Even the detective perceived the
electric intensity of the moment. and |
Rupert shut his fists tight, with a |
quickened beating of the heart; but |
emotional vibrations did not disturb |
Mrs. Melville Winters poise. She
continued her plant.
This present situation is unbear- !
able, unprecedented and un-un-un-
expected" she detained, rather gro
ping for a climax which escaped her.
Aunt Rebecca raised her hand.
Would you be so very kind, Mill
cent" said she, "as to wait a moment?
l am trying to listen"
Like a response to her words, the
knob of the door was turned, the
door swung, and Archie entered the
room, smiling his odd little chewed-up
smile
Janet uttered faint cry and took a
single STEP but, as if recognizing a
superior right, hung back while the
boy put his arm about his great-aunt's
waist and rather bashfully kissed her
cheek.
She received the salute with entire
except for a tiny splash of
red which crept up to each cheek
bone. rs it really you, Archie?" said
she. You are a little late for dinner
day before yesterday. but quite in time
for to-day. Sit down and tell us
where You have been"
Quite so." exclaimed Mrs. Milli-
cent Good heavens. Do you know
how we have suffered? Where have
you beeI? Why did you run away"
But Archie. who had surrendered
one-half of him to be Rugged by Miss
Smith and the other to be clapped on