The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-07-31
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE CERTAIN PROOF.

THE CERTAIN PROBE.
TOR her safety as we'll as for his own
Moore manfully refrained from seek
ing any further interviews with Mill
cent, or communicating with her in any
way except through the medium of Dem
yer; yet he felt that there was no harm
in gladdening his eyes with the sight
Of the fresh young beauty, and so it
happened that on his daily visits % the
doctor he generally managed TO ioiter
for a time In the neighboThood OF the
keewaydin. on the chance of seeing
her pass in or OUT.
Truth to tell, though, these OCCASIONS
usually served only to sena him home
in a bad temper; for almost invariably
when he caught a glimpse OF her she
was accompanied by a tall young man
who might have been mistaken for a
SpaniaTd, but whom the eyes Of jealousy
uneTringly picked out as the engaging
and iTreprOachable Spargur.
Moore had been prepared TO dislike
him in advance, but be found the antip-
athy aroused in him by an actual sight
of the fellow, and by the favor with
which Alillicent seemed 10 regard him,
even more violent than he had antiCi-
pated
There was to him. moreover, some
thing hauntingly familiar about his ri
val He was sure he had never met
SDaTEUr at any time, nor could he rec
was something in connection with the
man which every time he looked at him
brought back a vague intangible mem
Ory-a memory so haZy and elusive that
he could never grasp 1t. yet he knew
IL TO be distinctly dlStasteful and
fraught with painful suggestion.
At last, though, came an afternoon
when, as he was INDUCING himself in
the joyless amusement Of watching Mil
licent come forth with her escort, the
CT al oh he
past where he STOOL
Spargur was so eugrossed in the girl
at his side that he failed to observe an
approaching push-cart propelled from
behind by an Italian vendeI, until the
laden vehicle ran into him, deluging
his immaculate attire with a shower OF
over-ripe dates and cheap, sticky candy
It was more his own fault than that
OF the push-cart man; but needless of
that. and forgetting for the moment
that he was with a lady he lifted his
stick and rallied at the poor fellow as
he might have spoken to a cur
Almost Immediately, however, he rec
objected himself and desisted; and,
stree there was IN reality very little
damage done. ne and Millicent soon
passed on, the incident forgotten.
Tom, though, stood staring after them,
his mouth agape. his eyer almost pop
episode had brought 70 him a wonderful
enlightenment.
At last he had laid hoo upon that
tantalizing, elusive memory.
That stTident. contemptUOus voice
raised in Objugati1n against the push
cart man was the voice he had heard
execratinE the members Of the tong
for bringing the wrong girl while bound
and muff1ed he iEy q prisoner on the
[ floor Of the death chamber
Yet he told himself that could not
J be- He must have been mistaken in
/ his recognition OF those tones.
The voice which had sColded those
| laundering subOrdinates was that of the
( leader Of the tong. the light-haiTed as
sassin Of old man Bates. while Spargur
/ was as dark as an Andalusian.
And then. with a sudden recollection
I OF that closet full OF DISCUSSES down IN
/ the underground apartment, he began
berating himself for an idiot and numb
skull.
( Yes. the leader had been the light
I haired murderer: he also doubtless had
/ been the Chlnanlan who had dropped
! the dagger and the whistle.
How easy it would have been in that
moment Of Carkness to slip out Of a
/ loose Chinese robe, and clap on blonde
wig, instead of the skull cap with its
long queue coiled atop.
There is one feature, however, that
defies DISCUSSES, and he distinctly re-
called II ose dark, hooking syes which