The Tupelo journal., 1909-07-02
CHAPTER xvII.-continued.

mo-" murmured Miss Smith meek
w., with a little twinkle of her eye;
Il did that; he hid them. How ridicu-
lous of me to get in such a fright!
But you know how Cary hated Mr..
Keatcham; and you-no, you don't
know the lengths that such a tempera-
ment as his will go. | did another
silly thing; I found a dagger, II OF
those Moorish stilettoes that hang in
the library; it was lying in the door
way. When no one was looking | hid
1t and carried it off. | stuck it in
one of the flower beds; | stuck it in
the ferns; | have stuck that wretched
thing all over this yard. l didn't dare
carry it back and put it in the empty
place with the others because some
one might have noticed the place.
And | didn't dare say anything to
Cary; | was right miserable"
so was l." said the colonel. think
ing you were trying to protect the
murderer. But do you know what |
had sense to do?"
Go to Mrs. Winter? oh. l wanted
to-"
Exactly; and do you know what
that dead game sport said TO me? She
said she found those washed and ironed
cuffs and trousers neatly cleaned
with milka-what's milka?-and the
milka cleaned the spots so much clean
er than the rest that she had her own
suspicious started. But says She:
Not being a plumb idiot, / went
straight to Cary and he told me the
whole story"
(which was like your story?"
VERY near. And you see it would
be like Atkins to leave discriminating
testimony round loose. That is, in
eliminating testimony against Mercer
and Tracy. The dagger, Tracy remem-
bers, was not in the libary; it was in
the patio. Right to hand. Atkins
must have got in and found Mr..
Keatcham on the floor in a faint.
Whether he meant to make a bargain
with him or to kill him, perhaps we
shall never know; but when he saw
him helpless before him he believed
his chance was come to kill him and
get the cipher key, removing his enc
my and making his fortune at a blow,
as the French say. VOLTA tout"
DO you think"-her voice sank low
er; she glanced owe her shoulder
do you reckon Atkins had anything
to do with that train robbery? Was ii
a mere pretext to give a chance to
murder Mr.. Keatcham. fixing the
blame on ordinary bandits"
by Jovel 1t might be-"
81 don't suppose we shall ever
know. But, Col. Winter, do you mind
explaining to me just what Brother
Cary's scheme with Mr.. Keatcham
was? Mrs. Winter told me you
would"
"She told me-" unused the colonel
that you didn't know anything about
this big game which has netted them
millions. They've closed out their
deals and have the cash. No paper
profits for Auntie! She said that
she would not risk your being mixed
up in it; so kept you absolutely in the
dark. I'm there, too. Didn't you
know Mercer had kidnapped Archer
mo; didn't know he was with Mr.
Keatcham at the hotel. 1t would
have saved me a heap of suffering
but she didn't dare let me know fol
fear, if anything should happen, ]
would be mixed up in it. 1t was out
of kindness, Col. Winter, truly it was
Afterwards when she saw that / was
worried she gave me hints that | need
not worry, Archie was quite SAFE"
"And the note-paper?"
Il suppose she gave it to them" an
swered Miss Smith.
And the voice ! heard in the tele
phone?" He explained how firmly she
had halted the conversation the time
Archie would have treasured him
you weren't there, OF course z
said he.
mo. | was downstairs in the ladies