, 1910-12-15

mi 1t hardly seemed IKE the action
daylight, and OF his fiancee's people.
l decided to make certain. however.
by going to the bridge that night
After luncheon Mr.. Jameson sug-
gested that I go with him to Richfield,
and / consented.
II am inclined to place more faith
in DR.. Stewards story" he said, "since
I found that scrap in old Thomas
pocket 1t bears out the statement
that the woman with the child, and
the woman who quarreled with Arm
strong, are the same. 1t looks as II
Thomas had stumbled on to some af-
fair which was more or less discred-
table to the dead man, and, with a
certain loyalty to the family, had kept
1t to himself. Then, you see, your
story about the woman at the card
o window begins to mean some
thing. II is the nearest approach to
anything tangible that we have had
yet"
Warner took us to Richfeld in the
car. 1t was about 25 miles by rail-
road, but by taking a series of afro
ciously rough short cuts we got there
very quickly. 1t was a pretty little
town, or the river, and back on the
hill / could see the Morton big coun-
try house. where Halsey and Ger
trude had been staying until the night
of the murder.
Elm street was almost the only
street, and number IA was easily
found. 1t was a small white house,
d~flapidated without having gained
anything picturesque, with a low win
dow and a porch only a foot or 30
above the bit of a lawn. There was a
~baby-carriage In the path, and from
a swing at the side came the sound of
conflict. Three small children were
%disputing vociferously, and a faded
young woman with a kindly face was
trying to hush the clamor. When she
saw us she united her Bingham apron
and came round to the porch.
Good afternoon" l said. Jameson
lifted his hat, without speaking. 81
came to inquire about a child named
Lucien Wallace"
. IT am glad you have come" she
said. "In spite of the other children,
| think the little fellow is lonely. We
thought perhaps his mother would be
here to-day"
Mr.. Jameson stepped forward.
You are Mrs. Tate?" l wondered
how the detective knew.
Yes, sir"
Mrs. Tate, we want to make some
inquiries. Perhaps in the house
Come right in," she said Hospitality.
AIa,N~, mo ,,a., Il, tL- lttyl- rn-Lhr
parlor, exactly like a thousand of its
prototypes. Mrs. Tate sat uneasily, her
hands folded in her lap.
How long has Lucien been here"
Mr.. Jameson asked.
"Since a week ago last Friday. His
mother paid one weeks board in ad-
vance. the other has not been paid"
WAS he i'll when he came?"
mo, sir, not what you'd call sick.
He vas getting better of typhoid, she
said, and he's picking up fine"
will o tell me his mothers name
n address,"
That's the trouble" the young
woman said, knitting her brows. "She
gave her name as Mrs. Wallace, and
said she had no address. She was
toohihS " q bohiu ing iiouSt III toWh
She said she worked in a department
store, and couldn't take care of the
child properly, and he needed fresh
air and milk. | had three children of
my own, and one more didn't make
much difference in the work, butt
wish she would pay this weeks
board"
did she say what store it was?"
mo, sir. but an the boys clothes
came from Kings. He has far o fine
clothes for the country"
There was a chorus of shouts and
shrill yells from the front door, fol
lowed by the loud stamping of chill
dren's feet and a throaty whoa,
whoa!" Into the room came a tan
den team of two chubby youngsters, a
boy and a girl. harnessed with a
clothes-line, and driven by a laughing
how of about seven. in tan overails