Charlevoix county herald., 1910-08-27
CHAPTER l.
! Go to Pittsburq.

Mcknight Is gradually taking over
the criminal end of the business.
never liked it, and since the strange
case of the man in lower ten, l have
been bit squeamish. Given a case
like that. where you can build up
network of clews that absolutely in
criminate three entirely different peo-
pie. only one of whom can be guilty,
and your faith in circumstantial evil
dense dies of overcrowding. | never
see a shivering. white-faced wretch In
the~prisoners' dock that do not bark
bStck with shuddering horror to the
strange events on the Pullman car
Ontario, between Washington and
Pittsburg. on the night of September
8. last
Mcknight could tell the story a
great deal better than l, although he
cannot spell three consecutive words
correctly. But. while he has imagi-
nation and humor, he is lazy.
1T didn't happen to me, anyhow"
he protested, when / put it up to him.
And nobody cares for SECONDHAND
thrills. Besides, you want the I'M
&arnished and ungarnished truth, and
I'm no hand for that I'm lawyer
So am |, although there have been
times when my assumption in that
particular has been disputed. | am
unmarried, and just old enough to
dance with the grown-up little sisters
of the girls ! used to know. | am fond
of outdoors, prefer horses to the afore-
said grown-up little sisters, and with
out sentiment cam" crossed out and
was" substituted.-Ed.) and COM
plctely ruled and frequently routed by
my housekeeper, an elderly widow.
In fact, of all the men OF my ac-
quaintance, was probably the most
prosaic, the least adventurous, the
one man in hundred who would be
likely to go without a deviation from
the normal through the orderly pro-
cession of the seasons, summer suits
to winter fiannels. golf to bridge.
So it was a queer freak Of the de-
mons of chance to perch on my I'M
susceptible 30-year-old chest. tie me
up with crime, ticket me with
love affair, and start me on that SEN
sational and not always respectable
journey that ended so surprisingly less
than three weeks later in the firms
private office. 1t had been the most
charitable period of my life. | would
neither give 1t up nor live 1t again
under any inducement, and yet all
that | lost was some 20 yards off my
drivei
1t was really Meningitis turn to
make the next journey. had
tournament at Chevy Chase for Satur-
day, and a short yacht cruise planned
for Sunday, and when a man has been
grinding at statute law for week. he
needs relaxation. But Mcknight
begged off. 1t was not the first time
he had shirked that summer in order
to run down to Richmond, and 4 was
surly about 1t. But this time he had
|, new excuse.
Il wouldn't be able to look after the
business il did CO." he said He has
a sort of wide-eyed frankness that
makes one ashamed to doubt him.
I'm always car sick crossing the
mountains. It's fact. Lollie. See
saving over the peaks does 1t. Why,
crossing the Allegheny mountains has
the gulf stream to Bermuda beaten to
a FRAGILE"
So ! gave him up finally and went
home to pack. He came later In the
evening with his machine, the Can
f1onball, to take me to the station. and
he brought the forged notes In the
Bronson case.
Guard them with your life," he
warned me. They are more precious
man honor Sew them in your chest
protector, or wherever people keep
valuables. / never keep any. I'll not
be happy until see Gentleman Andy
doing the lockstep."
4He sat down on my clean collars,
found my cigarettes and struck a
match on the mahogany bed post with
one movement.
where's the Pirate?" he demanded.
The, Pirate is my housekeeper, Mrs.
Klopton, very worthy woman, SO
labeled-and libeled-because of fe-
rocious pair of eyes and what Nc
Knight called a bucaneering nose.
quietly closed the door into the hall.
Keep your voice down. Richey," 1
said. she is looking for the evening
paper to see II 1t is going to rain. She
has my raincoat and an umbrella wait
ing in the hail."
The collars being damaged beyond
repair, he left them and went to the
xAsnJoU Ho stOod there for cOme
time, staring at the blackness that
represented the wall cf the house
next door.
Its raining now" he said over his
shoulder, and closed the window and
the shutters. Something in his voice
made me glance up, but he was watch
ing me, his hands idly in his pockets.
"Who lives next door," he inquired
in a perfunctory tone, after a pause.