The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-04-22

| boy mt his elbow, but 1 guess you.d
| better hurry back upstairs to your
wife. She just sent call down that
strange young woman had run in
| there and said she was sick, and that
| we'd better send someone up to take
care of her.
| Harcourt thanked the boy and made
| for the elevator with all speed. Soth-
| ern and Frankel instinctively flashed
| to each other with their eyes the one
| word:
Betty"
Think I'll go up and see If Betty
needs any help suggested Sothern;
you'd better stay down here. Frankel,
| and see what you can skirmish up"
Sothern made his way back to the
| ''E" floor cautiously. He went to Bet
| tvs room and knocked on the door. II
with a chorus of:
| "What'd you get. Betty?"
| '"Tisn't Betty" grinned Sothern;
isn't she here?"
mo. haven't seen anything of her
! since you left but her shoes. that she's
kicked off there" said Hank Smith.
"She must have found a vein." add
| ed Larry Morris.
Most likely a vein found her." add
| ed Sothern, narrating the experiences
Of below stairs. Lets walk around
| that way and see."
At the bend in the corridor Larry's
feet entangled themselves in something
soft. He stopped and picked 1t up,
and gingerly spread it out to the light.
It was a woman's shirtwaist of white
linen with little blue stripe. and the
monogram "B. L." heavily embroidered
on the sleeve.
| Betty Lancey's waist" cried Soth-
ern. Where is Betty?"
| I'm going to find out" retorted Lar
ry. Together they all strobe in to Har-
courts door. 1t was open and from
] within sounded the angered tones Of q
woman's decidedly nasal voice.
Are you sure you wasn't dreaming?"
came the words. what could have be-
come of the girl? If she was here
how did she get away so quick? Espe-
| cially If she was sick"
| "She wasn't SICK" replied Harcourt.
"She must have been a thief, trying to
impose herself on my wifes confidence.
| .
woman, you can CO. too. There's moth
ing here for you to do"
| NO" burst in Larry, whose worry
over Betty was now at fever heat,
"but there's something here for you to
do. That girl is a friend of mine, and
| if there's any harm come to her, you'll
suffer for it, Here is her shirtwaist-
| it's been torn off her body-do you see
! that-and where's she? Look at that
| blood! She started out half an hour
ago to come over here and speak to
your wife, and she hasn't been seen
since. but we find this garment of hers.
blood stained and kicked into the cor
ner at the foot of the corridor. What
| have you done with it's wearer?"
| Mrs Harcourt, still in the silker
negligee and the diamonds, flung hel
hands YEARLY behind her head, bent
like an overweighted reed. and passed
beyond into her dressing room.
This is an outrage. an outrage"
stormed Harcourt. AT this hour of
| the morning to interrupt guest Of the
house in this wanton fashion! You'll
| pay for these insults!"
| Perhaps" said Larry Norris "and
in the meanwhile if you or your wife
attempt to leave this hotel till we have
found Betty Lancey, you'll find your
self face to face with warrant that
| will land you in Jail. charging you
with either her murder or her abduc-
ton. Do you understand me. Mr.. Har-
court?"
"Oh, say, Larry" limited Hank Smith.
don't you think you're going too far?
man has his rights. you know"
Indeed l know" said Larry, "and
that's why I'm going to find Betty.
This matter doesn't look straight to
me. Where's Frankel gone. anyway"
Don't know. Nothing more doing
tonight for me-" announced Hartley.
I'm going home and to bed boys.
Good by"
Here, too" chimed in chorus. But
Larry Morris was silent. He left the
boys at the corner, then sought out
and dug from their slumbers an official
or two whom he knew WE'LL and swore
out a warrant against the Harcourts.
charging them with abduction Of Betty
Lancey with intent to kill!
Don't care if l go down the road
for it," he told himself. You can't
tell me something hasn't happened to
Betty l can seem to feel her calling
to me, there's an instinct tells me she's
in fearful trouble. Hello, what's this
another extra. So that beast got
out, did it? Wonder where it went
to-"
(To be continued.)