Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-02
CHAPTER XXI.
At the Boarding House.

1t was almost midnight and had hardly
settled myself in the library when the
bell rang and / was surprised to find
| uotchkiss, much out of breath. in the
| vestibule.
why. come in, Mr.. Hotchkss. l said.
| Il thought you were going home to go to
bed
$50 1 was, SO 1 was" He dropped into
| a chair beside my reading lamp and
midnight and I'm wider awake than ever.
| I've seen Sullivan, Mr. Blakeley."
"You have!"
1T have" he said, impressively.
You We're following Bronson at s
| o'clock. Was that when 1t happened?
Something of the sort. When ! left
you at the door of the restaurant l turned
and almost ran into a plain clothes man
| from the central office. L know him
pretty well; once or twice he has taken
| me with him on interesting bits of work
| He knows my hobby.
You know him. too. probably. 1t was
/ the man Arnold, the detective whom the
states attorney has had watching Bron
SON..
johnson being otherwise occupied, 1 had
| asked for Arnold myself.
| / nodded.
! We'll. he stopped me at once: said
| he'd been on the fellows tracks since
| e 'rly morning and had had no time for
| luncheon. Bronson, it seems, isn't eating
| much these days. / at once iotteu down
| the fact, because it argued that lie was
| being bothered by the man with the
| notes"
1T might point TO other things |
| suggested. indigestion, you know.
Hotchkiss ignored me. Well, Arnold
had some reason for thinking that Bron-
| son would try to give him the slip that
| night. SO lie asked me to stay around the
| private entrance there while he ran
| across the street and got something to
\ I "a
| as he had gone there with lady. they
would dine leisurely and Arnold would
have plenty of time to get back"
What about your own dinner" 4
| asked, curiously.
''Sir,'' he said, pompously, Il have
given you wrong estimate of Wilson
Budd Hotchkiss if you think that aues-
( ton of dinner would even ohtrude itself
| on his mind at such time as this
| He was a frail little man. and tonight
| he looked pale with heat and over-eNer-
| ton.
Did you have any Iuncheon?' ] asked
| He was somewhat embarrassed at that.
| 'I-really, Mr.. Blakeley, the events of
| the day were so engrossins-
well" 1 said. I'm not going 10 see
you drop on the floor from exhaustion.
| Just wait minute.
] went back to the pantry. only to be
confronted with rows of locked doors
| md empty dishes. Downstairs, in the
basement kitchen. however, l found two.
|
bread and d piece of cake, wrapped i'm
napkin. and from its surreptitious and
| generally hang-dog appearance. destined
| for the coachman in the stable at the
| rear. Trays there We're none-everything
| but the chairs and tables seemed under
| lock and key. and there was neither nap
| kin, knife nor fork to be found.
| The luncheon was not attractive in ap-
| pearance, but Hotchkiss ate his cold
| chops and gnawed at his crusts as though
| he had been famisned. while he told his
story.
81 had been there only few minutes"
| he said, with chop i'll one hand and the
| cake in the other, when Bronson rushed
| out and cut across the street He's a tall
man. Mr.. Blakeley, and had hard work
keeping close. 1t was relief when lie
| jumped on a passing car, although being
| well behind, it was d hard run for me to
catch him. lie had left the lady.
| "Once on the car. We simply rode from
one end of the line to the other and back
| again / suppose he was passing the
| time for he looked at his watch now
and then, and when / did once get look
| at his face it made me-er-uncomfort-
able. He could have crushed me like
fly. SIR
| 1 had brought Mr.. Hotchkiss glass of
| wine, and he was looking better. He
stopped to finish it, declining. with a
wave of his hand, to have it retilled, and
| continued:
| About 8 o'clock or a little later lie
| got off somewhere near Washington Cir
| Gle. He went along one of the residence
| streets there, turned to his left a square
/ or two and rang bell. He had been add
mitted when 1 got there. but l guessed
| from the appearance of the place that il
| was a boarding house.
Il waited a few minutes and rang the
| bell. When a maid answered. it, L asked
| for Mr.. Sullivan. OF course there was no
| Mr.. Sullivan there.
81. said l " S sorry: that the man / was
| looking for was new boarder. She was
4
| house; the only new arrival was man
on the third f1oor-she thought his name
was Stuart.
my friend has "a cousin by that name
| I said. IN just go up and see
| "She wanted to show me up, but l said
| it was unnecessary. So. after telling me
it was the bedroom and sitting room on
the third floor front, l went up.
II met couple of men Oh the stairs.
| but neither of them paid any attention to
| me. boarding house is the easiest
| place in the world to enter
| They're not always SO easy to leave
| l put in, to his evident irritation.
when l got to the third story I took
| out bunch of keys and posted myself
| by a door near the ones the girl had in
dictated. / could hear voices in one of
| the front rooms. but could not under
! stand what they said.
''Ihere was no violent dispute. but
steady hum. Then Bronson jerked the
door open. If he had stepped into the
|
| into the door before me. But he spoke
| before he came out.
| YOU'RE acting like maniac he said.
| You know 1 can get those things some
way; I'm not going to threaten you. 1t
| isn't necessary. You know me-.
1T would be no use the other man
| said. tell you / haven't seen the
notes for ten days.
but you WILL Bronson said. savage
| ly. You're standing in your own way,
that's all. If you're holding out expect
| ing me to raise my figure. you're making
| a mistake. It's my st Offer
81 couldn't take it if 1t was for mil
| lion.' said the man inside the room. I'd
do it, I expect. if L could. The best of
| us have our price.
| Bronson slammed the door then apd
| flung past me down the hall
After a couple of minutes / knocked
| at the door, and a tall man about your
! size, Mr.. Blakeley. opened it. He was
very blond, with smooth face and blue
| eyes-wlias ] think you would call a
| handsome man.
Il beg your pardon for disturbing you.
l said. Can you tell me which is Mr..
Johnson's room? Mr.. FIR ncis Johnson
81 cannot say he replied, civilly. I've
| only been here a few days.
Il thanked him and left. but had had
| a good look at him, and l think I'd
know him readily any place.
/ sat for few minutes thinking it over.
but what did he mean by saying he
| hadn't seen the notes for ten days? And
| why is Bronson making the overtures?"