The Washington times., 1910-12-23

= HEN Barton 6WOke II was
M broad daylight He dressed
v v himself quickly. curious 20
know what news the paper
/ contained As he passed the desk IN
/ the hotel corridor the clerk called out;
VIII you please sign the police regis
terri
The word police" made him start
/ Still. he inquired in a natural voice;
/ Police register What's that?''
we are compelled BY law 10 keep a
/ register OF our guests It's a mere for
malits-- As a general rule it's a use
/ less precaUtiOn, especially in a house
/ Ike his Still, You never can tell
Z There are so many murders and rob
] berries these days you can't tell what
vel ind Now, there's that Boulevard
Z LANES murdeT-'
Barton grew pale He stared AT the
I man nXediy and was half tempted TO
question him and even 70 protest The
clerk swung the register around, hand
/ ed Barton pen and s-niliugiy pointed
TO the line where he was 10 sign his
name, his profess on, and the name Of
/ the place where he had last lived
While Barton carefully wrote. the clerk
gave further reasons for this police
IN this part OF town you're not likely
70 run across murderer OF a thief.
We've got 10 look out for political Of
tenders, Russian refugees and Sihilists-
I
very comfortable 10 feel that a man
who asks for lodging IS carrying a
/ bomb in has bag and that hes likely to
blow I'D the house overnight
Il should say not" agreed Barton.
handing back the pen
He rather congratulated himself that
TulOUs imbecile OF a clerk did not put
the police on his track In forty-eight
hours there was no such thing as in
Justice IN the world As he walked out
~a7ea- 20 2
If You should come back late you
viii have to ring three times You
will ind your key beside the candle
in your room "
Thank you" answered Barton
Without knowing why he stood on
the threshold for minute or two and
looked up and down the street fur
lively. a true criminal in fear OF ar
rest would have done likewise.
The clerk turned the register around
and read the entry
''Farcy. travelling salesman, versaiI-
He looked up. studied Barton's face
and muttered 10 himself: YOU'RE no
travelling salesman, old man. 1 know
one when see him"
Barton felt that the man was watch
ing him and turned around The clerk
smiled winnlngly at him Behind the
smile vas the thought that after all It
mattered little whether the new arrival
vas q travelling salesman OF not, pro
vided he paid regularly Then Il Oc-
Cured 10 the clerk that Barton had
brought 10 baggage and that C-~--Ft-
ingly there was no guaranty Tor any
payment at all, regular Or Irregular
As Barton was about TO leave the door
the clerk shouted
NJ Farcyt N. FarCyl'
Marion heard him distinctly, but paid
not the slightest heed FaTcy was the
name which had flashed upon him when
the clerk had asked him 20 register
and Farcy was the name he had signed
II was only after the clerk had called
his new name several times that he
realized that FaTCy was his name. He
turned around and answered
Wei, what is ttg
q beg your pardon. I forgot 20 tell
Won that the rules Of the house require
guests to pay IN advance. at least for
the first week"
Quite right"
Barton paid and made I'D his mind
not TO spend another night in the hotel
That would be another indication OF
mis- guilt, or at least OF his desire TO
keep out OF sight
Despite his eIation he WIS again
overtaken by the feeling OF uneasiness
that had possessed him on the previous
evening He had hardly assumed his
new character when Il proved iTksome
to him He was prey TO vague prem
onitions- Somehow he Iancied that fIs
could hear the lahOTed movement OF
fF7e Gigantic thing We caII Justice" It
seemed to him Ike huge TuituTS
wheeling down slowly upon him from
great height IN 2 vast spiral Of ever
narrowing sweep, with himself as the
ne recognized tha necessity Of Be-
stirring himself. Although he had dOne
much since the night Of the murder, II
seemed 70 him that he had not done
enough, and that he was displaying Tar
too much hesitation Now that he was
embarked upon this enterprise he must
carry It out to the bitter end He was
wen aware Of the stupidity that marked
most police Investigations Perhaps
that very stupidity might Be his own
unGoing- II the police we're uniformly
stupid. II by accident they did not
sometimes bring a criminal to book, his
task would be easier He was Ike q
man Who relied upon the weather re-
ports IN -he newspapers II the fore
casts weT- invariably wrong he would
know to a certainty whether the day
would be clear or cloudy. Unfortunate
" the weather man was sometimes
Tight-Often enough IN TACT TO make
him absolutely untrIstwoTthy-
Rartcn's hasty resignation from the
Planet undoubtedly would enEendsr sug-
picio1. But mere suspicion was not
enough To play into the hands Of a
stupid police system II was necessary
20 drive home his apparent guilt IN the
most obvious way
one afte- another- All Of them were
flied with e1ildiShiy elaborate details
az the crime. Some even announced
that the rolice were following q rlys-
tericus clue. He smiled The Planet
published several columns written by
his successor, a man whose style he
recognized at once and who had hithSr-
70 written political items Doubtless he
had interviewed the CHIEF OF police anew
to verify the sensational reports dictated
by Barton IN the Trocadero Cafe. At any
rate. his article had the ring Of author
itv
When he had read everything that
had been printed about the crime he
stuffed the papers IN the pocket OF his
overcoat- From all that he had read
he concluded that he had not removed
al the tracks left by the true criminals
on that fateful night and that the evil
derce which he had provided Of MS
own apparent guilt was not strong
enough 4 few displaced pieces of fur
TftIre had cou- letsly blinded the Do
ice The cher or police had eyCk and
vet could not see Only the obvious
impressed itself on his shallow mind
Dssnite the missing plate, despite the
position OF the corpse, clearly point
ing as IL did to & crime committed BY
tEe mspy s- psTEsSsa2 IN his absUd