Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1910-07-14
CHAPTER XXI.
McKnIaht's Theory.

confess l was staggered. Inc
people at the surrounding tables ai1ei
glancing curiously In my olrec'ioh'
looked away again.
got my hat and went out IN very
uncomfortable frame of mind. 1ha'
she would inform the police at once
of what she knew l never doubted, I'M
less possibly she would give day OF
two's grace in the hope that Woulu
change my mind.
reviewed the situation as l waited
for a car. Two passed me gong IN
the opposite direction and on the nrst
one saw Bronson, his hat over MS
eyes, his arms folded, looking moooly
ahead. Was 1t imagination? or was
the small man huddled IN the corner
of the rear seat Hotchkiss?
As the car rolled on found myself
smiling. The alert little man was for
all the world like terrier ever on the
scent, and securing about in every al
rection.
found Mcknight at the Incubator,
with his coat off, working with entnu-
eiasm and a manicure file over the
horn of his auto.
'It's the worst horn I ever ran
across" he groaned, without looking
I'D. as came in. 1.-THE biankety-
blank thing won't blow"
He punched it savagely, finally eiic-
iting a faint throaty croak.
Sounds like Group" l suggested.
envy sister-in-law uses camphor ana
goose grease for it; or how about a
spice poultice?"
But Mcknight never sees any jokes
but his own. He flung the horn clat'
tering into a corner and collapsed
sulkily into chair.
Nov" l said, "if you're through
manicuring that horn, I'll tell you
about my talk with the lady in black y
whats wrong?" asked Mcknight
languidly. "Police watching her, too?'
mot exactly The fact is, Rich
there's the mischief to pay"
Stogie came in, bringing few add
lions to our comfort. When he went
out told my story.
"You must remember" said, "that
/ had seen this woman before the
morning of the wreck. She was buy
ing her Pullman ticket when l did
Then the next morning, when the muir
der was discovered, she grew hyster
ical and gave her some whisky. The
third and last time l saw her, until
tonight, was when she crouched be
side the road, after the wreck"
Mcknight slid down in his chair un
til his weight rested on the small OIL
his back and put his feet on the big
reading table.
cts rather a facer," he said. "It's
really too good a situation for com
monplace lawyer. 1t ought to be
dramatized You can't agree, Of
course; and by refusing you run the
chance of Jail, at least, and of having
Alison brought into publicity, which Is
out of the question. You say she was
at the Pullman window when you
were?"
Eyes; l bought her ticket for her
Gave her lower eleven"
"And you took ten?"
Lower ten"
Mcknight Strengthened up y ant
looked at me.
"Then she thought you were il
lower ten"
81 suppose she did, If she though
at all"
But listen, man." Mcknight was
growing excited. What do you figure
out of this? The Conway woman
knows you have taken the notes Il
Pittsburg. The probabilities are tina
she follows you there, on the chance
of an opportunity to get them, eitbe
for Bronson or herself.
Nothing doing during the trip owe
or during the day in Pittsburg; bu
she learns the number of your bert
as you buy it at the Pullman ticke
Office in Pittsburg and she thinks sh,
sees her chance. No one could havt
foreseen that that drunken fellow
would have crawled into your berth.
Nov, figure it out this way: Sh,
wanted those notes desperately-doe
still-not for Bronson, but to hold owe