Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-12

''I don't half like this he said. THAT
woman is in; you heard me ask the Gle
vator boy. For two cents I'd
had seen 1t when he did. The door
was ajar about inch. and narrow
wedge of rose-colored light showed be-
yOnd. ] pushed the door little and lis
tened. Then, with both men at my heels,
stepped into the private corridor OF the
apartment and looked around. II was a
square reception hall. with rugs on the
floor. tall mahogany rack for hats and
colored glass and desk light over a
writing table across made the room
bright and cheerful. 1t was empty.
None of us was comfortable. The place
was full of feminine trifles that made us
feel the weakness of our position. Some
vision.
I'VE look like an invading army" he
said. IF she's here alone We will startle
her into spasm. One of us could take
What was that? Didn't you hear
somethingc''
The sound. whatever it had been. was
not repeated. We went awkwardly out
into the hall. very uncomfortable, all OF
us, and tipped a coin. The choice fell
to me, which was right enough, for the
affair was mine. primarily.
wait just inside the door, I directed.
ana III sullivan comes. OF any DOQN lHdl
answers his description. grab him with
out ceremony and ask him questions
afterward."
The apartment, save in the hallway,
was unlighted. BY one of those freaks
of arrangement possible only in the mod
ern fiat. l found the kitchen first, and
was struck smart and unexpected blow
by swinging door. i carried a handful
of matches. and by the time l had passed
through a buffers pantry and refriger-
afa nj nfa in
darkness. Until then the situation had
been merely uncomfortable; suddenly it
became grisly. From somewhere near
came a long-sustained groan. followed
almost instantly by the crash of some
thing-glass or chna-on the floor.
l struck a fresh match and found my
self In narrow rear hallway Behind
me was the door by which l must have
come: with keen desire to get back to
the place I had started from, l opened
The door and attempted to cross the room.
] thought l had kept my sense of direc-
ton. but l crashed without warning into
what. from the resulting jangle. was the
dining table probably laid for dinner
cursed my stupidity I'm getting into such
a situation. and l cursed my nerves for
making my hand shake when I tried to
strike a match. The groan had not been
repeated.
j braced myself against the table and
struck the match sharply against the sole
| of my shoe. 1t fickered family and went
| out. And then, without the slightest
| warning. another dish went off the table.
very air seemed broken into crashing
| waves of sound. / stood still braced
against the table, holding the red end of
| the dying match. and listened. | had
and l recognized it, the cry of dog in
straits. 1 breathed again.
Come, old fellow. l said. Come on,
| old man. Let's have a look at you"
1 could hear the thud of his tail on the
floor. but he did not move. He only
whimpered. There is something COM
panionable In the presence of a dog. and
I fancied this dog in trouble. Slowly |
began to work my way around the table
toward him.
Good boy / said, as he whimpered.
well find the light. which ought to be
somewhere or other around here, and
then
l stumbled over something and I drew
back my foot almost instantly. Did
step on you, old MANI" l exclaimed. and
bent to pat him. l remember straiShten-
ing suddenly and hearing the dog pad
softly toward me around the table. L re-
call even that ! had put the matches
down and could not find them. Then,
with bursting horror of the room and
it's contents. of the gibbering dark around
me. I turned and made for the door by
which I had entered.
1 could not find it. / felt along the end
dog was beside me, ] think. but he was
part and parcel now, to my excited mind.
with the Thing under the table. And
when, after aeonS of search, l found d
knob and stumbled into the reception
hall. ! was as nearly in a panic any
man could be.
1 was myself again in a second. and by
the light from the hall ! led the way
back to the tragedy ] had stumbled on
Bronson still sat at the table his elbows
propped on It, his ciga rette, still lighted.
burning a hole in the cloth. Partly under
the table lay Mrs. Conway. face down.
The dog stood over her and wagged his
tail.
Mcknight pointed silently to a large
copper ash tray. filled with ashes and
charred bits of paper
The notes. probably he said. ruefuly.
He got them after all and burned them
before her. 1t was more than she could
stand. Stabbed him first and then her
self"
Hotchkiss got up and took off his hat.
They are dead he announced solemn
ly, and took his notebook out Of his hat
band.
Mcknight and i did the only thing we
could think of-drove Hotchkiss and the
dog out of the room. and closed and
police" Mcknight asserted. Il suppose
you've got officer tied to you some
where Lawrence? You usually have
We left Hotchkiss in charge and went
downstairs. 1t was Mcknight who first
saw johnson. leaning against a park rail-
ing across the street, and called him over.
We told him In few words what we had
found. and he grinned at me cheerfully.
After while. in d few weeks or months,
Mr.. Blakeley." he said when you get
tired of monkeying around with the blood
stain and finger-print specialist upstairs,
you come to me. I've had that fellow
you want under surveillance for ten
days."