, 1910-10-27
cp1n1MHy L90S 6y M 601aJ-
n or skulKing arouno the house,

as II he had been ransacking the pan.
try. What have you locked in the
%laundry?"
81 can't wait to explain" I replied.
ri must get Warner from the lodge. II
you came out for air, you'd better put
on your o~vershoes." And then ! no
uced that Gertrude was limping-not
much. but suffi GENTLY to make her
progress very slow, and seemingly
painful.
you have hurt yourself" I said
sharply.
81 fell owe the carriage block" she
explained. az thought perhaps 1
might see Halsey coming home. He
he ought to be here"
/ fastened to the lodge.
"Where is Warner" I asked.
I'll think he's in bed, ma'am."
Get him up" I said, land for good.
ness sake pen the door, Thomas. I'll
wait for Warner"
ITS kind O. close in here, ma'am."
he said. obeying gingerly, and disclos-
ing a cool and comfortable-looking in
terror. Perhaps you'd keer to set on
the porch an rest you'self."
1t was SO evident that Thomas did
not want me inside that / went in.
Tell Warner he is needed in a hur-
~" I repeated, and turned into the
little sitting room. ] could hear
Thomas going up the stairs, could
hear him rouse Warner, and the steps
OF the chauffeur as he hurriedly
dressed. But my attention was busy
with the loom below.
On the center table, open was a
sealskin travelling bag. 1t was filed
with gold-topped bottles and brushes,
and 1t breathed opulence, luxury, fem
ininity from every inch of surface.
How did it get there? l was still ask
ing myself the question when Warner
came running down the stairs and
into the room. He was completely but
somewhat i%ncongruously dressed, and
his open, boyish face looked abashed.
He was a country boy, absolutely
frank and reliable, of fair education
and intelligence-one of the small
army of American youths who turn a
natural aptitude for mechanics into
the special field of the automobile,
Ah earn 5oou didIlcb IN d COlRGnlal
occuration.
What is it, Miss Innes?" he asked
an -
There is ONE one locked in the
laundry" / replied. "Mr. Jameson
wants you to help him break the lock.
Warner. whose bag is this?"
He vas in the doorway by this time,
and he pretended not to hear.
Warner" I called. come back
here. Whose bag is this?"
He stopped then, but he did not turn
around.
"Its-it belongs to Thomas" he
said, and fled up the drive.
To Thomas! A London bag with
mirrors and cosmetic jars Of which
Thomas could not ven have guessed
the use! However, I put the bag in
the back of my mind, which was fast
becoming stored with anomalous and
apparently irreconcilable facts. and
followed Warner to the house.
Liddy had come back to the kitch-
en-; the door t the basement stairs
was double-barred, and had a table
pushed against 1t; and beside her on
the table was most of the kitchen par
aphernalia.
Did you see II there was any n
missing in the house?" I asked. ignor-
ing the array Of sauce pans, rolling
pins and the poker Of the range.
Rosie is missing" Liddy said with
JUNCTION. She had objected to Rosie.
the parlor maid, from the start. MRS.
Watson went into her room, and found
she had gone without her hat. People
that trust themselves a dozen miles
from the city, in strange houses, with
servants they don't know, needn't be
surprised II they wake up some morn
ing and find their throats cut"
After which carefully yelled sar-
casm Liddy relapsed into gloom. War
ner came in then with a handful of
small tools, and Mr.. Jameson went
with him to the basement. Oddly
enough, / was not alarmed. With all
my heart I wished for Halsey, but /
was not frightened. At the door he
was to force Warner put down his
tools and looked at 1t. Then he
turned the handle. Without the slight
est difficulty the door opened, reveal
Ing the blackness OF the drying room
beyond!
Mr.. Jameson gave an exclamation
OF disgust. "Gone!" he said. Con
found such careless work! might
have known"
1t was true enough. We got the
lights on finally and looked all
through the three rooms that con-
stituted this wing of the basement.
Everything was quiet and empty. An
explanation of how the fugitive had
escaped injury was found in a heaped-
up basket of clothes under the chute.
The basket had been overturned. but
mat was all. Mr.. Jameson examinedthe
windows; one was unlocked. and Of
iered an easy escape. The window or