The Ordway new era., 1910-06-03

mot quite that" he said with his
friendly smile. In fact. Miss Innes,
/ am quite certain she did not But
AZ long as I learn only parts Of the
truth, from both you and her, what
can do? know you picked up some
thing IN the flower bed: you refuse
to tell me what 1t was. know Miss
Gertrude went back to the billiard
room to get something. she refuses to
say what, You suspect what happened
to the cun-link. but you won't tell mo.
So far. all | am sure OF is this: do
| not believe Arnold Armstrong was the
| midnight visitor who SO alarmed you
by dropping-shall we say, golf
| stick? And I believe that when he
| did come he was admitted by some
one In the house. Who knows-it may
have been-Liddy!"
l stirred my tea angrily.
Il have always heard" l said dry
ly. "that undertakers' assistants are
jovial young men. mans sense Of
humor seems to be In inverse proper
ton to the gravity of his profession"
"A mans sense Of humor is q bar.
barous and a cruel thing. Miss Innes."
he admitted. 1T is to the feminine
as the hug OF bear is to the scratch
of-well anything with claws. Is that
you. Thomas? Come in"
Thomas Johnson stood in the door
way He looked alarmed and appre-
hensive. and suddenly l remembered
the sealskin dressing bag in the
lodge. Thomas came Just inside the
| fInnr vlytfh
ing. his eyes. under their shaggy gray
brows. fixed on Mr.. Jameson.
Thomas" said the detective. not
unkindly. Il sent for you to tell US
what you told Sam Bohannon at the
club. the day before Mr.. Arnold was
found here. dead. Let me see. You
| came here Friday night to see Miss
| Innes. didn't you? And came to work
here Saturday morning."
For some unexplained reason
| Thomas looked relieved.
"Yas. sah." he said. You see It
were Xix" this: When Mistah Arm.
strong and the family went away. Mis-
Watson an me. we was lef' In charge
till the place was rented. Mis- Wat
son, shcv" bin here good while. an
she warn skeery. So she slep' In the
house. I'D bin havin' tokens-I toll
Mis- lnnes some OF 'em-an' l slep'
In the lodge. Then one day Mis- Wat
son, shc came to me an she seq. SEE
she: Thomas, you'll hev to sleep up
In thc big house. I'm too nervous
to do It any more But I jes' reckon
to myself that ef it's too skeery fer
her. it's too skcery fer me. We had
It, then, sho' nun. and 1t ended up
with Mis- Watson stayin In the lodge
nights an me lookin' fer work at dc
| club
Did Mrs. Watson say that any.
thing had happened to alarm her."
NO. sah. She was jes' materially
| skeercd. Well, that was all. far's
know. until the night I come over to
| see Mis- lnnes. come across the
valley. along the path from the club
house. and I goes home that way.
Down in the creek bottom almost
run into a man. He wuz standin' with
| his back TO me. an he was workin'
with one Of these ycrc electric light
things that fit In yer pocket. He was
havin' trouble-one minute it'd fash
out, an the mex it'd be gone. I he'd
| n view of Is white dress shirt an tie.
as | passed. I didn't see his face. But
! know It warnt MIR. Arnold. II was
a taller man than Mr.. Arnold. BESIDES
that. MFR. Arnold was playin' cards
when got to the club house. same's
he'd been doin' all day
And the next morning you came
back along the path" pursued Mr..
Jameson relentlessly.
The mex mornin. l come back
along the path an down where dun
see the man night befoh. picked up
this here" The old man held out .
tiny object and MIR. Jameson took It.
Then he held 1t on his extended palm
for me to see. II was the other half
OF the pearl cuff.linkl
Hut MIR. Jameson was not quite
through questioning him.
And SO you showed II to Sam. at
the club. and asked him II he knew
any one who owned such IA link. and
Sam said-what?"
Wal. Sam. he lowed he'd seen
such pair OF uff.buttons in n shirt
belongin' to MIR. Railey-Mr Jack
Bailey. sah.''
I'll keep this link, Thomas. for a
whilc." the detective said. That's
all wanted to know. Good night
As Thomas shuiIied out. Mr.. jamie
son watched me SHARPLY.
You see. Miss Innes." he said. MIR.
Isailry insists on mixing himself with
this thing. II Mr.. Bailey came here
that Friday night expecting to meet
Arnold Armstrong. and missed him
II. as | say. he had done this. might
he not, seeing him enter the following
night. have struck him down. as he
had intended beforc?"
hut the motive?" I gasped.