The Washington times., 1911-03-10


N the cigar from his teeth and
gazed at Barker for a mo-
ment before:
He went, didn't he?'
He went somewhere or other" the
lawyer said, but wherever it was, he
hadn't planned it beforehand"
Meaning"
Meaning that I've been allowing Fa-
bre, the chauffeur up there, to spin me
over the roads hereabouts for the last
hour. He's waiting downstairs for
me now. Just as got out of the car he
asked me whether he should call for
Mr.. Gerald's clothes when he goes down
10 the city tomorrow
Call for them
1T appears that Saturday, week before
some new tires or something, Gerald
gave him that mysterious grip, with
three new suits in it, and told him to
leave them at his tailor's. He wanted
different Innings or something of the
well. why the devil didn't this Fabrs
come forward and say so before this?''
Gray demanded.
Nobody asked him" Barker said
the servants do not do among them
selves, doesn't 1t. Fabre entertains
private notion that it was Gerald's way
of getting some clothes out of the house
quietly, 1 think
We'll, haven't you a similar nodon?"
he inquired, as he arose and walked to
the wall telephone. Good Lord! May
be, even now--whos the tailor, Barker?
Who's the tailor"
Barker had no more than given the
hame than Gray was diving into the
telephone directory. He found his num-
Der and called for it, and he whistled as
he waited. Then, after a preliminary
hello or two, a smile came TO his lips
and he inquired softly:
Can you tell me whether those three
suits of Mr.. Gerald Forbes'-yes, Mr..
Forbes, of Stedmore-are they ready?'
The smile broadened.
What? This is his valet!" Mr.. Gray
stated. "Mr. Forbes wishes to know"
And then, after half a minute of lis
and Gray hung up the instrument with
We'll, / thought we had at least
one clue to him that time!' he snapped.
to come in and select a new lining"
"Aha?" Barker nodded without great
surprise. Wholly unsuccessful other
There is a bare possibility that Bar
rows" the detective began grudg-
ingly.
the doorway announced.
They turned in the direction. Barrows
had entered without ceremony and Bar
rows was tired. He sent his hat spin
ming to Grays bed; then, without re-
moving his overcoat, he dropped into a
chair, and summed up with extreme
Nothing doingr'
Eth? Do I understand that-that six
of you, all experienced men, have been
working for days without discovering
anything at all?" Barker cried
you may understand just exactly
that" Gray said with some acerbity.
Where is Burton?"
''On his way down here, believe
He's been spending good deal of time
With whom, Mr.. Barker"
Why, he has been loafing around
generally. He has been with me some
Of the time and with Deston more.
They seem to get along together splen-
didly- They exchange half a dozen
words at intervals of an hour"'
Well has he found out anything?"
Gray rasped.
e bsrtaf Ra5 kept Smiled il mE4y q"st y6 if he
Barker" said Gray, through his
teeth, Il have combed the blasted city
from one end to the other, and for all
l know to the contrary, all three have
gone straight to the moon! l got the
three men who work under me together
and believe that we have visited
every spot Forbes ever thought Of"
And to make long story short, most
of his friends have been wondering
where he is! I've been a clubman from
Philadelphia these last few DAYS and a
general man of the world, just looking
around for my old friend Forbes, you ,
know. 1t seems that there were a num-
Der of appointments he meant to fill /
early this week. People generally at |
tribute his absence TO the death in the /
family, of course.
He settled back in his chair and
sighed.
on the way down." he continued. BY
the merest luck, we struck the same .
porter who had the run that Monday .
night He remembered seeing you and .
knowing you formerly on the New
York-Boston run--
That's right, too!'
But when II came to young ladies |
with black hair and black eyes. he was
all at sea-, He has only been on this !
suburban service little while, and isn't
familiar with the people who don't take
the trip daily. There were TOUR young
women in one Pullman out OF mere, and
two in the other. with black hair and
eyes, and he doesn't know which from
t'other! Then, at Cashmere, nVe more
young women got aboard and they
seemed to know the crowd in the hrst
pullman and they all got off together
in the city-and that's where his in
formation began and ended,
Then there was the cab stand. It
seems that the cabbies and the taxi
drivers watch carefully for trains from
nm here, for it's all swell trade We
fnally rounded up every last one who
was about during Monday night and
among their fares that night there was
neither a handsome young man with