The Washington times., 1911-03-26
CHAPTER XVII.
ERE followed a brief hush.

"I decline to answer" Barrows re-
! piled. "Ill take you to look at the
goods-that's ALL
But is this undue excitement really
| caused by Burton smiled.
"You come along with me, and I'll
show you the cause!" Barrows vocifer-
| ated. 'I shot down here in the motor
| to get you gentlemen and show you
| the little surprise package, and you get
no details until you've looked 1t over!
Come along!''
Have you really hit anything sus-
ceptible Of proof?" Gray asked.
Proof? I've cleared up the whole
| businessI'
Have you actually accused Deston
| himself?" Gray gasped.
Barrows stared in frank astonishment.
What the dickens has Deston got to
! do with it?' he inquired. And then he
opened the door. Come on! I'll have
| to get back there"
He walked straight out and down the
| hallway. Gray and Burton stared hard
at one another for a moment: then, at
the same second, each snatched for his
hat and rushed after young Barrows.
! And:
"What-what do you suppose"
! Burton whispered. amazedly.
II don't suppose anything at all!'
| Gray snapped. Hes got some fool
notion and imagines that he has some
thing to support it-and 1 want to call
! him off before he spoils the real game!'
Mr.. Barrows, neatly tucked in a robe,
was sitting in the front Of the machine
beside Fabre when they emerged from
the inn. He turned with a polite smile,
and reached back and opened the door
for them: and when they had piled into
the machine, he bowed pleasantly, and
turned his face straight to the front
( again.
There he kept is as they rolled swiftly
out of Stedmore and. up the country
| road. There IL remained as they whirled
past three or four policemen at the
gates, and past more policemen scat
| tered through the grounds. And Bar
rows had skipped lightly up the steps
and was waiting for them beside the
| open door of the Deston home.
Better come right into the library
! with me!" he said. It's there, all
i right
| He moved soundlessly down the cor
ridor, and they hurried after him. He
opened the door and vanished within,
and Gray led the way into the room
There they stopped and stared. Barker
was visible, holding a heavy revolver in
one hand. Stedmore's chief of police
was there, too. and his own weapon was
frankly ready for use.
But the third man of the party,
hunched on the edge of chair, was the
real center of interest. He was, in his
early twenties, Gray noted, and some
where the world might have a more
Misunderstanding young savage to
offer-perhaps-than this hadcuffed,
square-jawed giant, but Gray prayed
never to meet him. Erect, he would
have been well over six feet in height:
his build was broad and of solid muscle:
the great hands, palms together just
now, looked capable of tearing down
solid walls!
1t was the face, though. that held
Gray's attention. Rendered even more
unpleasant by the thick black scrub,
the whole cast of features was wicked
the eyes, now shifting, now staring
savagely and suIlenly, were wholly bad!
The
Young Mr.. PeII!" Barrows said, very
distinctly.
"Pell?" Gray cried.
THE buffers pleasing son-yes," the
younger man said. Where the deuce
is Pell?"
'He-he'n be here shortly If he's not
about now," Gray muttered. But
The chief of police was glancing al
his watch. and he glanced at Barrows
Barrows nodded and, hands behind him
faced his two late associates.
Gentlemen" he said, "I do not, Of
course, know your ultimate conclusions
and to tell the truth they don't bother
me a whole lot now-because 1 have the
cold facts. I'll give those to you in a
very few words, for ! see that the lord
of the constabulary is about as anxious
, to lock this fellow up as am to have
him locked up!
who is he? He's Pell's SOM and ]
imagine that he's been leading Pell the
devils own life, off and on, for some
years. Wen have to learn from his
father, l presume.
How did we become acquainted? ?
Barrows moistened his lips. Gray
and Burton-when we severed bushes!
connections yesterday, / was mad.
: | was so mad that meant to go straigh
| to New York and then emigrate. AnC
then I grew so much madder that
steered straight back for these grounds
To be perfectly hoFest, my first inten
ton was to loaf around She house, wal
on the chance that Pell migSt come or
alone, and then give him the n>nsz aw
full cross-examination a man ever had
1 couldn't get that confounded agitation
of his out Of my head.
well, I walked and walked anC
walked, here and there and everywhere
and finally 1 landed away over there il
the woods beyond the lake, whera the,
tell me nobody ever goes except in tn,
dead of summer. And there-caII it lucl
/ If you like-I found this gentleman fas
asleep in the thick bushes!"
''Humph! escaped Gray.
"You might not think it now, bu
when he's sound asleep he bears a yer!
marked resemblance to his father!'
Barrow went on placidly. II didn'
: wake him, as you may imagine. I hat
no means of knowing that he WASH
merely a tramp who had dropped in TO
| a nap, and the resemblance might b
/ an accident or my fancy. So decides
, to watch him. Didn't see m
, around the inn last evening, did you?''
I'VE imagined that you had ron,
, quietly tc bed-very quietly" Ora!
smiled.
"Instead of which, ] spent the nigh
, right out on the estate there" Bar
rows said, with broader smile. well