The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-08-29

/
Good Lord, mani" he cried querul-
,usly. Answer quickly. You don't
lave to figure. Suppose / were the
| all day would you? Where was he at
I hat time?"
The second act begins at nine, and
ends at
Where was Stanton? asked you
Between nine and ten he was on
/ the stage, or in the wings, sir.
You're quite sure, are your"
"Oh, quite sure, sir"
Good. Don't forget IT,
Then Hollis, with sudden inspiration,
rossed to the wall telephone aSd
| snatched the receiver from the hook.
Give me 300 Spring he called i'm
patiently. and give it to me quick"
The moment he waited seemed in
ferminable. Then:
Hello! Is that Police Headquar-
tiers? Is Inspector Fahy there?"
There was another eternity of ST.
ence. At last:
Hello, Inspector! This is Kent Hol-
| lis. What's this about Stanton? What?
Been arrested. An hour ago? Why,
| you people must be dippy. He was on
the stage of the Avon Theater when
that shot was fired Don't you know
that? Doesn't he say that?"
A laugh came back "Of course he
says 1t. So do some others. But he
| couldn't be in two places at once, and
we know he was in the Clydesdale'
/ But his dresser Hollis began.
ooh. never mind about his dresser"
1 he Inspectors voice cut in. We've
/ got Stanton all right. We've got a
/ witness, my boy-a witness who
knows"
| Hollis's hand shook so that the re-
eeiver was beating tattoo against his
ear.
Eyes, yes" he called What does
/ your witness say?"
THAT the part of Herrick was acted
!ast night by an understudy"
For second Hollis held his breath.
voieeless. Then. resolutely. he flung
back:
Rot. Rubbish! Who dares to say
that?''
No rot and no rubbish" was the
/ -eply II tell you the witness knows.
That's enough. I'm not giving names"
You ought to be clever enough to
see that whoever says such a thing Is
merely after notoriety," Hollis re-
i joined. And then, disgustedly: But
that's to be expected. What's good
/ fellows damnation compared with a
jealous actors ambition?" And with
/ irrs ha yor tho rn.
| ceiver back into its clutch.
Now" he said to Parrish, after
| having conveyed the gist of the infor-
nation cleaned over the wire, you
and I have got our work cut out, Joe.
You and l are going to save Warrie
Stanton I'm not afraid of the police
and the District Attorneys office, but
am afraid Of the yellow newspapers.
They'll play up this understudy story
for all and more than there is in it.
You've got to find out who Fahy' s
witness is, and you've got to convince
him that he is wrong. You know bet.
ter than anyone else whether Stanton
worked last night What you say
about it may not have much weight,
for you would naturally defend the
man you've been with SO long; but
the tcay you say 1t will go for lot.
Now, you get along; and If you can
snatch a little sleep, all the better. III
see sWarrfe as soon as possible, and in
the meantime I've got lot to think
about You had better meet me at
Mouquin's. at six, for dinner, and tell
me what you've done"
You know there's matinee to-day,
sir
80 there is. I'd forgotten that.
Well, all the better. I'll drop in my
self, and see how nearly the under
study is like Warrie. BY the way
who is the understudy?"
Young Mr.. Leroy. sir. You know,
the gentleman that plays Adde'S, the
detective
Why, he's half head shorter than
Stanton"
slite that, sir"
After the door had shut on the old
dresser the young man resumed his
seat on the side of the bed, and his
broad brow contracted until double
furrow divided it. He was cookbook
ing beyond the average, with an espe-
cially strong chin and jaw, and rather
wide, keenly intelligent dark eyes
Though still in the late twenties, he
had risen to fair eminence at the
Bar, and had distinguished himself
more than once in the criminal courts
as the adversary of older and more
experienced practitioners from the Dis.
trict Attorneys office.
He had first met Warren Stanton
who was a few years his senior, dur.
ing his University days. The intimacy
formed then had continued after grad
uation, and had been kept alive by
regular correspondence, during periods
Of wide separation, for Stanton's stage
apprenticeship had taken him first to
the Pacific Coast and later to England
Now. as Hollis reviewed this friend
ship, there was one ingredient Of his
friends character which seemed to de
zach itself from the complex rest and
to stand forward as the dominant ele
ment in personality altogether ad
mirahle. This was Stanton's almost
childlike faith in the inherent good
ness Of humanity. BY the sturdy
strength of his trust, he had seemed
to command sincerity and candor: and
that too, in profession where