Arizona republican., 1911-07-17
I&AsNarrow
Ledge
BY HORACE HAZELTINE.
Copyright. 1910, by the Pearson Pub
fishing Co.

1
ously. Answer quickly. You don't
| have to figure. Suppose l were the
District Attorney. You wouldn't take
all day, would you? Where was he at
| that timer"
THE second act begins at nine, and
| ends at"
Where was Stanton? asked you"
Between nine and ten he was on
the stage, OF in the wings, SIR"
You're quite sure, are yOu?"
"Oh. quite sure, sir"
Good. Don't forget it."
Then Hollis, with sudden inspiration,
crossed to the wall telephone and
snatched the receiver from the hook.
Give me 31O0 Spring, "he called i'm
patiently. and give 1t to me quick"
The moment he waited seemed in
terminable. Then:
Hello, . Is that Police Headquar-
tiers? Is Inspector Fahy there?"
There was another eternity Of 81
| lence. 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 il. 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.
"Oh, never mind about his dresser"
the 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-
ceiver was beating tattoo against his
ear.
Yes. yes" he called. What does
your witness say?"
THAT the part of Herrick was acted
last night by an understudy."
For a second Hollis held his breath.
voiceless. Then, resolutely, he flung
back:
Rot, Rubbish! Who dares to say
that?"
NO rot and no rubbish" was the
reply. Il 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 thing Is
merely after notorlety," Hollis re-
Joined. And then, disgustedly: But
that's to be expected. What's a good
fellows damnation compared with
jealous actors ambition?" And with
evident irritation he damned the re-
ceiver back into its clutch.
Now" he said TO Parrish, after
having conveyed the gist of the infor-
~H..,lon cleaned over the wire, you
and | 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 II.
You've got to find ont 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. lVh0t you say
about il may not have much weight.
for you would naturally defend the
man you've been with so long; but
the tcdy you say 1t will % for lot.
Now, you get along; and II you can
snatch a little sleep. all the better. III
see Warrie as soon as possible. and In
the meantime I've got a lot to think
about. You had better meet me at
Moucuin's, at six, for dinner, and tell
me what you've done"
"You know there's matinee to-day,
sir"
$50 there is. I'd forgotten that.
Well. all the better. III 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"
Quite 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 a 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-
tach itself from the complex rest and
to stand forward as the dominant ele-
ment In a personality altogether ad-
mirable. This was Stanton's almost
childlike faith in the inherent good
ness of humanity. By the sturdy
strength of his trust, he had seemed
20 command sincerity and candor; and
that, too. in a profession where.
usually, the written word was held
only less lightly than the spoken