The Washington times., 1911-03-06

- ATURDAY morning came crisp
and brilliant.
Barrows and Burton, emerging
little before 9. discovered Gray
upon the veranda at Stedmore Inn, dis
posed with comfortable dignity in a
rocking chair, smoking one of his unim-
peachable cigars, and, apparently, at
peace with the world and all its con-
Germs.
He greeted them with a smile, and:
Got everything reasoned out now?''
Il haven't given the matter another
thought" Burton said.
And l laid awake half the night
trying to put two and two togetherr'
BarTows muttered.
And did you make four?"
Il made any old thing from one to
5000, but not four" the younger-man
answered, with a trace of disgust
Gray, cid you ever collide with such
q mass of complications"
Il never did. Usually, one mystery
is satisfied to pop up alone: here
He shrugged his shoulders and arose.
'We'll go up there and settle down to
be learned before we can take up any
really definite line
Very thoughtfully, indeed, they stroll
ed out of the village and up the road
that led to DeSton's. Very thought
fully they stared at the seemingly end
less stone wall which shut of the bis
place from the rest of the world. as
they walked on and on past f. up to
the high iron gates.
1t was very quiet, indeed, in the great
private park. Straying, fruitless CONVEX
sation, having thinned to the stage of
disjointed remarks, finally died away
altogether. Their steps made no sound
on the soft roadway: and without com
ment each noted that they We're passing
along like three ghosts, in uncanny har-
mony with the rest of the stiffness.
Corners were turned, straightaway
stretches traversed; and then, as they
rounded the curve that would reveal the
house itself ahead. Barrows tapped a
shoulder on either side of him and
swiftly put a finger TO his lips
They stared. The finger pointed and
they stared afresh.
Possibly one hundred yards distant
with his back toward them, Wilkes Des-
ton was standing upon a shrubbed ridge
OF ground that overlooked the dell and
the lake, his big frame standing out
against the bright sky. His arms were
raised; his clenched fists were pressed
hard against his temples: there was a
mighty strain and tenseness in every
line.
Then the arms dropped and DestOns
profile was half turned toward them.
The lips were moving silently and the
face was contorted with an excess of
eNcTuciating agony almost beyond be
lief-and he turned away once more
and his head was bowed
On tiptoe. as if by common consent.
the trio hurried around the curve: and
there, with another hundred yards be
tween themselves and the strange fig
ure, they looked at one another and
Gray whispered:
Thunder! That-that mans suffer
ing"
grief or uncertainty" BaTows contrib
uted excitedly.
THAT same thing struck me-" Gray
said, that impression of-of an unbear-
able secret--something like that"
Il don't agree with yOu,' Burton said,
earnestly. Il should have liked very
much TO observe tlSt expression more
closely, but"
Hold on Gray had pulled himself
together and was smiling a little sheep
1shly. we've only watched this man
once in our hveS-and We know he's a
rather peculiar citizen and that he is
probably half crazy with grief as we'll,
Let's stick to facts"
In words at least. Gray had dismissed
the. matter: yet not one of them had
spoken again when they met Barker at
the door of the home.
If the lawyer had been dis s.inctly
weary at their parting the evening be-
fore, he was trim and fresh again now
and ready for business, for they were
no more than in the library than he ad-
dressed Gray.
Il have found a few of those letters
FOR you after considerable search" he
stated. There they are
Gray picked up the dozen sheets of
paper OF varying sizes, some sCrawled,
some closely written, and sat down to
them, with Barrows leaning over his
shoulder and reading at the same time.
Burton selected the most comfortable
chair. and, settling down, slipped gently
INTO one of his fits of semi-abstraclio ion.
Gray looked up at last, with;
These are the two persistent ones, 1
take it?"
Curious, but they are both unfamiliar
to me-and I've met most of the Cranks
who wrote such communications"
DO they give any clue to Norman
Deston's murder" Burton inquired.
'Well-Tm not looking for Norman
Deston's murderer" Gray replied, with
q touch of impatience. Il am trying to
find the starting point of this series of
strange happenings just now. Ill-have
these investigated"
lie folded them carefully and placed
them in an inner pocket, and he glanced
at Barker and said:
Ready to answer some questions?
ANY quantity of them DO you want
Mr. Deston here?"
Oddly, a glance ran from one detective
to the other; the same thought seemed
10 be in the mind of each.
Il think that you can tell US all we
wish to know-for the moment, at any
rate" Gray said quietly.
And before you tell him anything, |
please tell me thing or two" came
from the comfortable chair.
well, Mr.. Burton?"
Gerald Forbes. the missing young |
man. He has been through college,
YES
"Chose his own course?"
"Yes."
"a literary one?"
YES | think il was"
''There is no bookcase in his room, 1
fsncy?"
mo"
"On the contrary, Forbes is a great |
reader of light, attractive matter