The Washington times., 1911-03-07
CHAPTER XIV.
The One hypothesis.

IF Barrows was slightly excited, Bar
ker was not.
The lawyer looked placidIy an'
somewhat contemptuously at tn
detective, and, after a moment 5 partin;
Of the lips, he remained silent.
THAT man wore wig, Mr. Barker
Barrows persisted.
"But-"
"Why, for that matter, YOU saw i
YOURSELF" the detective said suddenly
Il caught your eye and saw you SEE
IT.
See what"
Just before DR.. Fitch opened the
proceedings, Mr.. Barker. Don't you re-
member? You were sitting at the side
of the room and the man-Amato or
whoever he was-was down in front
He dropped something and stopped
Yes. l remember that the lawyer
mutteEed.
You noticed how quickly he sat up
again and how one hand went to his
head"
Yes"
"WclI, the gentlemans wig slid for
ward good three inches! 1t was al
most over his eyes for a seCond-before
he clapped il back
'I-yOu're mistaken, Mr.. Barrows."
am not mistaken the detective
said quietly. Il thought. from the
way you looked at him yourself, that
you had observed the sudden blush and
tho way I'm which he stared all around
ii the space of a second"
Cad, | did" Barker breathed in as
tonlshment.
Gray seemed to he interested
Are You sure the man was Amato,
Mi. Be rkcr?" he asked.
''Why-why, AmatO was staying
ha 10 NY var
Il understand that. but Mr. Amato is
not an unusual-loOking man."
u can't say that he is"
without all the other circumstances
admit that the supposition would be
lidiCulOuS, Gray said, heSitatingly
'but-givcn conditions which made such
thing possible and necessary to
AmatO-COuld a stranger resembling
him, dressed in his clothes, pass with
out detection on a day of such wild eX-
Citcment as last Tuesday. particular
ly-' He broke off BY the way, Mr..
Barker, was AmatO much in evidence
during the day or did he keep out of
sight good dcal?"
''N hy-he kept out of sight a good
DEAL, the lawyer repeated, weakly. Il
remember now that he spent nearly the
whole day in his room and that he at
tended the inquest very reluctantly.
But-Oh, it's impOsslble--''
Did he have much to say when you
did see him on TueSday?'
No, he hadn't"' Barker confessed.
Gray turned to Barrows.
ou re bright, observing Young
man he said You have, if possible,
e.Ged edGed the craziest. most unexpected de-
tall a mind could COnjurc up!''
ITS crazy enough" Barrows MUIR
INJURED, But
But it managed to creep in and lend
one more tangle to the whole list of
possibilities" Gray smiled
a g
out seeing him, and the lawyer waited
in silence.
Let's switch back to the immediate
family, the detective suggested then
'Deston made queer division of his
estate, Mr.. Barker"
ut was made in his own wisdom and
by Mr.; Wilkes express WISH
wilkes honest desire not to own the
bulk Of S30OoOO0O?" GRAY 0ucried
odd as it must sound to a stranger. |
But he made no definite disposition of
the portions bequeathed to the Younger
brother and Forbes, in event of The |
death of either?'
"He provided that should either die
unmarried his estate passed to the !
The deuce he did Just escaped un-
der Gray's breath. And Wilkes vas
is-satished with the arrangement"
Quite
Gray's voice trailed away. His eyes
rested upon Barker again, and then the |
eyes dropped to the floor. Elbows on |
his knees, Mr.. Gray clasped his hands /
and hummed an almost inaudible little
tame. Neither of his associates, il ap-
reared, desired to put further questions
at the moment and Gray pondered on
and on. He took to twiddling his
thumbs; the humming gave place to
a tiny whistle as he studied them
Barker, watching him, shrugged his !
shoulders and kept silence. There |
were certain quite indignant remarks |
which Mr.. Barker wished to make; he |
refrained on the reflection that Mr.. |
GRAY alone was reputed to derive some
thing like $4,000 yearly from the spe-
CiaIized skill which had made him so |
quietly eminent. Barker. the lawyer
decided, could at least reserve his COM
ments until time had proven them jus !
titled.
Gray looked up at last with a quiet
smile.
swell. here is what we know-or
what we think we know" he said
And please remember, Mr.. Barker,
that is not even the statement of a