Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-25
CHAPTER K.-Continued.

| 1 rather fancied the idea of Gregory
| Hall as the criminal. He had the same
| motive as Miss Lloyd. He knew Of her
| uncle's objection to their union and his
| threat of disinheritance. How easy for
| him to come out late from New York, on
| a night when he was not expected, and
remove forever the obstacle to his future
happiness.
/ drew myself up with a start. This
was not detective work This was mere
| idle speculation. I must shake it off and
| set about collecting some real evidence
But the thought still chung to me; mere
speculation IL might be- but it was found
ed on the same facts that already threw
suspicion on Florence Lloyd. With the
exception of the gold bag-and that she
disclaimed-such evidence as I knew of
pointed toward Mr.. Hall as well as TO-
| ward Miss Lloyd.
| However, at present 1 was on the trail
Of those roses. and 1 determined to follow
that trail to a definite end. L went back
| to the Crawford house, and, as l did not
| like to ask for Miss Lloyd, l asked for
| Mrs. Pierce.
She came down to the drawing room
and greeted me rather more cordially
| than L had dared to hope I had a feel
ing that both ladies resented my presence
| there, for so many women have preJu-
dice against detectives.
But though nervous and agitated Mrs.
| Pierce spoke to me kindly.
did you want to see me for anything
/ in particular, Mr.. Burroughs?' she asked.
Eyes, I do, Mrs. Pierce" I replied Il
may as well tell you frankly that I want
to find out all I can about those yellow
roses.''
.'Oh, those roses! Shall 1 never hear
| the last of them? 1 assure you. Mr.. Bur-
roughs. they're of no Importance what
ever"
THAT is not for you to decide" I said,
quietly, and I began to see that perhaps
| dictatorial attitude might he the best
way to manage this lady. Are the rest
of those flowers still in Miss Lloyd
! room? If so. / wish to see Them.
II don't know whether they are or
not; but I will find out, and if so I'll
| bring them down"
NO" said. II will go with you to see
] them
But Florence may be in her ROOM
$50 much the better. She can tell me
anything I wish to know
| "Oh. please don't interview her! I'm
sure she wouldn't want to talk with you. y
| VERY we'll. then ask her to vacate the
| room and / will go there with you now.
Mrs. Pierce went away, and / began to
+, wonder if | had gone too far or had over
stepped my authority. But it was surely
my duty to learn all could about Flor
| suggestions as her own room?
| Mrs. Pierce returned in a few moments,
| and affabIy enough she asked me to &C
company her to Miss Lloyd's room.
| I did so. and after entering devoted my
| whole attention to the bunch of yellow
| roses, which in a glass vase stood on the
| window seat Although somewhat wilted,
| they We're still beautiful. and without the
| slightest doubt were the kind of rose from
| which the two telltale petals had fallen.
| Acting upon sudden thought / count
| ed them. There were nine, each one
seemingly with its full complement of
petals, though of this could not be per-
| fectiy certain.
Now. Mrs Pierce" I said turning to
her with an air of authority which was
| becoming difficult to maintain, where
are the roses which Miss Lloyd admits
| having pinned to her gown
| Mercy. don't know exclaimed Mrs.
| Pierce, looking bewidered. II suppose
| she threw them away
| II suppose she did, T returned; would
| she not be likely to throw them in the
waste basket"
She might returned Mrs. Pierce,
| turning toward an ornate affair of wicker
| work and pink ribbons.
! Sure enough, in the basket among a
| few scraps of paper. We're two exceeding
| ly withered yellow roses. ] picked them
| out and examined them, but in their
present state it was impossible to tell
| whether they had lost any petals or not,
|
| Mrs. Pierce seemed to care nothing for
| evidence or deduction in the matter, but
| began to lament the carelessness Of the
| chambermaid who had not emptied the
| waste basket the day before.
1 But L secretly blessed the delinquent
| servant, and began bordering on this new
| development of the rose question. The
| nine roses In the vase and the two in
the basket made but eleven. and the
| florist had told me that he had sent a
| dozen. Where was the tWelfth2
/ The thought occurred to me that Miss
| Lloyd might have put away one as a
| sentimental souvenir but to my mind
she did not seem the kind of a girl to do
| that / knew my reasoning was absurd,
for what man can predicate what woni-
| an will do? But at the same time l could
| not seem to imagine the statuesque, i'm
| perial Miss Lloyd tenderly preserving a
| rose that her lover had given her.
| But might not Gregory Hall have taken
| one of the dozen for himself before send
| ing the rest? This was merely surmise.
but it was a possibility, and, at any rate,
the twelfth rose was not in Miss Lloyd S
| room.
Therefore the twelfth rose was a factor
to be reckoned WITH bit of evidence
| to be found, and 1 determined to find it.
| / asked Mrs. Pierce to arrange for me
| an interview with Miss Lloyd, but the
| elder lady seemed doubtful
| I'm quite sure she won't see YOU" she
| said. for she has declared she will see
| IL
you want me to ask her anything for you,
! L will do So
Very well,'' I said surprised at her
| Willingness; please ask Miss Lloyd if
| she knows what became of the twelfth
| yellow rose; and beg her to appreciate
| the fact that it is a vital point in the
| case
Mrs. Pierce agreed to do this, and as 1
| went down the stairs she promised to join
| me In the library a few moments later
| She kept her promise and I waited Gag
| er1y her report.
Miss Lloyd bids me tell you," she said,
| that she knows nothing of what you
| call the twelfth rose. She did not count
| the roses, she merely took two Of them
| to pin on her dress and when she re-
| tired she carelessly threw those two in
| the waste basket. She thinks it probable
| there were only eleven in the box when
it arrived. But, at any rate, she knows
| nothing more of the matter"
| I thanked Mrs. Pierce for her courtesy
| and patience, and feeling that I now had
| a real problem to consider, / started back
! to the inn.
/ 1t could not be that this rose matter
| was of no Importance. For the florist
| had assured me he had sold exactly
| twelve flowers to Mr.. Gregory Hail, and
| of these l could account for only eleven
| The twelfth rose must have been sepa-
| rated from the others, either by Mr. Hall
| at the time of purchase, or by some one
else later. If the petals found on the
| floor fell from that twelfth rose, and if
| Florence Lloyd spoke the truth when
IL