The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1912-05-28
MeMANfm Me..
BROWN DERBY
~
Wells HASTINGS
.10 Author Of GEO
The Professors Mystery
(Owshl9llH Bobbsi1emll "a
CHAPTER TX.
(contlnued)

The collar itself was torn and
rumpled. but evidently. as | had no
tlced before, OF good make. | smooth
ed IL out on the bureau before me,
going over II infinitely, as ! imaglped
a Central ONCE man would do, and, 10
make things more clear, jotted down IN
my notebook what meager observa-
lions and deductions | could make.
The size was sixteen; evidently my
man was either stout or strong; for
a matter OF fact Ialready knew him To
be the latter. Ii was marked in In
delible ink, NJ AS, after the custom or
steam laundries, and there followed
after this five upright marks In vary
ing degrees of freshness, four OF them
grouped together by cutting dag
onal. These marks | took ii were his
own; | had known one or two men
before with this same economical IL
quisitiveness, whose strange pleasure
Ii was so TO reckon the life or col
lar. These marks simply meant that
this particular collar had been iaun-
dered six times since its purchase, In
all probability by the same concern.
And as there were no other laundry
marks than the NJ. AS had noted, this
it seemed to me must mean Two
things; first, that my man had In all
probability lived in one place for at
| least six weeks, and second, that IN
| this case, he must have become q
known and listed patron OF some laun'
dry.
The tic was plain enough, but bore
| the name OF a fashionable New YORK
maker, which | hoped meant that my
man lived in New York, and tina. per
haps he might be known to the hrm
whose name the tie bore. | knew al
least, that fortunately they prldeo
themselves upon the exclusiveness Oh
their designs, that, even in their own
shop, they sold but two or three OIL
the same pattern, and | hoped that
there | might chance upon sales
man intelligent enough, and with that
| uncanny trick of remembering Gus
toners face that statesmen some
times acquire, 10 give me some
| information as 10 whom this Tic
| actually belonged. Perhaps, even, II
bore some distinguishing mark, lndls
tinguishable 10 my unframed eyes.
-olled the two together very carefully
md slowed them away in my coa'
| pocket.
Outside ii was bright moonllgh
gain: and stod by the window FOL
| moment, following with my eyes
)ur winding road, and unconsciousl,
iearching the crisp black shadows 10
he intruder of two nights ago. once
seemed TO me that | almost saw
lin: then | recognized the absurditN
IF the thought and what a jangle IN!
nerves must be in. But, nevertheless
,lthough / smiled at my own foolish
Tess, took the collar and tie from m,
,oat pocket, and tucked them unde
ny pillow. After. all, they were abod
ny only clues, and should keep then
Is safe as a traveller in foreign ianc'
guards his money belt. Then through
sheer fatigue fell asleep.
suppose slept soundly for an hou
or two, until the first numbing edg'
OF my WEAKNESS had passed; theI
through utter Inconsistencies crop
the vague and poignant STRINGS OF IN.
anxiety. Napcy's face, white and ter
rified, came before me in changin.
dream and dream. Ii seemed TO M
that she tried to call but could not
that she was in some dim place wher'
she believed my eyes could not fln'
her, and that, finally, in her despera
ton unable to SPEAK and struggling
lrantically in silence for my attention
she overthrow at last some unknown
object with a crash. With a cry
awokc and sprang from the bed.
The first gray OF morning was com
ing in the window, and birds wer
twittering and astir. The dim coun
try lay in wholesome peace before me
and yet my mind surged with a LIVING
horror OF the dream. Duly | locke,
about my room; the chair upon which
I had put my clothes was overturned
and in the middle OF the icor, pile,
one upon another, were stacked m
ransacked bureau-drawers. Yet ther
was not a sound in the house.
AS softly as | could | searched room
after room; the house was empty iron
garnet to cellar. My visitor, whoeve
he was, and there could be but littl
doubt Of his probable identity. ha
made a safe escape.
was angry that sleep had held IN
so soundly, and chagrined to thin
that this man, whom l would hav
given my life to lay my hands upor