, 1913-01-30

Ntft n tTutf ttt NoTu CTHt0 DtluR
anonymous with scandal in this case.
lie scrapes together a paltry hundred
housand. which Wardrop gets at the
Hpital and brings IN. Wardrop IL
obbed, or say he is: the bank col
hpses and Clarkson, driven to the wall,
Ills himself just after Fleming is muir.
ered. What does that sound EkeT'
Like Clarksonr" I exclaimed. And
rlarksou knew Fleming was hiding at
he White Catr
Now. then. take the other theory"
he said. pushing aside his cup. War
lrop goes in to Fleming with a story
hat he has been robbed; Fleming gets
razy and attacks him. All that Is In
lhe morning : Friday. Now, then. War
lrop gets back there that night. With
y twenty minutes after he enters the
ub he rushes out, and when Hunter
BELLOWS him he says he is looking for
| doctor to get cocaine for a gentleman
ppstairs. He Is white and trembling.
hey go back together and find you
there and Fleming dead. Wardrop tells
Two stories. First he says Fleming
committed suicide just before he left.
Then he changes 1t and says he was
lead when he arrived there. He pro-
Ices the weapon with which Fleming
y supposed to have killed himself and
} hich. by the way, Miss Fleming
Identified yesterday as her fathers.
l'nt there are two discrepancies. War
drop practically admitted that he had
laken that revolver from Fleming. not
That night but the morning before dur
Ing the quarrel"
And the other discrepancyT
The bullet. Nobody ever fred a 80
bullet II of a 3S caliber revolver I'M
less he. wns trying to shoot a double
compound curve. Now. then. who does
It look like?"
Like Wardrop." l confessed. by
Dpyc. they didn't both do It"
And he didn't do It himself for two
good reason He had no revolver that
hight and there were no powder
marks"
And the eleven twenty-five and
Miss Maitland's disappearancef'
He looked ut me with his quizzicaI
smile.
I'll have to have another steak If
I'm to settle that he said 81 can only
solve n murder on n steak. But
disappearances are my speciality, per
haps. II ! have a piece of pie and some
cheese
But ! got him away at last, and we
walked together down the street.
II can't quite see the old lady in 1t"
he confessed.
Burton. who do you think was in
the Fleming house last nightT' I said
"Lightfoot." he said s~uccinctly.
he stopped under a street lamp and
looked at his watch.
II believe I'll run over + the capital
tonight. While I'm gone-IT be back
tomorrow night or the next morning
] wish you would find Rosie O'Grady
or whatever her name is, and locate
Carter. That's probably not his name.
but 1t will answer for awhile. Then
get your friend Hunter to keep him In
sight for awhile until l come back any
how. I'm beginning to enjoy this. We
are going to make the police depart.
ment look like a kindergarten playing
jackstraws.
And go to Bellwood and find put q
few things" he added ITS all well
enough to say the Old lrav was a meek
and timid person. but ~ you want to
know her peculiarities go to her neigh
bors."
We separated at the station, Burton
of to Plattsburg. I to take a taxicab
and armed with a page torn from the
classified directory to inquire at as
many of the twelve Anderson's drug
stores al might be necessary to locate
Delia's gentleman friend, 'the clerk
through him Della and through Della
the mysterious Carter.
I had checked of eight Of the An
dersons on my list without result, and
the taximeter showed something ovei
$40 when the driver drew up at the
curb.
! Gentleman in the other cab Is hail
ling you, sir-the n that's been fol
lowing u.s."
A duplicate of my cab stood perhaps
fifty feet behind. and from 1t a famil
liar figure was slowly emerging. Tit
figure stopped to read the taximeter
SHOOK his fist at the chauffeur and ap
preached me. 1t was Davidson.
"That liar and thief back there hal
|got me rung up for 49," he said. tg
noring my amazement Nineteen do
liars and forty %cents!"
He surveyed my expense account a
1.-THE drivers elbow, then hit the mete
Ia smart slap, but the figures did no
lchange.
nineteen dollarsI" he repeated
idazed. nineteen dollars and-lool
here" he called to his driver, "ft's onl'
Ia. cents here. Your clocks 10 cent
fast" $1,000.
He borrowed So and crawled in wit
me.