, 1913-02-27

me only an instant to realize what had
happened Fleming was swaying for
ward as | caught him. 1 jumped to
the staircase and looked down, but |
was too late The door below had
closed knew in another minute who
mad beer there and escaped. 1t was
raining, you remember. and Schwartz
mad forgotten to take his umbrella
with his name on the handle"
"schwartzi"
Now do you understand why 1 was
being followedT' he demanded. II
nave been under surveillance every
minute since that night. There's prob
ably some one hanging around the gate
now. Anyhow | was frantic. saw
now 1t looked for me, and If / had
rough Schwartz into 1t | would have
been knitted in forty-eight hours. |
hardly remember what / did. know
! ran for a doctor, and I tool the UNI
brella with me and left it in the vesti-
bule OF the first house ! saw with a
Doctors sign. l rang the bell like a
crazy man, and her Hunter came
along and said to go back; DIR. Gray
was at the club.
THAT is all know. I'm not proud
Of 1t. Margery. but 1t might have been
worse, and it's the truth. It clears up
something. but not all. 1t doesn't tell
where Aunt Jane is or who has the
hundred thousand. But 1t does show
who killed your father. And If you
know what is good for you, Knox, you
will let it go at that. You can't fight
the police and the courts single hand
ed. Look how the whole thing was
dropped and the most cold blooded
kind of murder turned Into suicide
Suicide without a weapon! Bahr'
Il am not so sure about Schwartz"
said thoughtfully. I'VE haven't yet
learned about eleven twenty-five c."
Miss Jane Maitland had been miss
ing for ten days. In that time not
word had come from her.
Some things puzzled me more than
ever in the light of wardrop's story.
For the third time l asked myself
why Miss Letitia denied the loss of the
pearls. There was nothing In what we
had learned. either, to tell why Miss
Jane had gone away-to ascribe a mo-
tive.
How she had gone. in view Of War
drops story of the cab. was clear. She
had gone by street car. walking the
three miles to Wynton alone at 2
O'clock in the morning, although she
had never stirred around the house at
night without a candle and was pri-
vately known to sleep with a light
when Miss Letftia went to bed first
and could not see it through the tran
som.
The theory | had formed seemed alb
surd at first. but as ! thought it over.
its probabilities grew on me. | took
dinner at Bellwood and sthrted for
town almost Immediately after.
Margery had gone to Miss Letitia's
ROOM. and Wardrop was pacing up and
down the veranda, smoking. he look
Ell detected and anxious and welcomed
my suggestion that he walk down to
the station with me-. AS we went, a
man emerged from the trees across
and came slowly after us.
You see, I am only nominaIly a free
agent" he said morosely. They'll
poison me yet. I know too mnch."
We said little on the way to the
train. Just before it came thu ndering
along. however, he spoke again.
81 am going away. Knox. There
isn't anything in this political game for
me. and the law is too long. I have a
chum In Mexico, and he wants me to
go down there. There isn't any longer
n reason why n part Of the earth Is
better than another. Mexico or Alas
ka, it's all the same to me-"