Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-12-13
CHAPTER Iv.-continued.

WIN my eyes SUN Oh NhAS
watcher
"A fellow to make you laugh. A
perfect character. Laura; hideously
homely but agreeable enough. | toos
quite a fancy to him. Why?
Il am looking at him now
Very likely. He's deep in this az
fair. Just an everyday detective. but
ambitious, | suppose. and quite ahVe
TO the importance OF being thor
ough."
He is watching those people. No,
he isn't How quickly he disap-
peared!"
Yes, he's mercurial in all his
movements. Laura, we must get out
of this. There happens to be some
thing else in the world for me to do
than to sit around and follow up muir
der clues
But we began to doubt If others
agreed with him, when on passing
out we were stopped in the lobby by
this same detective, who had some
thing to say to George, and drew him
quickly aside.
w nat uOtS ne NduI. oohCos oS
socn as George had returned to my
side
He wants me to stand ready to
obey any summons the police may
seDc me-"
Then they still suspect Brother
SON."
They must"
Of
George gave my arm a quiet pinch
which served to direct my attention
to ar elderly gentleman who was just
alighting from a taxicab at the kerb.
He moved heavily and with some APP
pcarance of PAIN, but from the crowd
collected on the sidewalk, many OF
whom nudged each other as he pass
ed, he was evidently a person OF
some importance. and as he disap-
peared within the hotel entrance, |
asked George who this kind-faced.
tright-eyed old gentleman could be.
He appeared to know, for he told
me at once that he was Detective
Gryce: a man who had grown old in
solving just such battling problems
as these.
That night | bided Georges comm g
with an Impotence l could not con-
troll He was late, of course, but
when he did appear, almost forgot
cur usual greeting in my hurry to ask
him if he had seen the evening pa
pers.
No" he grumbled. as he hung up
his overcoat. Been pushed about
all day. No time for anything"
Then let me tell you"
But he would have dinner first.
However, a little later we had a
comfortable chat. Mr.. Gryce had
made a discovery, and the papers
were full of it,
The opinion had become quite gen
eral with those best acquainted with
the details of this affair, that the
mystery was one of those abnormal
ones for which no solution would ever
be found, when the aged detective
showed himself in the building and
Was taken to the room, where an in
spector of police awaited him.
This is very good of you" the in
spector began. glancing down at the
aged detectives bundled up legs, and
gently pushing a chair towards him
The elderly man thus addressed
glanced down at his legs, now propped
UT on a stool which someone had
brought him. and smiled. with the
Iathos of the old who sees the inter
ests of a lifetime slipping gradually
away.
Il, am not what | was | can nc
longer get down on my hands and
knees to pick up threads from the naI
of a rug. or spy out spot Of blood
in the crimson wool of a carpet"
You shall have Sweetwater here
to do the active work for you. What
we want of you is the directing mind
the iufallible instinct. It's a case
in a thousand, Gryce. 1t will make
you young again"
The old mans eyes shot fire and
unconscious!y one foot slipped to the
floor. Then he bethought himself
and painfully lifted it back again.
What are the points? What's the
dificulty?" he a. led. "A woman has
been shot"
No. not shot, stabbed. We thought
she had been shot, for that was intel
Iigib1e and involved no impossible
tiles But Drs. Heath and Webster
under the eye of the Challoners' own
physician have made an examination
of the wound and they declares that
no bullet is to be found in the body
AS the wound extends no further
than the heart, this settles onSe EAT
point. at least You know the vic
tim? Her name. mean. and the
character she bore?"
Yes; so much was told me on 20
way down"
"A fine girl unspoiled by riches and
seeming independence Happy. too
TO all appearance. or we should be
more ready to consider The possibil
ity of suicide"
Suicide by stabbing calls for a
weapon. Yet none has been found
hear
None"
Yet she was killed that way?"
Undoubtedly. and by a long and
very narrow blaze. larger thsa a