The Washington times., 1913-04-10

case for the next few days" he said
to me. Go back to your office and
ing to happen for a few days-noth-
ing, at least, that you need bother
| about. But at the end of that time
suspect / shall be calling You in
again. And when 1 do. 1 shall keep
you pretty busy, So dig down to a
clean desk, if you can before that
| time"
| took the hint and followed his ad-
vice as well as I could. OF course, we
had Barton still in the house. making
| a man could be expected to make
| from that sort Of an injury. But he
was under the care of two men
| nurses, and orders were that he was
| it was comparatively easy for me to
! forget about him-easier. 1 suspect,
| than it was for Gwendolyn.
Equally, of course, l did thinE> about
IT good deal. especially on the daily
trips up and down town from and tc
my office, trying to solve the puzzle
trying to see what II was that Jeffrey
| saw that made him so sure that Ricn-
ards theory of the case was wrong; so
sure the case would collapse in the lieu
| tenants hands that he could calmly
predict a further appeal for help from
him within a week.
Nothing but the direct necessity would
bring Richards TO our doors again after
frey, and 1 honestly didn't believe he'd
come.
As 1 counted of the days my feeling
of skepticism mounted steadily. 1t was
just at the end of the sixth, as was
preparing to leave my office and go
home to a peaceful family dinner. that
the voice of my office boy over the desk
phone announced that Lieutenant Rich
ards had come and wished to see me.
] told them to send him in, with
, recurrence of the feeling 1 had often ex-
perienced before, that there was some
thing uncanny about Jeffrey. You could
talk all you liked about lucky Euesses
and the balance of probability, without
wholly shaking off a feeling OF almost
superstitious dread, when his prophecies
came true like that
Perhaps this one hadn't come true,
though. Perhaps Richards had come 10
gloat over us. Why had he come here,
though, ] wondered? Why didn't ne go
to Jeffrey himself.
One look at his face disposed OF that
alternative before the big policeman had
fairly shut the door behind him
| Isn't he here yet?" he asked.
DO you mean Jeffrey? Why should
he be here?' -:
for two DAYS" said Richards This
noon / got word by telephone-an out
of-town call-saying that he'd meet me
here at o'clock" 80,
For two days." ] exclaimed
Richards nodded souriy. ,, -.
.How about it, l asked. Does Jei-
rev win his bet again! Is 1t for help
On the Fournier case that you want Io
see him. ,, MI,
This things past a joke" said RicE-
ards as he noted the smile with whlcn
/ asked the question. Its an very
well to keep things to yourseIi anu iu.
other people 90 chasing WHO seese' pu.
when it's an important murder. ma
g., % Sr,art kleck business Is dan
II didn't point out to Richards thai
he had deliberately refused Jenrey
help six days ago. because l iis p @
sides / was intensely curious and want,
ID Him In a good humor. SO piacattu
him as well as | could with kind words
and a good cigar. and MS coiiipialhtS
subsided into a mere cccasioIrat @ Lann-
ling of protest that jeffrey was Keep
TT isn't quite 5 o'clock yet" l said.
But Just as / spoke there came sllEie
tap on the bell in the seif-wlndins
clock that sets Itself every houi' "ii'
Jeffrey walked in.
He nodded at me and grinned at the
wei" he asked cheerfully. how
''Damn bad" said Richards "and
YOU know II. 1T,
His grievance was wide awake again
in n minute. at seems to me- ne wens
on, Its pretty dangerous business
letting the police 90 OF H. hu.i'nS reai n,re
derer that much better chance TO es-
cape when you knew all the while the
woman had an alibi:
"Had she an alibi? asked JEFFREY
"That's lucky"
know 1t? And wha. do you mean oy
saying it's lucky?''
II do mean that I didn't know It.
said Jeffrey. And it's obviously lucky;
for nothing else would have convinced
you that you were on the "rohs pa'h'
Was il a good alibi?' ,
.Copper-riyeted." said Richards. The
woman never left town at ali-the bar
ton woman Irene Fournier went away,
and Barton went away. but Mrs. Bar
ton never left her house all the while.
Making il highly improbable com
mented Jefferey that she shot lady
who was fifty miles away at the tune.
she had the lady's revolver. though.
said Richards-"the gun she shot her
husband with a week ago.
"a week ago tomorrow" Jeffrey re-
minded him.
But Richards ignored the thrust.
well. that was Irene Fournier's re-
volver"
by the way said Jeffrey: what is
the caliber of that weapon?"
IT'S o." said Richards. Why"
II don't know. Curiosity.
Now. look here" said Richards. "IH |
say anything you want me to say; ad- |
nit anything you want me TO admit; but |
7 want You to stop this nonsense and |
tell me what you know about this muir
der"
That's easy" said Jeffrey. 81 don't
know n blessed thing. ] hope to, though |
within a day or two"
'Try again" said Richards. You
can't get away with that. You Just |
said you didn't know the Barton woman |
had an abb. Well. then. how could |
ln sho hadn't L