The Washington times., 1913-10-21
A Great Big Thrilling Story

anxiously to the library, closing the
door behind her, and again there was
silence. After what seemed like an in
terminable period of suspense she re-
appeared, and said quietly to the
coroner:
Mr.. Van Rensselaer, will see you
now, if You will come. He cannot talk
is anxious to give you any help in his
power"
The coroner rose with alacrity and
crossed the hall, and Madge dropped
Imply into chair.
You will call me-" ventured Yorke,
when l can see Mr.. Van Rensselaer,
She nodded listlessly, and he strolled
out on the veranda to jot down some
notes. One thing puzzled him-he could
not quite account for the curious ex-
preston he had caught more than once
that morning, when he had glanced up.
drawn by the magnetism of some ones
fixed regard, and found Mrs. Goodalfs
eyes upon him.
Her expression of uncertainty, of
mingled doubt and troubled indecision
made him more sure than ever that
she had withheld something from him
in his interview with her the Jay he
fore which might possibly be cf inn
portance to him.
He dismissed the thought temporarily,
from his mind, however, as Robin came
back up the veranda steps and ap-
preached him.
I've seen your dog Velsk, Mr. Van
Rensselaer," said Yorke, looking up at
him.
He seems to have had a pretty bad
beating by some one, but the coach
man says he'll get on all right until
he can get him down to the vet in
town. He seems to be a very fine dog"
the brute who injured him. One OF
those Internal. meddling reporters, l
suppose. I'm glad he'll get over it,
Robin sat down heavily on the settee.
His haggard face was calm, even Sc
rene, and he seemed to welcome
change from the gruesome topic which
had occupied them all to the exclu-
sion of any other for these two days.
What is his kennel name?" asked
Y6rke.
"Velsk O. Valley Farm" Robin re-
piled. He's the best all-round dog of
his class in America. Gentle as a child
too, until he's reused, and then he sim
ply wipes out anything in his path.
"A bulldog belonging to neighbor
nearly tore him to pieces when Ne was
a mere puppy. He waited two years
for an opportunity to get back at that
dog, and when it came he fairly ground
the life out of him. The bull was
a chance for his life from the instant
Velsk Ieaped for him
You find him tractable enough,
thought
should hate to lose him."
One moment Mr.. Van Rensselaer,.
Will you tell me the contents of the
telegram you received this morning? 1t
was from Mr.. Paul Hidreth, was it'll
not?"
oh! yes. The wording was simply: |
shocked and grieved. Can
i do anything" You see, 1t must have |
been sent before the papers went to !
press, which would have informed him
but murder" |
Il see replied Yorke, tersely.
Left alone to his cogitations, he |
summed up the evidence to his hand in
poets, just as he had been turning it |
over in his mind all the preceding night |
The mysterious girl who had Mosques |
AIDED in the guise of a servant, her |
former ACQUAINTANCE with the taciturn |
guide and her sudden. significant dis !
appearance: the woman, Madge Ashley, |
whose friendship for the dead wife was
submerged in her unconsciously. but |
none the less obviously, betrayed love |
for the bereaved husband; the cousin, !
Paul Hildreth. whose motive would be |
so clear. and whose gain by this sud |
den tragedy so tremendous: and, lastly, |
the impulsive, warm-hearted boy whose |
passionate alteration of his sister-in- |
ia" "dS DIS " Tie ODScTN eT
as Mrs. Ashley's secret. |
Which of these four held the key to !
the tragic mystery? Which of these |
four knew the details of that dark |
hour before the dawn? Or could ii be |
that another hypothesis might present |
itself to cover all the strange and in |
eongruous facts in his possession, an |
other more definite clue be unearthed, |
another motive found for this Seem |
ingly purposeless crime, another and |
stranger solution to the mysterm than |
had ever come within the range of his |
experience?
Franklin Yorke was at sea-not as to |
the course he must Immediately pursue;
that would have been obvious to the |
yeriest amateur-but to what conclu- |
sion his Investigations would lead him. |
For once in his career he had not |
glimpse of the ultimate outcome, not |
an intuition, significant clue to decisive
ly point to the final complete explana-
ton.
Would his search lead him eventually |
to one Of the four possible alternatives |
vaguely under consideration, to |
a blank wall, a cul de sac-or terrible |
solution, the nature Of which he did not |
dream?
A Continuation of This Story Will
BE Found In Tomorrow
Issue of The Times.