, 1913-01-09
away" she SAID quietly rrom the II

He probably has a eason.
why don't you say ftT" she sale
Suddenly. turning on me. Il know
what you think. You believe he only
pretended he was robbedr"
~ should be sorry I think anything
of the kind" | began. But she did
not allow me to. finish,
Il saw what you thought" she burs
out bitterly. The detective almos
laughed in his face oh. you needn't
think / don't know. l saw him las
night. and the too. He brought
her right to the gate. You treat ma
like a child. all of you'll?
In sheer amazement I was silent 81
a new character had been Introduce
into the playa woman. tool
.You were not the only person. Mr
Knox, who could not sleep last night
she went on. "Oh, ! know a greai
many things. | NOW about he pearl,
and what you think about them. n +.
know more than that r.
She stopped then She had said more
than she intended to. and all at once
her bravado left her. and she lookec
like a frightened child l went v e
to her and took one trembling hand
st wish you didn't know all those
things" | said.
l had a sort Of crazy desire to take
her in my arms and comfort her
wardrop or no Wardrop. But at thai
moment Miss Letitia's shrill old voice
came from the stairway.
"Get out of my way. Heppie," sh.
was saying tartly. Pm not on my
deatbbed vet, not II I know It. Where't
Knox?"
Whereupon I helped Miss Letitia int
the room.
81 think I know where Jane is" shs
said. putting down her cane with 0
Jerk. 81 don't know why ! didn't thinh
| about it before. She's gone to get hei
new teeth. She's been talkin' Of 1t fol
a month. Not but what her old teeth
would have done well enough"
"She would hardly go in the middle
of the night" l returned. ''She was &
very timid woman. wasn't she?"
"She wasn't raised right" Miss LIE
titia said. with a shake of her head
"She's the baby, and the youngest Z
always spoiled"
"Have you thought that this might
be more than It appears to beT' was
feeling my way, She was a very old
woman. "It-for instance, 1t might
be abduction. kidnaping-for a ran.
som"
"Ransoml" Miss Letitia snapped
"Mr. Knox. my father made his mon.
ey by working hard for 1t. l haven't
Il ---A-a 4. -, sL-A ~- I'D
If Jane Maitland was fool enough to
be abducted she'll stay awhile before J
pay anything for her. It looks to ms
as II this detective business was GO
ing to be expensive anyhow"
My excuse for dwelling with such at
tention to detail IN the preliminary
story. the disappearance OF Miss Jane
Maitland and the peculiar circum
stances surrounding IT. will nav 70
fnd its justification in the events thai
followed It. Miss Jane Irr>eif and
the solution OF that mystery solved the
even more tragic n iii winch we were
abou to be involved / say we br
| cause 1t was borne in on me ut about
that time that the things hat concern
ed Margery Fleming must coucern me
h~enceforth. whether | wiiird II so or
otherwise.
At o O'Clock that night thin 'omain
ed about the same. The mut Hunter
had sent to investigate the neighbor-
hood and the country just outside of
the town came to the house about s
and reported nothing discovered -
Hunter called me by telephone from
town.
Can you take the $50 upy" he ask
ed.
Yes; 1 think SO. Is there anything
new?"
Not yet There may be. Take a
cab at the station and come to the cor
ner of Mulberry street and Park lane.
You'd better dismiss your a there
and wait for me-"
| sent word upstairs by Bella, who
was sitting In the kitchen. her heavy
face sodden with grief. and. taking my
hat and raincoat-it was raining a light
spring drizzle-I hurried to the station.
In twenty-four minutes l was In the
city and perhaps twelve minutes more
saw me at the designated corner with
my cab driving away and the rain
dropping of the rim OF my hat and
splashing on my shoulders.
| found a sort of refuge by standing
under the wooden arch of a gate, and
1t occurred to me that. for all my
years in the city. this particular neigh.
borhood was altogether strange to me.
Two blocks away in any direction |
would have been in familiar territory
again.
Back of me a warehouse lifted six or
seven gloomy stories to the sky. The
gate I stood in was evidently the en-.
trance to it's yard. and. in fact. some
uncomfortable movement of mine just
then struck the latch and almost pre-
cipitated me backward by its sudden