The Washington times., 1913-03-26
CHAPTER 1.
What They Found in the Ice.
*

WYE didn't often talk about crimes
N} in our family. Not, at least,
" about the mysterious, inexpli-
cable crimes of violence that
trUmpeted their horrors at you every
little while from the front pages of
papers. When you have been there
yourself. have seen names you know
and love. pilloried there, you under
stand, altogether too well. how 1t feels
to take an idle, curious interest when
the thing happens to some one else.
But this present mystery proved an
exception. 1t seemed so completely de-
tached from all human motive, SO de-
void of the usual accessories of grief
and agony and shame, that we found
ourselves discussing it that night with
out reservation-Jack and Gwendolyn.
his pretty young wife. and Madeline
and /. II We discussed II with sort Of
exaggerated nonchaiance, which showed
that really in the background of all our
minds that other mystery still lurked
and cast its shadow-the murder of the
man who had been Madeline's husband
and Jacks father-I doubt If any out
But jeffrey wasn't an outsider. And
he has the most amazingly sensitive
perceptions of any man / know. That
is, perhaps, the reason why he can
paint the way he can; can open up the
innermost recesses of character in those
beautiful, terrible canvasses of his.
We weren't expecting him; didn't
know, indeed, that he'd come back from
his three-month vacation. And he
might have expected that our surprise
the warmth of our greeting would have
yelled everything else. We were all
trying to shake hands with him at once
and putting him on the back, demand
ing to know when he returned and why
he didn't tell US in advance, SO that we
gave him no chance to answer or even
to take of his overcoat
But, instead of even trying to answer,
he stepped back and stood looking at US,
from one face to another, and puckered
up his eyebrows in a puzzled frown.
What IN the world" he asked, have
all you people been talking about?'
Nobody answered for a minute. There
was something almost uncanny about it.
Madeline gave a little shiver. Jacks
wife stood loking at Jeffrey with that
finally said:
I'm glad ! haven't any secrets. Could
you keep your own, do you think, as
well as you can read other people's?"
don't know" said Jeffrey. 1T would
be an interesting experiment to try.
But what a perfectly detestable charac-
ter you're givin me? ] own / deserve
II, walking into a roomful of people
and asking them what they've been
talking about
You know perfectly well," said Made
line, that In this household there
never could be a wish to keep anything
from you You've earned, many times
over, the right to ask us what we have
been talking about. But in this case 1t
was not a secret at all. We Were talk
n q tl<.Nr ~rsW II
last month";
Jeffrey looked puzzled. Found in the
ice?" he questioned. "Who?''
You don't mean to say you haven't
heard Of It," I cried. The country's
been ringing with it,
Yes, but ] haven't been in the CONN.,
try, said Jeffrey. Il only landed late
this afternoon Went straight over to
the Atlas, got my fresh water bath in
three weeks, dined and came up here.
papers"
You're looking pretty WELL" COM
certainly a sight better than
when you went away. You had us all
worried"
TT was fearfuIly unmannerly of me-"
said jeffrey 10 Madeline, TO run Of
that way without a word, but / suspect
did need rest pretty badly / de-
cided to go all in a minute. The deco
rators were at work there in the studio.
and every time they pulled down bit
OF loose plaster ] went up in the air So
at last gave the key to my Jap and
fed. But ] am lot better"
Sit down. j commanded him, and
light pipe, and tell us all about it
where you've been and what you've
been doing
Jeffrey lighted pipe obediently
enough and settled down in in the big
chair which Jack rolled round in front
OF the fire for him, but then instead of
beginning his odyssey" as / had COM
him, he smoked In silence for a
then turned to Gwendolyn and
asked:
What about the girl in the ice? Oh,
my adventures will keep" he went on,
rs j started to protest. You will be
months. a returned travellers a nuis-
ance. anyway. Besides. you've whetted
my curiosity. Be a good chap and let
Mrs. Jack satisfy it
II Vas natural that he should have
turne6 To Gwendolyn for the story. We
all did that when We wanted the facts
about anything. Her voice was so love-
ly, in the frs place, that there was a
sort OF sensuous pleasure just in listen
ing to her. And then, when Gwendolyn
told II, you knew IL was so.
People have way Of talking about |
.ruth-teliing as If II were simply a |
matter Of good intentions. You have
old the truth unless you meant TO be |
/ liar. And yet. IL you viii stop to |
hink, You can probably call to mind |
lalf dozen people who you know are |
honest. and whom you wouldn't believe |
IN oath. And II you're a lawyer like |
ne, your difficulty would be the other
way; to think of half dozen whose
!ccount OF an occurrence you could be-
ieve absolutely and literally and with
'ut discounts or reservations Well.
Swendolyn would certainly head the LIST
n my half dozen.
Il don't know where you were two
months ago" Gwendolyn began, "apd
ou may not have heard that We had a
'eek OF the coolest weather they have
nown here since they began to keen
he records. The thermometer STAYED