The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1913-01-31
...,e.rea with the same lack o

/ AfaappeareQ Win tuo eono
s..entation. Then we entered ouI
ooh which had waited. and trottes
eastward. tie very air growing clear
ar "a It seemed to me. when the IN
d.rworld Of poverty fell away behind
20 II was some time before l spoke
and then it was to ask for a solution
n certain puzzles that had been form.
ing in my brain.
"You said he had been robbed?" J
began.
Eyes, Mr.. Phillips. They had gone
+broneh his pockets with every atten'
ton to detail"
"Then how did you know he was
sculptor?"
HE had been called away In hur'
nv There was modelling clay IN nls
finger-nails, and splash OF plaster on
his right trouser leg. 1t was quite SID
/, pie, as you see."
His reply was ingenious. and l liked
the inspector the better for It. me
man had something more in him than
q civil tongue and a pleasing manner II.
"Tell me-what else did you learn
| THAT he was murdered In place
with a sanded floor. probably at no
great distance from Leman street.
seeing that they carried him there Oh
a coster's barrow"
| IT am not reporter" I said. i 90
not want guess-work."
| IT shall probably be able to prove
1 ku- hours.
| "And why not now?"
"There are good reasons"
"Oh. very WE'LL" said sulkily; and
we drove on through the night In 81
| lence.
He left me at my door amid poilte
assurances that should not again De
troubled in the matter. / told MIN
} quite frankly that l was very glad 10
hear 1t.
| did not sleep more than eight
| hours that night, and was quite un-
fitted for work in the morning. l
| roamed about my studio with nerves
on edge l cursed Peace and all MS
| doings. Even the papers gave me no
| further information of this exasperat-
| ing business, being loaded with the
| preparations for the Cars reception
| in Paris, which was due in two days.
| In the end l sank so far as to send
old Jacob up to the inspectors rooms
for the latest news; but he had been
out since daybreak.
About twelve I wandered OF to the
| club. The sight Of Talman was very
| present JOY to me. He was engaged
| in denouncing the police to a select
circle, choosing as his text that the
Englishman's house in his castle.
offered my sincere sympathy when he
| told me that he had been invaded at
one in the morning by inquiring detec-
tives. l suggested that he should
| write to the Times about it. He said
he had already done SO. Incidentally
he mentioned that Amaroff's address
had been No. 81 Harden place.
lunched at the little table by the
| window; but it was in the smoking
room afterwards that the idea oc-
Cured to me. fought against 1t for
some time. but the temptation In
creased upon consideration. Finally l
yielded, and told the waiter to call a
cab. l would myself have look at
! the dead mans studio.
I dismissed the hanson at the turn
ing off Kings road, and walked down
! Harden place on foot. 1t was an eddy
in the rush of London improvement
a pool of silence in its roaring traffic.
There were trees in the little gardens.
The Colds and browns Of the wither-
ing leaves peeped and rustled over the
old brick walls. Several studios no
ticed-it WIS evidently an artists
quarter-before l stopped in front OF
No. 81.
The studio-a fair-sized barn of
modern brick-fronted on the street.
| The double doors through which q
sculptor's larger work may pass were
fanked by little side door painted a
staring and most Objectionable green.
| On the right the roof Of red-tiled
shed crept up to long windows under
| the caves. The side door stood ajar-
most urgent invitation to my curios-
| ity. After all, 1 argued, studio re-
mains a place where the strict rules
of etiquette may be avoided. even
though its owner be dead. And so.
without troubling further in the mat.
ter, I pushed the door gently open.
and walked into short passage, the
further end Of which was barred with
heavy curtains of faded plush. Be.
yond them l could hear a whisper OF
voices. l drew back the edge of q
curtain and peeped within.
In the center of the big room was a
tall pedestal upon which was set the
bust or Nero. which had won no small
measure Of fame for poor Amaroff in
that years Academy. Under. the
proud and merciless features of the
Roman Emperor stood Inspector Peace
smoking cigarette and talking to
q big fellow with thick black beard
A couple of men kneeling at their
feet were. replacing mass of loose
papers in the drawers of a roller-tou
desk that had been pulled some dis.
lance from the wall.
CHRONICLES TO BE CONTINUED.
&2x2@ 622ssR @z11l