The Washington times., 1913-04-06
CHAPTER VIII.-(Continued.)


rrIr's got to do with some mystery
anyway" SAID Jeffrey a jar
could have dashed. off that mes-
sage in two minutes, writing in
| the ordinary way. This job must have
taken him an hour or two. He was vii.
lihg to go to that trouble rather than
have any one suspect that Togo was
getting communications of any sor,
from his own people. A sealed lette.
might be opened. A message, that look
ed like a message, might be read. This
thing was Calculated to slip by as some
thing too uHimportant to look at.
The lieutenant was studying tEe post
card as if, he couldn't be quite sure
whether jeffrey was joking or not.
You re .the original. self-acting mys-
terS-niaker. all right. he said. WHAT
VIII you bet il doesn't say >. Shfm-
bashi, Postcards and Novelties. Toxic.
or something of that sort?'
Find somebody. who can read IT.
said jeffrey, land if ii says anything
! like that III buy you the finest dinner
at ChappelBs that YOU ever sat down
to-"
That goes" said Richards in a man
ner othat he meant TO sound little
| heartier and more confident than, II
| really. was. Jeffrey had a diabolical way
| of hitting II right, even when ne found
| ed his guesses on sucn Sifiing ana len
The lieutenant waved large hand 70
us in annable farewell and took his de-
| parture. his footsteps resounding in
steady decrescendo as he slrode dow
| 'ls As sc SOON ma as he vas fairy gone JEFF
| rey dropped into his big chair HmPis Iai,s
| like a man who was tired. His failure
| TO follow the, policeman's tram OF
| Thought was SO new an experience thal
| ii was no wonder he took II hard. Bu,
| he looked as he sat there ike man
who has Just come through some ex-
| hausting effort. Neither OF us spohe
| "Tve played fair with Richards,
| think" he said. How about II? Dc
YOU agree with me? 1t really looks 10
me like an even break Only eacn Oh us
| takes the line that suits his talents.
I'm afraid / don't quite understand
Won" said ]. But l do think you
played fair with him, absolutely. In
| fact, ! thought il was mighty good OF
YOU to give him that hint about the
! post card when he had been so cagey
with you about his explanation OF the
portrait-about their reason Tor putting
| the paint over II, ! mean.
! JEFFREY got UP rather suddenly and
went to his paint table. where he STOOD
with his back to me. busy among mas
colors.
SO" L went on, Il don't see how
! there can be any question about your
playing fair. But Jeffrey, l:believc j
see what he was driving attn a gen.
eral sort of way, that is.
DO you?' he said in a queer voice
Still he didn't turn around.
Yes" said /. You remepber he
thought they borrowed .the portrait in
order to help them find and make up
what he calls ringer-somebody una
credulity with. Well. Jeffrey. suppose
they found her-found somebody almost
miraculously like what Claire Meredith
must have been.
Suppose right in the middle of their
work that girl disappeared and thea
was found in the ice Perhaps one "f
them murdered her: perhaps they knew
some one who is likely 10 have muir
dered her and were afraid to tell what
they knew. anyway, they kept suil
| about it. And then, all at once, IT 'oc-
CURED to them that il wouldn't do TO
have anyone see that portrait-it Wouli
| lead to too many questions-so they
daubed il over. with paint. l. belieNs
| that's Richards idea. You know he
| said he was going to round up the
spiritualists.
Jeffrey turned round toward me weak
! y. There were tears in his eyes. but
| the. were.tears of suppressed laughter.
He shook his head at me and wiped the
tears away.
Drew" he said. you will bc the
death Of me some day.
! What's the matter ! asked
why, you dear old dub. - said he
didn't sou sec that ] was poundin-; :;
| away till my arms ached. irving to get
| that idea into that policeman's thick
| head"
''Oh. come" said I. Don't try 10
work through a bluff like that. foi
we're puzzled and think YOU miSnt
! admit it know YOU So" most things
| quicker than do. but once in n
Drew" he said. listen. DO YOU
remember that as soon as you told re
of the-well. cali il resemblance "t
.his face here to tina: Of the girl they
| found. that 7 told Richards decisivtE
how she bad ,iicd. Of smallpox thr g
Years ago: that her. rich eccentric aunt
! vas alone in, the world and was neon
| solablc over, her loss? Could i haN"
many words. tn suggest 10 RlchariS
| that they meaIfi 10 impose on the Oil
| lady with Resemblance? When, !
| challenged him TO find a reason WhN
! the paint had heen nut on this canvas
was there any possible way left open
! to him to explain il bat the way ne
| took" .,
But why didn't YOU say itiright out !:
That's what-I,wsnt 10 know" -. !.
"Because.' said Jeffrey, y waHted
sally his. | wanted him, fo- -iske 1t Sc
riouslv. He's got an idea that NV. no.
tions a.. fanciful: that I hate q lucky
way of guessing. The only way ] cou'd
make MIN take that notion seriously
and could divert him from :he other
course that Law open TO him. Was by
leading him to believe tfAy he was. get
ting tho better "f me--Qut,iug one oyer
On oie. 7 thoueht that y"'l. were on !"
the csme all tho while YOU certainly
p'~~ed m 10 me as If YOU were"
Their ne laughed asfIn. -. =, - -
But for once his mirth couldn't cnnrm