Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1914-03-05
persons character. from a study OF
that person's featuresf-

that persons featuresfT
You should be, Mr.. Van vechten,"
was the reply. Your habits OF life.
your daily associations, naturally
would develop a certain skill in that
direction. ! would attach considerable
weight TO your opinion In such a case"
Then" with much positiveness,
nothing in the world could be more
absurd than to imagine the girl
saw being engaged In anything crimi.
nal, or even entertaining a suspicion
that she Ia surrounded by a criminal
atmosphere. She is young. she Is
beautiful she Is refined and gentle;
the stamp Of purity and adherence to
right ideals is unmistakable in her
face. Whatever comes OF your investt
cations, you will find to be unquali-
fledly true all that now assert re-
specting her."
Il do not question your judgment,
for It is more than probable that your
estimate is correct. But the fact 10
OF less Importance than the circum-
stance that the young lady seems to en-
tertain very cordial dislike for you"
But" expostulated tho other, she
doesn't know me. Flint. I never saw
her In my life before yesterday. Why
should she dislike me? God knows l
never Intentionally harmed anybody In
my life"
She unquestionably thinks she
knows you-which. as far as her con-
duct is concerned. amounts to the
same thing"
Il have racked my brain over IT,"
Van Vechten announced. until i am
utterly befogged. l have heretofore
accredited myself with some slight de.
gree Of perspicacity, but her unmistak-
able anlmus completely mysti6es me.
am positive, Flint-absolutely posi-
tive--that our destinies have never
crossed before in any way"
Queer enough" was the others
comment. But the yelled lady; are
you certain she could not have been
Miss Carew7"
"Oh. no. she was not Paige. There
was no detail OF resemblance. I have
a fancy, based upon nothing, that she
and the girl at the window are the
same"
But of whom did she remind your"
The detective fastened him with
shrewd regard
That" returned Van Vechten, rs
the one point concerning which feel
that ought to know something def.
nile. but which persistently eludes
me. In fact, the conviction never
crystallized."
Mr.. Flint fell into a brown study,
from which the other had no inclina-
ton to disturb him. During their con-
versation the afternoon had passed.
and now the detective sat motionless
and silent while the dusk gathered and
deepened.
Presently he reused himself with
little shake. No one had intruded up
on their privacy; save for themselves
the lounging-room was now empty.
He rose and went over to one OF the
windows. taking his hat with him,
Van Vechten followed.
In the shadowy twilight the silent
house across the way doomed somber
and forbidding; Its lifeless darkening
front might have been Mystery and
Secrecy personifed. The two stood
abstractedly contemplating 1t, each
immersed in his own reflections, while
the pail of night lowered. blurring and
dlstorting the shabby outlines.
Mr.. Flint broke the silence.
II am glad we had this talk" said
he In his quiet way. But dear me.
dear me- what is Il leading us tor I
trust we are not going to stir UP any
mud" He abruptly changed the sub
1ect, asking:
May inquire whether you intend
making any move to locate Miss Ca.
rew7"
1T was my intention to call upon
my uncle Immediately. lay the case
before him. and then set the cables
to working"
That's right. was going to sug.
gest something OF the kind"
After Mr.. Flint had gone, Van Vech.
ten did not pause to dine. He ascer.
tanned by telephone that his uncle
would be at home. then summoned a
cab and sped through the sitting
night-a night that augured storm
to Theodore Van Vechten's huge,
dreary Fifth Avenue palace.
(TO BE CONTINJJED)