Evening star., 1914-04-26

and winking from steel! Haggerty rose and went
to the window. He picked up bunch of keys,
thirty or forty in all, on a ring, weighing good
pound. The detective touched the throbbng
bump and sensed mosture,-blood So this was
the weapon He weighed the keys on his palm.
long time since he had seen finer collection of
skeleton keys,-thin and fiat and thick and short,
smooth and notched, each gem of its kind. Three
or four ordinary keys sandwched in between,
and Haggerty inspected these curiously.
HIN. Mebbe it's hunch. Anyhow, I'll try it.
Can't lose anything trying
He turned out the desk light and went down to
the lower hall, his pocket lamp serving as guide.
He unlatched the heavy door chains, opened the
doors, and closed them behind him. He inserted
one of the ordinary keys. 1t refused to work He
tried another. The door swung open easily.
"Now, then, come down out O that" growled
a voice at the foot of the steps. Thought y'd be
comm out by n by. No foolin' now, or l blow a
hole through ye!'
Haggerty wheeled quickly as that you, Dor
GAM Come up
"Haggerty?" said the astonished patrolman.
@An' Mitchell an I've been watchin' these lights
fer an hour"
Someone's been here, though; so you weren't
wasting your time l climbed up the fire escape in
the alley, an got nice bif the for me
pains See anyone running before you the
Ights?'
@Why, yes!"
"Ha It's hard work to get it int your heads
that when you see man running at this time o
night in quiet side street, it's up to you to ask
him questions
Thought he chasin' a cab"
well, listen herel Till the owner comes back
keep your eyes peeled on this place. An anyone
you see prowling around nab him an send for me.
On your way!"
HAGGERTY departed in hurry. He had al
ready made up his mind as to what he
going to do. He hunted up taxicab, and told the
chauffeur where to go, advising him to "hit it up
His destination was the studio apartment of
J. Mortimer Forbes, the artist 1t was ]ate but
this fact did not trouble Haggerty Forbes never
went to bed till there positively nothing else
to do
The elevator boy informed Haggerty that Forbes
had just returned from the theater. Alone? Yes.
Haggerty pushed the bell button. A dog bayed.
"Why, Haggerty, what's up? Come on in. Be
still, Fritz"
and he began to dance upon Haggerty's broad-toed
Shoes
Bottle of beer? Cigar? Take that easy chair.
What's on your mind tonght?7 Forbes ratified
away "Why Man, there's cut the side of
your head.'
"Uhuh. Got any witchhazel?7 The detective
sat down. stretched his legs, and pulled the
dachel's
Forbes into the bathroom to get the witch
hazel. Haggerty poured little into his palm and
dabbled the wound with it.
"Now spin it out; tell me what's happened
said Forbes, filling his calabash and pushing the
cigars across the table.
For year and half these two men, the anti
thesis of each other, had been intimate friends.
This liking was genuine, based upon secret admira-
ton, as yet to be confessed openly. Forbes had
always been drawn toward this man-hunting busi-
ness; he yearned to rescue the innocent and punish
the guilty. Whenever great crime was commit
ted he instantly overflowed with theories as to
what the criminal was likely to do afterward. Hag
gerty enjoyed listening to his patter; and often
there were illuminating flashes that obtained