The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1914-02-06

persons character. from a study OF
EfHAt pSl4&'s .ttStRstj" HT0a
"You should be, Mr.. Van VechtenS'
] wasobe FeplXscsSYsW hAht#Af ifA
HoHdrdailx sAseqniatiRnA. o. naturally
would deyflpJn q seertain skill In t9af
direction. IMouid attach considerable
IbYsbgbt &q ya,aE opiaipR - s4G4 case e"
IEm "EhAps" with .RpGh zpoait5Ay eness.
J "n0thipgsis9 tie world soHlAqhs more
abSyyA than ctp iWA&fpe, Mat,gin y
4 AaYo being engaged Ml2nEthjngx crfmS'
4 pala pr, even, tantertatpin4ea Suspicion
that, she n ysvrFpundsdi By a HSiminal
atmospherea =, she ia yepng,y she y
beautiful, she r., refined and gentle:
the stamp Of purity and adherence TO
fright Ideals fEuumfst4kabio"--in her
face. whatsfer c6pfs q your Invests
cations. youiwil fpd t9 be uhquaii-
fiedly true ~ thatbfNpow assert TO
speeding hsf ~ Nj L4.7
81 do p6sSduestion yeuF juds ment
for it is Hore,thep,proba1le that your
estimate EScdfrert BIT the fact Is
of less impoffance than the dircum-
stance that khe young lady seems to en-
terrain very cordial dislike for you"
But" expostplated the 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" fA4
"She unquestionably, thinks she
knows you---which. as far as her con-
duct Is concerned, amounts to the
same thing"
81 have racked my brain over it,"
Van Vechten announced, until am
utterly befogged. l have heretofore
accredited myself with some slight de-
gree of perspicacity, but her unmistak-
able animus completely mystifies me.
l 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 Carew?"
'Oh, no, she was not Paige. There
was no detail Of resemblance. have
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 q
shrewd regard.
That" Returned Van vechten, lis
the one point concerning which feel
that ought to know something def
mite, 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 a
! 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 SnauOWy TWILIGHT the Silent
house across the way doomed somber
and forbidding; its lifeless darkening
front might have been Mystery and
Secrecy personified. The two stood
abstractedly contemplating 1t, each
immersed In his own reflections. while
the pail Of night lowered, blurring and
distorting the shabby outlines.
Mr.. Flint broke the silence.
Il am glad we had this talk" said
he in his quiet way. But dear me,
dear me, what is 1t leading US to?
trust we are not going to stir up any
mud" He abruptly changed the sub
ject, asking:
MAY inquire whether you intend
making any move to locate Miss Co.
rew?''
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 Vecn-
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.
] GRO BE CoNTINUED)