The Washington herald., 1915-09-05

| ly. written in scrawling. illiterate hand,
and which read simply thus:
To bar extras. SIS. Id
To one weeks board and lodging Is. Sd
lotdl -....----.-.-....... ............ -l"' lvu
Received with thanks.
JOSHUA RIBSDALE."
And Joshua Ribsdale runs the Harp
of Myddern three miles up the river"
said Cleek as he read this and tied the
body to sapling that it might not get
adrift again. Back into the launch.
gentlemen. This is the first real clue to
the whereabouts of the eneralds. We will
make a flying trip there without a
moments DELAY. and if-Hello' what's
up? What's the matter with the cap
tam"
Narkom. He simply squawked and
heeled over. and-Great Scott, the beg
gar's tainted. Cleek'"
"Cleek doomed out Mr. Mansell.
switching round all eyes. Good Lord.
did-did YOU say 'CIeek. Mr. Narkom -
1t was Cleek himself that replied
Yes. Cleek. he said quietly. Back
from South Africa on rush. YOU see.
Mr.. Mansell. Hold on to the captain.
The air of the river will soon revive him.
Sit steady. Mr.. Narkom: off she goes"
Then with swish the little screw re-
vOlved. the launch arrowed its way down
the inlet and out into the river. swung
round as If on a pivot. turned its bows
in the direction where the Harp Of Myd-
dern stood. and few like A gunshot to-
ward it
Swift as was Its course, the captain
had recovered consciousness before they
had covered half the way to It. had gone.
IN the first moment of reallza ton into a
sort of panic over the knowledge that
they were going to the Harp Of Myddern
Of all other places upon the face of the
earth, and after a bit had cooled down
and sat mumbling to himself a reassur-
ing something. which seemed to bring
a sense of relief
That's right. captain" said Cleek. as
the launch clipped along with white
line crean1ing away IN the wake of it
Take it easy. my friend. In this one
particular instance the Continental news
in the London dailies is absolutely TO be
relied upon. The lady has taken good
care Of herself. be assured
Monsieur, IL 90 not understa nd
You speak to me in riddles.
A way of mine. captain. l deal In
them. But there's no riddle like
woman and no friend like bad one"
What's that. sir" said old Joshua
Ribsdale. answering the question put
70 him ANYBODY missing? Yes: to he
sure. there is A foreign gent. giving of the
name Of Johnston. Done bunk. l reckon.
and cheated me out OF half a weeks
board and lodging. which. ] will say for !
him. aren't like him. sir. seeing as he !
paid me prompt for the first two weeks !
and was a nice. pleasant-spoken gent /
though wonderful retirin' and always !
leepin to his room if strangers hap
pened inland very free with his money /
at the bar. Disappeared sudden. in the |
middle Of the night. last Friday-him |
and his bag together. What's that? Scot |
land Yard What's up
That We want to know" replied Mar ]
1om. Your lost lodgers body has just |
been hshed from the river. The mans /
been murdered-murdered and robbed. /
Mr. Ribsdale. and it will he necessary !
for us TO search this house"
Search this-Heavens. sir
Yes" said Cleek. But that needn't !
thing. Was ANYBODY else stopping here !
At the same time as this man who called .
himself Johnston
Yes. sir. That old ma'mselIe. sir
which ! never could get the hang OF her .
name, sir. she bein French and not .
showing of more than a dozen words of .
English. She's a very old woman-most .
eighty | should think. Mr.. Headland, ;
What's that sir? When did she come? .
Oh. she's been comm here and stoppin'
off and on for six months past. sir. A
where outside her room when she comes.
list stops there and CroonS to her birds.
4 rare one she is for birds. too. I can
ell YOU sir Has two big cages of 'em
;he carts everywhere with her-parakeets
mostly. and foreign creatures like that
When old the old lady arrive on the
occasion of her latest visit? Was it
,efore this foreign MIR. Johnstons' ar
'iVal or after"
oE. D%IOlt. SIT NHt bttn mere
Upward of three weeks when he come
And a squabble they had the very first
hing Complained of the squawking of
Ter parakeets annoying of him, sir. and
aid she ought to be put out of re-
,peCtabe house. Fair flew at him she
I'D when she heard that. and wouldn't
20 much as look in his direction aftc--
ward or-Beg pardon, sir? Well played.
lid YOU say. sir? What was we'll played
"Nothing-nothing. Merely a figure of
peech. Mr. Ribsdale. And so this engag-
ng old lady had a failing out with MIR.
Johnston on the very first meeting eh?
And she kept absolutely sloof from
lim?''
Yes sir Said she believed he was
wrong 'un. sir. and had her room
hanged. so as to be farther of from
lim. Felt sure. she said. that he'd do
omething to her birds out of sheer spite.
md when they did start dyin' of all of
sudden, sir. swore that he was at the
'Ottom of it-which was sheer nonsense.
f course: because that didn't happen
Until after he had gone"
Ohio" said Cleek. SO the old lady's
irds started TO die off directly after this
Mr.. Johnston disap ppeared. eh?"
Yes. sir: the very next mornin'. Four
4 EN- all in one day: then five the next
nd so on. till she didn't seem to be
DIN nothing but jist a-buryin' of the
oor things wholesale. Or, at least. not
lst exactly a-buryin of em. but jist
uttin' of 'em into a box underground
close by the wall at the bottom of the
arden. sir-till she felt we'll enough to
AXE EN- up to London to a taxidermist