The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-09-16
By ROY T.. me- CARDELL
Copyrf9bf 1913. BY Roy L. McCar.sH

Esther as to whether she had been
hurt and divided between his worry
over his young mistress and the fright.
ened chatter of Clarence, the monkey.
who chung desperately to him, Quabba
submitted TO being hustled after Els.
Their into the waiting taxicab. which |
drove off as though Mt command, leav- !
ing the bootblack upon the scene.
From the dark and dingy interior
of the lodging house came a cloud of |
dust, raised by the falling of the rickety |
old stairway and landing in the battle /
with Blair.
The blowzy and gin sodden land. |
lady, reused now to an acute percep- |
ton of the trouble to come from the |
police. stood In che doorway screaming |
as the idle and shabby population Of
that mean part of Richmond came
fiocking to the scene, wondering IL it
We're murder. robbery or both.
Blake in his bootblack guise mingled
with the throng as spectator waiting
to see II Blair would be brought out
from the interior wrcckaEe, living or
dead. At the arrival of the police
wagon the screaming landlady slam
med the door and barred 1t.
Inside, among the wreckage of the
fallen staircase and landing, Blair, re-
vived from the stunning effects of his
fall, pulled himself to his feet, rejoic-
ing that beyond few bruises he was
not injured. He scrambled over the
debris and down the cellar steps and
over the dirty Uttered back yards and
away, while yet the hysterical land
lady held the fort against the batter.
ing police outside.
The house had been q fine mansion
in its day, and the stout old door held
stanchly. But ut last 1t gave way and
In poured the police, who could gain
no information from the screaming
scratching harridan, who endeavored
to bar their way, and so they promptly
laid hands on the landlady and such
of her dodgers as had not fled, and
hailed them out to the patrol wagon
and bore them off.
Blake. idling with the crowd, did not
disclose himself, but, satisfied that
/ Blair had made good his escape and
that no notoriety or arrests would stir
up matters that Blake, as agent of Ar
thur. desired to remain quiescent, he
returned, smiling inscrutably to his
office.
In back street the fleeing Blair,
noting standing automobile, whose
driver was STOPPING over by its front
wheel finishing pumping up tire,
bowled over the startled chauffeur and
drove Off in the Communicated car at
breakneck speed. He drew his hat
down over his eyes and bent low over
the wheel as, halfway to Mrs. Ran
dolph's house, he flashed past the taxi
cab containing Esther and Quabba.
Hating his car in front of Mrs. Ran
dolph's mansion, Blair hastily donned
linen automobile coat and drivers
cap with goggles on the visor lying in
the car seat.
Hiding his own hat and dust covered
| coat under the seat cushion and wear.
ing the auto toys, he was the first per-
son to greet Esther and Quabba when
their taxicab drew up and they
alighted
The taxi driver, evidently in the pay
and ut the orders Of Detective Blake,
drove away without n word, and de-
spite the indignant protests Of both Es-
Their and Quabba, Blair Outfaced them
with his declaration that he was inno-
cent of any lodging house encounter,
but on the contrary had been riding all
day in the car he had borrowed from a
friend.
Mrs. Randolph, meeting the excited
group in her doorway, promptly fell
into "a state of nerves" at the prob
lem that confronted her when the in
dignant Quabba and the more than In
dlgnant Esther breathlessly presented
their charges of brutal treachery and
perfidy against Blair, who stlll insist
emily proclaimed his innocence with an
air of half indignation, half puzzled
yOOl nature.