New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1915-06-16
The WINDOW
AT THE
WHITE CAT

Sd1U. putting uoWu AeA Sonc wa" -
jerk. II don't know why didn't think
about it before. She's gone to get her
new teeth. She's been talkin' OF it for
a month. Not but what her old teeth
would have done well enough
"She would hardly go in the middle
of the night" returned "She was a
very timid woman. wasn't she?"
''She wasn't raised right" Miss Lee
titia said. with shake Of her head.
"She's the baby. and the youngest s
always spoiled"
Have you thought that this might
be more than it appears to bel" was
feeling my way. She was very old
woman. "It-for instance. it might
be abduction, kidnaping-for ran
SON."
"Ransom!" Miss Letitia snapped.
"Mr. Knox. my father made his mon
ey by working hard for it. l haven't
wasted it-not that l know of. And
If Jane Maitland was fool enough to
be abducted she'll stay awhile before l
pay anything for her. 1t looks to me
as if this detective business was go"
ing to be expensive anyhow.
My excuse for dwelling with such at
tention to detail on the preliminary
story. the disappearance of Miss Jane
Maitland and the peculiar circum-
stances surrounding it. will have to
find it's justification in the events that
followed it. Miss Jane herself and
the solution of that mystery solved the
even more tragic one in which we were
about to be involved, l say we be-.
cause it was borne in on me at about
that time that the things that concern.
ed Margery Fleming must concern me
henceforth, whether l willed it so or
otherwise.
At 8 o'clock that night things remain
ed about the same. The man Hunter
had sent to investigate the neighbor-
hood and the country just outside of
the town came to the house about 8
and reported nothing discovered"
Hunter called me by telephone from
town.
"Can you take the $50 up?" he ask
ed.
Eyes; I think so. Is there anything
new?"
mot yet. There may be. Take a
cab at the station and come to the cor
ner of Mulberry street and Park lane.
You'd better dismiss your cab there
and wait for me-"
/ sent word upstairs by Bella. who
was sitting in the kitchen. her heavy
face sodden with grief. and. taking my
hat and raincoat-it was raining light
spring drizzle-I hurried to the station.
In twenty-four minutes I was in the
city and perhaps twelve minutes more
saw me at the designated corner with
my cab driving away and the rain
dropping off the rim of my hat and
splashing on my shoulders.
/ found sort of refuge by standing
under the wooden arch Of gate. and
it occurred to me that, for all my
years in the city, this particular neigh
borhood was altogether strange to me.
Two blocks away in any direction
would have been in familiar territory
again.
Back of me a warehouse lifted six or
seven gloomy stories to the sky. The
gate l stood in was evidently the en-
trance to it's yard, and, in fact. some
uncomforta BILE movement of mine just
then struck the latch and almost pre-
cipitated me backward by it's sudden
opening Beyond was a yard full of
shadowy wheels and packing eases.
The street lights did not penetrate
there, and with an uneasy feeling that
almost anything in this none too saw
DRY neighborhood might be waiting
there struck a match and looked at
my watch. 1t was twenty minutes
after 10. Once a man turned the cor
ner and came toward me. his head
down, his long ulster tapping around
his legs. Confident that it was Hunter,
I stepped out and touched him on the
arm He wheeled instantly, and in the
light which shone on his face l saw
my error.
Excuse me-" I mumbled. II mis-
took my man"
He went on again without speaking
only pulling his soft hat down lower
over his face. looked after him until
he turned the next corner. and knew
had not been mistaKen-it was War
drop.
The next minute Hunter appeared
from the same direction, and we walk
ed quickly together. I told him who
the man just ahead had been, and be
nodded without surprise.
ibid you ever hear of the White
Cat" he asked-"little political club?'
"Never.'
''Tm a member of it," he went on
rapidly. cts run by the city ring
or, rather, it runs itself. Be a good
fellow while you're there and keep
your eyes open. It's queer joint"
The corner we turned found us on q
narrow, badly paved street. The bro
ken windows Of the warehouse still
looked down on us, and across the
street was an ice factory. with two de
serted wagons standing along the curb