Tombstone epitaph., 1916-01-30

EeiiA IidZdru was rdploly acquiring a curious tumble of irreconcilable conclusions. David Bardeene. who had time and inclination to consider only matters of huge emprise, had an appointment with a mysterious yelled woman who made herself known py means of blank visiting card; he immediately dropped all other busi- ness and gave her his attention; dur Ing the course of a 30-minute inter- view she had. 1t would seem, stabbed him to death with his own paper knife. and then departed as quietly and unhurriedly and mysteriously as she had come.
 All at once he remembered the scandal that had gathered about the dead mans name and which it was a part of his duty to hush. It struck him now that the scandal. if there were any basis for it. must be opened up and aired instead Of suppressed, if justice were to be done.
 "Mr. Destin." he went on on . new track. you were probably as close to David Bardeene as any man. were you not?"
 The chief clerk reflected, then thoughtfully replied:
 No man was what you might call intimate with Mir. Bardeene; nobody could get close to him; he was a reserved. self-contained man: but in a business way I suppose I had as much of his confidence as any one. Socially. though-well. do you know Maxwell Howe. the engineer"
 The name was indeed familiar to Felix Hazard. He thought of the man whose splendid genius was sul- lied by the character Of a Dionysius; ; at once a creator of magnificent struc- lures and a satyr, genius in whom glowed the divine spark and a selfish hedonist and libertine.
 Yes. know him" he returned
 Well" came the quiet addendum, "Mr. Bardeene was much in his com pany out of office hours"
 If this were true, once more the case resolved itself into simple if sor- did elements. But Destin was not the best source of information for this angle: it was a factor that lief ferman could attend to.
 When the buzzer summoned you, while the woman was with Mir Bar deene. what occurred that agitated your" Hazard asked.
 For the first time George Destin betrayed uneasiness. He stirred un- comfortably and darted a disturbed glance at his inquisitor before reply. ing.
 He repripanded me for what he l considered a dereliction on my part, Destin explained in a dropped voice :; "a matter that had nothing to do with the lady's call-or at least I suppose it hadn't"
 That the incident ranked would ac. count for the chief clerks constraint: but for some reascn Hazard regarded him with suspicion. However he didn't press his interrogations: it oc' l cured to him that a dossier of both Bsrdeene's and Destin's mode of life would be more informative than any thing the chief clerk would be of a mind to tell him. So after a minute or two os desultory conversation he took his leave.
 No sooner had he emerged upon the sidewalk than a seedy-looking individ ual accosted him and asked whether his name was Felix Hazard. He eyed the man shrewdly, and swiftly made up his mind that he was not a factor to reckon with. When he replied ir the affirmative the seedy man handed him a bethumbed, sealed envelope up on which was his typewriter name
 The messenger started to sloucf away, but Hazard arrested his steps with a curt command to wait.
 The second message. like the first was typewriter on a narrow slip o paper; but unlike the other, the men ace of its purport was unmistakable Hazard read:
 You choose to disregard friendl, counsel-very we'll. Beware the con sequences. To clear the mystery sur rounding David Bardeene's death vii Il uOt SclV0 tue cuuS VI yuSeiSc, Oue VII entail irreparable injury for people who are innocent of any wrongdoing So stop before it is too late"
 Hazard bore down sternly upon tn, shabby messenger. who promptly be came frightened and anxious to b gone.
 "Who gave you this?" he demanded
 T-I-d-d-don't know the gent, chattered the other. He points yo' out to me when you goes into thu building and he gives me bone t' wait and hand you this letter wheI you comes out. He beats it. and earns my money-that's all."
 Describe him"
 The seedy individual did so as vel as he was able in his rattled state but the description told Hazard noth ing-it was of somebody whom b could not identify.
 After . final word of warning tn detective dismissed the messenger who scuttled away.
 Felix Hazard was not disposed [ treat the warning lightly. and he al prehended trouble before he got muc farther into the Bardeene case. H knew that big interests were affected