Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-23
CHAPTER Xxx

CdAPIEh AA
Carl's Story
Two persons in the great. vaulted
room that had been the study of the
strange old man whose life 1t had
cost to prove his theory that he had
discovered the Great Mystery, were
calm and cool. The others had not
yet recovered from the shock caused
by the denouement when the cars had
come to see the blind man guarding
the former manager of the Hotel
Beaumonde. One of the two cool
persons was Thornley, Cotton. The
other was Manager Carl!
You've got me right" he said.
voice. II did it. I'd have got by with
it, too, If I hadn't been a damn fool
enough to try and play safe by get
You are the only man who has ever
deceived me by tone infection" de-
clared the blind man, and in his tone
was the compliment the clever GRIM
inal always gets from his detectors.
Thanks, but you see I had several
months to practice in it. I figured
that that short-tempered attitude be-
cause the police were spelling my
business was the only one to USE"
Tell US how you pulled it," Police
Captain McMann blurted the exclama-
ton, and for the first time since he
had seen the murderer the look OF
almost doglike admiration he hao
been giving the blind man changed.
Miss Melton -" put in Cotton
sharply.
at want to hear It all! AIT" put
in the girl, who sat, white-lipped. with
tightly clenched hands. by the side
of Silver Sandals The old woman
had her arm around the waist of her
neice. One withered old hand held
the plump white hand of Ruth. She
murmured a low-toned, endearing en-
coura cement, and no one seemed to
notice the fact that she talked.
That's what gave me the first
idea" Carl terked his thumb vicious
" toward the huddled-up figure of
Norman. who was handcuffed to the
wrist OF the square, tawed detective.
"I used to know h:m when he was
a real hotel manager and not quite
as crooked as Doyers Street. About
six months ago he came and told me
he wanted position as assistant man.
ager. I was going TO kick him out,
but he told me why he wanted 1t. He
told me of the old man and his -
idea. I thought he was kidding.
didn't think there we're people like
that. But found that what he said
was true. He knew that the old man
had money, million at least, some
where here. He knew how 1t was
going when he died, too Been
around here a lot I guess"
He paused to glance inquiringly
around. Cotton nodded.
Carl continued: Somehow Norman
knew how in the hole 7 was He
knew that Wall Street had been get
ting me strong. Bracken was off on
his yacht all the time, and I was the
whole works around the hotel. In
the last year or so I knew it couldn't
go on. The boy was tanning down,
and I knew it wouldn't be very long
before he took a hand in the Beau
monde. And I was a couple of hun
dred thousand into Bracken.
This was an absolutely safe way
to get 1t back with a lot more. I
gave Norman the job, and never let
any one suspect that we were work
ing together. You never knew that?"
he asked of Bracken.
NO" The negative came hoarsely.
II offered him five thousand dollars to
do his part. He knew the father of
my wife. He knew there was moth
ing but the Hvhim of a strange old
man to be respected. I thought he
had secured the position on his
merits
you haven't been around New
York much" declared Carl dryly.
We'll, Norman knew the whole stunt.
We knew the day the old man had
figured he was going to die. We
knew the minute he wanted to be led
into the diningroom. I don't suppose
there ever was murder that was
figured out like that Six months ago
I fixed the door to have everything
ready. I got the new cabaret act
that would make people sit up and
take notice and forget everything else
that was going on at the minute the
old man and the woman were to get
into the diningroom. I let two of the
captains go, through Norman. of
course, so that the one would be too
nusy TO Keep near the table all the
time. OF course Bracken thought
Norman had fixed it for his part. But
did that, too. I was grinninc almost
when he came to plead for the private
have it. -''---
THE old man came in the after
noon with Bracken. Norman slid
them up to the suite without any one
getting wise. Bracken left him right
away away, and Norman told the old man
mat he'd better wear gloves so that
his hands wouldn't get dusty from
the unused furniture. He put 'em on
without question. We didn't want
any finger prints around. We'd had
months to figure that end of it, too,
| mad 1t fixed so that I could watch
him in the room. We knew that
he had the paper with the hiding
place or his money or jewels on. be-
cause Norman knew that the woman
was to get it before she took him to
the diningroom.
lie took it out and started to study
II. That was the signal for Norman
TO enter and ask him If he wouldn't
IKE a drink. 1t was a grim sort of
tnihg, mat old man sitting calmly
before the table waiting for death
that he'd figured was coming at seven
o'clock, just because a lot of figures