Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1916-11-30

/ the temptation to convert to his own
/ needs and uses a property against
/ which, It appeared, no other living be-
1 ing cared to enter a claim. The mon
/ etary loss was an inconslderable thing
to a man with an interest in mines In
/ the owen Stanley country. He said
] nothing. Drummond's name remained
untarnished, save In the knowledge of
few.
OF these, Martin Ember was one.
Whitaker made a point Of hunting him
UP. The retired detective received con-
firmatlon of his surmise without any
amazement.
"You still believe that he's allveT
Implicitly" Ember asserted with
conviction.
"Could you find him, If necessarily
"Within day, think. Do you wish
me tor
Ember permitted Whitaker to con-
slider the matter In silence for some
moments. Then, do you want ad
vice2" he inquired.
"WellY
"Hunt him down and put him behind
the bars" said Ember instantly.
whats the good of thatT
"Your personal safety
"How?'
with you out of the way, he could
come back without fear"
Ember permitted another pause to
lengthen, unbroken by Whitaker
"Shall / try to find him for your" he
said quietly, in the end.
NO" Whitaker decided. mo. Let
him alone--poor devil y
| Ember disclaimed further RESPONSE
blllty with movement Of his Shout
| dcrs.
"But my wifep Could you find her
rs readilyf"
Possibly" the detective admitted
cautiously. But 1 don't mean to"
"Why not?"
principally because she doesn't want
me to. Otherwise she'd let you know
where TO look for her"
"True."
These fragments of dialogue are
the month of June, nearly seven weeks
after the farewell performance at the
Theatre Max. Interim, Whitaker had
quietly resumed his place in the life
| of the town, regaining old friendships,
renewing old associations. The mild
excitement occasloned by his reappear-
ance had already subsidized; he was
again an accepted and substantial fac
tor in the society of his kind.
Gradually he began to know more
hours of loneliness than suited his
tastes. His rooms-tae old rooms over
looking Bryant park retuined and re-
furnished much as they had been six
years before-knew his solitary pres
ence through many long evening.
July came with bliStering breath and
he took to the Adlrondacks, meaning
to be gone a month. Within ten days
he was home again, drawn back ire
Sisthly by a strange, Unsuitable cray
ing of unformulated desire. Town
bored him. yet he could not seem to
rest away from Il.
lie wandered In and out, up and
down, m uuquiet irresolute soul, tre-
mondously pprpleXed.
There came one dark and sultry
night. heavy beneath skies overcast. in
August. Whitaker left IA roof-garden
III the middle Of a stupid performance,
and walked the streets till long after
midnight, counting the fatigue that
alone could bcstow untrouhled sleep.
on his return a sleepy hall-boy with
q wilted collar ran the elevator up to
his tenth-tloor landing and, leaving him
fumblng at the lock of HIS door,
! dropped claukiugly cut Of sight. Whit
aker entered and shut himself IN with
tue pItch.GlackuesS Of his private hall.
He CROPPED along tie wall for the
electric switch aud found only the
shank of 1t, the hard rubber button
having disappeared. And then, while
stlll he was trying 70 think how this
could have happened, he sustained
murdcrous assault
a miscalculutlon on the part of the
mlruuder alone saved hiu. The black
| jack Cor whatever the weapon was)
missing his head by the uarrowest
shave, descended upon his left shout
der with uumhlLg force. Notwjth-
>taEdlug his pain and surprise, Whit
aker rallied aud grappled. thus escap-
Ing a second and probably more deadly
/ blow.
But his shoulder was almost useless,
and the pain 81 il began Ia slcken him.
while the man in his grip fought Ike
\ a devil unclaimed
For some minutes the night was rem
I dered wild and violent with the crashes
/ of oyerthrown furniture and the thud
and thump Of struggling bodies Then
Whitaker broke free and plunged In
what he Imagined 70 BE- the direction
I of dresser in which he kept revolv-