Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-23
Continued From Yesterday

/, he had gotten from some old stone
said so. He'd been sitting there, for
hours, without a move. When the
| time came nearer / suppose he want
ed to see that everything was right:
"He took the water and thanked
Norman. who was already beginning
to show the yellow. There was O
good stiff Jolt of chloral in it. and II
the old man had been at all wise he'd
| have seen that Norman was shaking
like a leaf. l watched him. He took
sip Of the water, then suddenly
decided that he wanted to write an
other few words on the funny-looking
sheet he had. He took pen from
his pocket, sort of fountain stylus.
and started to write. Then the chloral
got him.
Norman wanted 10 steal the thing
and get away. But I knew what that
meant. 1t wouldn't be two hours be-
fore they got wise. The thing had to
be carried out the way he had in
! tended. That made it safe! They
couldn't come back because they'd
made every plan themselves! The
next part wasn't very nice. Norman
crawled like a whipped dog. But
here was a bunch of money in it for
me, and on the other side was the
Jail that waited when Bracken discov-
cred how I'd run his hotel. Bracken
wasn't the kind of man thatd let
up.
The woman was supposed to make
them when she came up to take him
downstairs. I made 'em, and the
killing was done just the way you
said!" He jerked his head toward
the problemist. I'VE left him there
at the tub, so that when the woman
came she'd think he did it himself. I
knew her well enough, from people
that have been to her and also from
the story Norman told me; l knew
that she wouldn't think it bit strange
that the old man had taken things
into his own hands. She didn't either.
Her whole mind was on playing the
game the way she had promised. And
she did it. But a fool play of mine
spoiled it. I thought you'd ball the
thing up with your blindness, and
that's what got me. Your blindness!
l was laughing at you, up my sleeves,
until last night when you came to the
hotel.
THE thing that we thought was go
ing to get the money for us was
puzzle for fair. We couldn't get the
key because we didn't know what 1t
was. I figured on it used to be
| a wonder with puzzles - but could
make neither head nor tail of the
thing. Then Norman, who was scout
ing around under cover, found out
that a crow was the thing we needed.
Norman had been taking the watt
er that came off Bracken's yacht out
every day and getting him full of
whisky SO that he'd talk. Silver San
dals had him pretty we'll, but we got
lot of things from him.
Then you came up and found the
words on that table. / began to real
ize what l was up against then. You
found the hair. Dye know the old
man had folded that up in the cryptic
gram, and it must have fallen out
when I took it from his pocket there
by the tub? When you found that
didn't know what was going to hap
pen, but I knew it was up to me to
get that money quick. Then you
found the crows feather, and said
the crow was at your house. I fig-
ured the best play in the world to get
where the girl and Silver Sandals
were. I called up. The girl wanted
to know If it was Phil. l told her
yes and gave her the idea for stealing
the crow. They were up in the air.
too, about the cryptogram. I sent
laughed grimly-'it was all a game
to lead me on, wasn't it? And then
l lost the cryptogram."
Il stole it from your pocket" the
blind man put in seriously.
You stole it?" Carl jumped in
siIiidHeHleuL, anu McMann pulleQ MIN
back.
Yes. Another thing my blindness
enabled me to do. AS I said beore,
your voice deceived me utterly. Your
pulse was absolutely normal when you
shook my hand. I can understand
this because there was no excite
ment such a sudden crime would
have caused. You had prepared for
months, and you thought that moth
ing could go wrong. l didn't connect
you with the case at ALL first. Nv
blindness told me the true facts of
the thing; that it was the curious
ldea of a curious man. I didn't think
II was murder. 1t was only with the
disappearance and finding of Sydney
that l realized something was behind
1T all besides the mere carrying out
of a dead mans wish.
Il supposed Norman had been uaid |
to do his part. Then various things |
pointed inevitably to the fact that
even he must have had your cooper-
alton. Yesterday AFTERNOON sper+
several hours in my library, figuring
out the case. Some of the time was
with the telephone to Wall Street |,
friends. Then found out how deeply
you were in the hole. I realized that
you were desperate. But knew that
there wasn't thing to prove your
guilt. You could laugh at me while |
the three persons who had done
nothing but carry out the wishes of |
John Melton went 10 prison or the
chair. They had all plotted and plan |
ned to make possible your murder of
Melton.
THE only thing to do was make Won
convict yourself. I knew the crow |
had some mighty important part. The |
finding of the feather that the girl had |
dropped in the house of Silver San
dals when she was excited over getting
away proved that there had been a |
desperate attempt to catch the crow. |