The Ely miner., 1916-01-21
by Charles Edmonds Walk

Hazards eyes sparkled, because the
pretty girl opposite him had arrived
at a conclusion identical with his own.
Still, to make the advice more posi-
tive and concrete he asked her for
her reasons. Said she:
Il haven't many definite reasons for
looking askance at the chief clerk; 1t
is mostly intuition that prompts me-;
but it sticks in my mind as being
queer that he can neither recall the
womans name nor find the card.
That doesn't indicate careful Office
man, such as would hold RESPONSE
BILE position in David Bardeene's ex-
acting employ. Therefore. if he sup
pressed the card and the woman's
name, if anything occurred in the in
ner office that he has not told, then
he knows the woman and there is col
lusion between them"
Hazard nodded his head in full
agreement; then, after arranging for
a meeting with Helen for that same
evening, he reluctantly left her and
made his way to Bardeene's Offices in
Wall street.
AS result of the guiding spirits
removal from the midst of his many
activities, the place was dull and
spiritless. George Destin was alone,
discharging such duties as ordinarily
fell to him.
The detective scrutinized the chief
clerk keenly before making himself
known. He beheld blocking. well
set up man of thirty or thereabouts
with black hair and a closely clipped
black mustache. The pallor that
marked his face might have followed
naturally upon the shock and worry
caused by his employers tragic death,
! and the mans state of mind could
not fairly be taken as evidence of
guilty knowledge.
In a few moments Hazard intro
duced himself and stated the object
of his visit.
But / don't see what can do, Mr..
Hazard. am stunned; my mind
can't grasp the terrible happening;
but 1t seems to me the police have
been bit overzealous in suspecting
me-"
Hazard gave him a sharp glance:
he was not little taken aback by
the mans unexpected candor.
"Why do they suspect you?" he
asked.
Because I did not know the lady's
name-that is to say, / could not re-
call it-and because the card has not
been found. But how could I be ex-
pected to remember a name that !
never saw or heard?"
"You had her card" the detective
reminded him.
"Ah, yes-to be sure-her card"
Destin lapsed into meditation. Then
resolution came to him; he met Haz-
ards steady look with eyes that re-
vealed nothing. He pursued:
CAS- you are working in Mrs. Bar
deene's interests, l do not mind con-
fiding to you something that l hesi-
tated telling the police; l felt that
would not be believed.
"The explanation of my ignorance
respecting the woman is quite simple
1t is very rarely that a woman comes
to these Offices, and less than an
hour before the tragedy Mr.. Bardeene
informed me that he was expecting a
lady caller and for me to show her
in the instant she arrived. So when
this woman came, naturally l took 1t
for granted that she was the one he
was expecting, and l showed her i'm
mediately into the private office. She
did not tell me her name; as a mat
ter of fact, did not hear her utter
a word"
"But the card" Hazard again re-
minded him, surely you saw her
name on that"
The man looked at him queerly.
After a pause
mo. did not" he said slowly.
"The card was blank"
Blank" Hazard calculated. why,
| nobody would send in blank card
! to a man like Mr.. Bardeene!"
Destin shrugged his shoulders.
This lady did, at any rate. You see
now why l was reluctant to tell all
this to the police; 1t sounds rather
preposterous.
81 may add, though. that occasion
ally people had appointments with
Mr. Eardeene, who made their pres
ence known by sign or password
| of some sort, people whose Identities
4, was mt advisable to disclose even
to the ONCE staff. l concluded that
the blank card was some such open
sesame. Mr.. Bardeene was strange
ly asitated when l handed it to him,
and he told me to show her in at
once"
Felix Hazard was rapidly 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 mysterious veiled
woman who made herself known Dy
means of blank visiting card; he
Immediately dropped all other bust.
ness and gave ner 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. 1t struck
him now that the scandal, if there
were any basis for 1t, must be opened
> up and aired instead of suppressed, II
{ justice were to be done.
I Mr.. Destin," he went of on a new
!. track, you were probably as close tt