Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-08-26
CHAPTER V
The House OF Mystery

wound the alcohol-soaked bandage
that covered his sightless eyes and
forehead, saturated 1t again from the
bottle at his elbow, and carefully re-
placed it. For five hours the blind
man had sat in his chair before the
oak desk in the library of the old
fashioned uptown house, his mind Wis
ualizing each separate piece of the
new crime puzzle; arranging rear
ranging, spending an hour over n
piece that seemed to fit. only to cast
ii aside finally because it was wrong.
At times the skein seemed straight
ened. the end appeared plainly in
sight. Then some new tangle came
to snarl the whole thing once more.
I The blind man touched the face OF
the crystalless watch in his pocket.
1t was seven-thirty. In the five hours
after his return from the hotel, Col
tons only movement had been to
change the head bandage, which re-
lieved the splitting headache too many
hours of light always caused. There
had been no sleep; nor would there
be. until the building up and tearing
down that was going on in his mind
resulted in some definite point of
starting. His fingers touched two of
the buttons in row on the flat-top
ped desk.
Light running footsteps sounded
in the hall as the Fee - red-haired,
freckle-faced boy, with the slightly
twisted nose, who had become men,
Der of the Cotton household as the
only fee in a particularly battling
murder case, hurried in answer to the
summons.
The boy made his way into the
darkened library without hesitation;
for he knew every step of the house.
and his hours were spent figuring steps
for the blind man so that he could be
as Valua BILE an ally as Sydney Thames.
In the center of the floor he waited
patiently for Cotton to speak.
I've just called the car, Shrimp"
Thornley, said. Tell Michael 1 want
to see him when it arrives"
Yes. sir" The boy hesitated a mo-
ment, then asked his question: "Yuh
amt heard nothin' of Sydney yet,
Mister Colton?"
mo, Shrimp"
The boys feet shifted on the rug,
as he hesitated again before the next
question: 'Yuh don't suppose he got
black-jacked, or nothin' ?" he finally
ventured, remembering his own ex-
perience with certain ruthless men.
Il think not, Shrimp. The princi-
pals in this case are very different
sort of people"
Gee. I hope so!" The boy darted
out then, to obey the order.
Michaels brief story of the district
in which he had left Sydney Thames
had overthrown a complete theory:
necessitated a whole new structure in
place OF the one that had toppled in
the Peck Slip section of the city. Col
ton had come directly from the hotel
10 wait for the return of his secre-
, tary. AS the hours went aby, and
Thames did not return. Cotton realiz-
ed that he had gone further than his
instructions warranted. The blind
man had expected the trail would be
an easy one, ending at a hotel or
private house in one of the better sec
tlons OF the city. But the dark, dirty
: part of the old city near the river
upset everything. Thornley, Colton's
intuitiVe reasoning, which the wears
of visualizing and projecting, made
: almost superhuman, seemed wholly at
loss to understand this new turn
of events. There could be no police
/ search started for the missing secre-
, tary. Captain McMann's attitude had
put the blind man on his mettle. He
) would find Sydney alone. He must find
him, for the secretary was the only
) eyes he had used in years And this
) was apparently a case where eyes
sat quietly in his chair, planning,
figuring.
The sound of the chauffeur's an
preaching footsteps came to the prob
! lemist's superkeen ears, and he snap
ped on light so that Michael could
find chair.
Amt no word yet, sorr ?" Micba 81
spoke with the familiarity of long ser
vice and years of confidence as he
; seated himself. -le
No" Cotton snapped off the light
again. ~
Il tor him it were a bad distric',
Cotton dismissed the apoloeetic
words with nod. ard went right TO
the heart of things: The girl left
the public taxi at the Thirtv-third
street entrance of the Waldorf, walk
ed through, and took another car
that was waiting?
Yes. sorr. a runabout wild a racer
body. 1 didn't wait fer it to come ont
suspiciouslike." NC
Did you see the number?"
es, sorr. I've heen too long here
TO miss thing like that" Michael
gave IL with distinct air of triumph,
FINE work." declared Cotton an
preciatively and he reached for tbe
desk phone. Bureau of automobiie
licenses, was what he asked for. and
he got tAe State secretary finally. A
question, a wait, then a thank YOU.
Ihem numbers is great things -
observed the chauffeur, as he heard
the receiver click back into nIace
: Ihey makes it easy"
NOT very, Michael, not very" Col
ton spoke quietly, but if il had not
t been for the darkness of the room, tbe
| Irlsh chaufeur would have seen the
grim tenseness of the blind mans
Ups. The number of the machine ie
the one allotted to the personal "a =
of the district attorney of New Yori, -,
The devil it isl MichaeIs cbair
fell over as surprise jerked him r. bic
feet. What would he be doin' in the
case-an' getting away a girl that did
nave hand in KILN the old how ~
! the Hotel B>lumonde?"
I where did you get that idoa on
asked Cotton sharply. Have the no
! pers got her connected with the daod
man." 'ie ueao
No. sorr." Michael hastily die
J abused the blind mans mind of any
, such impression. THE mornin' na
pers have but a bit, twas too Iata
Ter them. They know nothin, of r,he
the man was nor the woman wild biz
Ihey couldn't even seem to find ont
now he got into the hotel. AS fer the
glri' she was not even writ about Rnt
sydney follerin' of her. an Won az 49,
motel - Michael drew that his
own astuteness was obvious
I'm" Coltons fingers nlavad o
deVlis tattoo on the desk for sew
eral seconds. so they don't know
now he got from the sidewalk to The
dlnlhsroom entrance" 2" The words
seemed low-toned, n11Isinp o,,asti... N