Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1916-03-31

CHAPTER XVI
n sEs Eaeoy's Hands.
w ENCLE BILLY eot up suddenly
81 ana eaeog igis hat in tile mir
Il sHar sampiu Z 10 III
ghaf q. cI hundred dollars r
my u0ne aiul HiH IN 20 out n ask
Miss WYuHe
= woalaH't If she's sick abed It
might upset her Billy. what did Miss
WFune expect 70 find out there al
pldeinT
Honestly Lester l don't know
drawllug his words 70 make them EN-.
phatic "i'h tell y this much-she
said sumpin bout preventin' a crime
n raJah.s ransom. What's rajah.
huh
Its Hindu king. | guess"
Il remember. one o them Niger
chaps that wears silk pants N bed
spread fer hat But / don't see whut
a raiah's got I do 18th Mr. Cranford's
disappearln' Y leave 1t 1 rue, Les
ter. III 20 back t where | found that
vat n nose bout"
THE hotel people are going to send
70 Watertowu for n detective
Let EN- / got Jes s good nose
n eyes = any detective" He ram
ued tie bat into his pocket and strobe
eut Of the boathause followed by Les
ter. who was anxious and solemn.
Don't q say nufhiH t ia hotel folks
r Ia boys Wait Day r two Mebhe
CRAWFORD WIS fH86In' after some one
"a lest hls hat
eWaaldnt be running ail this while
well s. leaTe it & me WANT
eHia6ia much when I picked up N
hat I'm soiu' ont there { see Whut
did happen
Il Is doubtful If Uneie Billy had ever
read novel much less a detective
story but he knew an the earth signs.
He was "A siils 10 the manner born.
When he picked M Crauford's hat
his mind was occupied with the girls
grim earneztHess ont there nj fiEiEin.
the hundred dollars He had not there
fore observed things But now he had
reason. lie found the spot and studied
the ground thoroughly. During the
storm Il had rained plentifully. The
ruts IN the read were still damp and
Impresslonabe. and out of these ruts
Uncle Billy gathered his reading.
An automobile had stopped and back
ed and gone on again. Good many
footprints. close together. and one long
slip which trailed over the lip Of the
road.
This has been made by Crawford. for
he recognized the rubber spikes of the
tennis shoes There had been a serim-
mage. But who would want 10 tight
Mr. Cranfords WAS the question which
was troubling Uncle Billy. HIM, Here
WIS new rubber heel Aud ali these
footprints vanished abruptly
Three petsons-aul they had gone
away IN THE AUTOMOBILES Whefef And
Why
shaking his head. he plo,ldetl back e.
| the hoathouSe MF Crawford had been
abducted Most amazng
At 6o'elock that evening he had come
To the conclusion that Is detective he
was a blooming uzzle.
He had. during the afternoon. detect
| ed new rubber heels on the shoes of
seven men guest at the hotel the
local druggist n man who had a sum
mer cottage IN the village, the TN
smith. the hotel proprietor and the bar
tender
The guest THE man who had the cot
tase AMI the tlnSmlth all had autome-
aiies with the same make Of tires.
Uncle BAE dd not sleep well that
hlelil
Ne8Her ga the ohieet Of ail these
earnest etaeHeUS CRAWFORD bedroom
vae cIreuEr a4aIt aiadAwess,
whose sale entrance ana exit was "a
upA ~ SENSE cane teet beyond the
rca7 i d BIS aneers.
BrieHE nj emHfy cf~tern m desert
| "a farmhouse faur or HNc tH Is inland
Whenever he wanted a drunk ST wa
| ter he had f0 grope fer The pail
For nearly foriyoight hours two
DAYS. hc had been heareerafea I'm this
unusual prison. From the aeht Ia the
road down TO this very hour not a
question had been asked. He had not
even seen his eantars since night he
fore last
The candle thev had lefr him had
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