Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-10-12

|
/ left with the others. The mater
looked at me as If she'd like to ask me
to stay. but 1 slid away before she
had chance. 1 had a feeling that I
ought to be up and doing something.
I didn't know what.
Martin telephoned me late that af-
ternoon at the club from a pay sta
ton, calling me just as the women
were going. Look here" he said.
You have no business hiding that
camera. It's more serious than you
think it is.''
You didn't seem to think it was
serious at the time. You had pretty
good laugh over it,
Where is it %
| Whose is it %
You know that
"All right. Then I'll take it back
where it belongs
You won't tell me where it is. or
how you got it?'
IF it's as serious as you say it is.
it's not the thing to tell over the
phone
Well, paid up for not telling him,
all right. 1 may be proud of some
of the things 1 did at that time, but
I'm not proud of all of them. When
all the dowagers petted me at the
last, and I was feeling a bit chesty, all
| had to do was to remember some Of
the fool breaks 1 made, and believe
me, 1 wasn't crazy about myself
| 1 went to get the camera at some-
thing before o'clock, but the shop
was closed. We do things like that in
our town. I banged at the door, and
generally made an ass of myself. But
there was nobody there. And the more
thought about it, the more 1 want
ed the thing.
Martin had said the camera was
important-more than that. How was
old Mr.. Hazeltine mixed up in the
trouble at Boisseau's. Was he?
put the murders out of my mind. No
body could look at the old man and
think he was criminal. You can
see how l missed 1t every time.
l wasn't the only person who knew
about the camera. Somebody had
found it. The dealer had. He'd
heard me call up Boisseau about it,
too. And I've failed to get across the
excitement in the town over the rob-
berry if you don't realize that old Bois-
seau was, as you may say, in every
mouth in the city in those days.
The other crimes were nothing, in
comparison. Taxi drivers and women,
and even policemen get cut up now
and then, and there's no real excite
ment about it. But it's not every day
that the best people in town are stood
in row and spoken to like ordinary
folks and robbed and left counting
sixty twenty times.
l had meant to have dinner at the
club, and go up after dark that night
with the camera to the house on the
hilltop. For two reasons l changed
my plans. One was that l had not
been able to get the camera. The
other was visit from the n. C.
i was shaving when his card coo1a
and sent word to have him brought
up. l was nervous, l can tell YOU.
All 1 had in mind was to keep the
little girl out of the mix-up, and as
didn't know what the mix-up was,
had my work cut out for me, believe
me.
But at first I thought I was going
to get off without any trouble. Come
in, said,J shortly. I'm shaving"
Using a safety, too" he said, with
his obnoxious grin. ITS a pity our
friend of the other night hadn't been
addicted to a safety, although that's
a queer thing, too. Those cuts were
deeper than razor cuts"
L was shaving the angle of my shin
at that minute, and / had a sort of
instantaneous picture of that poor
wretch on the driving seat of that taxi
and what Id seen in the light of a
match.
The n C. sat down on the edge of
the bathtub and folded his arms.
Now that 1 see you with your
coat Off" he said, I'm not so asham-
ed of the other morning. You nearly
broke my jaw, young man. I've been
living on liquids ever since"
What do you mean by those cuts
not being razor cuts? They were
made by either razor or a knife,
weren't they?"
That's the question. There was
something curious about the cuts. A
man who makes an attack with n
razor folds it back on the handle
If you have one about, I'll show YOU"
Haven't any here. Nothing but
this. Did you come to talk about
raZors?"
Not exactly. was only making
conversation until you were ready to
talk"
He grinned at me and looked at my
right hand.
Broke it up, didn't you." he said.
I've got considerable jaw. Saved my
life once. | was in a fire. and l held
onto a cable by my teeth. If you're
ready, We'll go into the other room.
This amt too comfortable to sit on"
He followed me into the other room.
and his manner changed
What about this valet of yours
or Is 1t val-ay? He left kind of sud-
ueIl, OlOn I he
II didn't know he was going. He
may have had it in mind for some
time. l never talked much to him.
No, l suppose you wouldn't" He
eyed me. He had the run of things.
of course?"
Naturally"
know any of his past history?"
II got him in London. He had ex
cellent letters
Letters! They're easy to get. Ever
occurred to you to associate him with
the trouble at Boisseau's?"
I've thought of it."
You didn't give your assembly
| ticket to anyone, by chance?"
mo. Look here. I know all that
Sharp could have taken the ticket
and got in. He'd have had no trouble
But l don't think he did. First, he's
always been honest with me. Second.
| It's too obvious. too easy. Besides.
whoever held up that crowd at the as
sembly ball knew the lights were going
| of. The thing was planned from the
start. The gas was shut off at Bois-
seau's. Sharp couldn't have done ii,
| He didn't know how"
There are plenty of others that
do know.
Well" he drawled, that's sus-
picious. too. Watch a fellow who
| hasn't ~ Fri ''%~o