Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-20
S live v e r
Sandals
A Detective Story of Mys-
terry, Love and Adventure.
By Clinton H. Stagg
Continued From Yesterday
Copyright. w. J. Watt & Co..
International News Service


McMann had no sarcastic re1oinder,
no sneering expletive. He had heard
that tone before. 1t backed MIN up
against the wall like strong fisr
He knew the blind man, after all. ana
in the instant he realized that he had
been led on and on, after warnings.
"You said Bracken killed him." he
declared. and the weakening showed
plainly in the way he spoke.
"I did" Cotton pulled the tortoise
trimmed glasses over his eyes ana
found q chair with his cane. HE
did kill him. So did Silver Sandals.
So did Ruth Melton! And he killed
himself!"
down of the clustering police captain
was almost ludicrous
"They all killed him, because they
made possible his murder! Every one
of them worked to help the real muir
derer. Every one of them would be
adjudged guilty on the evidence or
eyes! That's what I've been work
ing to overcome. The murderer is as
safe as the President of the United
States himself. Arrest him, and these
two persons and the girl would be
found guilty by any jury in the land.
But I'll get him!"
There was a passion in the voice Of
the blind man that the captain had
never heard before. 1t was new
side that the police officer had never
fully realized. For the first time he
saw Thornley, Cotton as the district
attorney had seen him-a bloodhound,
a blind bloodhound. All buster, all
thoughts of buster left McMann's
mind. Once before he had accepted
defeat momentarily, but the conceit
of score of years experience had
made him fight on. He had had to
beat the blind man, and he hadn't
cared how he did it. But now there
would be no recovery. 1t was the end.
He turned to the detective. Take
'em off, Tom," he said, and his voice
was that of man who is very tired.
He spoke to Cotton then, and the
words came slowly: You're in charge
of this case. Give your orders, and
I'll go to hell, If you say SOL"
The blind man understood what
that confession cost. 1t was an ac-
knowledgement of defeat from a man
who had never acknowledged defeat
before: from man who had fought
honestly or crookedly to make his
own game win, because the game he
played was his life's game, all he
knew, or wanted to know. And he
was putting himself under the orders
of blind man at whom he had sneer-
ed-treated with contempt at every
opportunity! The police captain was
a man when the showdown came.
You'll make the arrest, captain"
Cotton said. There was no need for
more.
Bracken seemed to wake from his
daze. The swapping of the steel
bracelets and the nippers he had not
even noticed. He mad sat, staring,
made that last statement. He jump
ed from the chair.
"You don't mean IT." he cried. and
there was terrible pleading in the
voice. that was broken and strained.
You know who killed him?"
Cotton merely nodded. Silver
Sandals had risen, and was holding
toward him one of the sheets from the
pad. To the last she was keeping
her pose before the police. Not even
this could startle her for n minute
into forgetting. The blind man read
what she had written, and crumpled
the paper into a ball with his fingers.
YES" He nodded, and he was
careful that she could see his lips
move. HE will be in Poughkeepsie.
I'm going to call the district attorney
on the phone. He should be in at
the death!'
The last sentence seemed to strike
Captain McMann as suggestive. lie
opened his lips to speak, closed them
again, and silently watched the prob
lemist leave the room in search of the
telephone.