Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-12-07

did he tell you what his business
was with your uncle?"
mo. but found out"
"What was it?"
II can't tell you"
do you realize. said /, that your
evidence is not very nice for Mr.. Pol
lard?'
"But-but Pollard wasn't heret' he
gasped. I'VE know where he says he
was"
"But surely the girl-central-will re-
member what happened"
perhaps she will, and yet
l was interrupted by the sudden en-
trance of the officer whom | had sent
to search the grounds. A small corner
of my mind had been wondering for
some time what had become of my
man, but | had not dreamed that he
would appear with a prisoner, far less
that that prisoner would be a woman
"Robertt' she cried. How dreadfulr
"Where did you get herT' l asked
Devlin In a guarded tone.
"She was outside there. / chased her
clear to Willow street. Pretty near
home she was when | caught her."
you know who she Is, thenp
"Sure. She's Celia Burton, the girl
that's made the trouble between Bob
Clinton and his uncle"
/ asked him what Miss Burton had
said in explanation of her presence,
and Devlin answered that she told him
that she had come to see Clinton.
HE was to have met her this eve
ming, an he didn't" said Devlin, "an'
along about II o'clock she got to won
derin' why, SO she come over an whis-
tied under his window, an he looked out
an said he'd be with her In a minute"
This extremely unconventional behav-
Tor was quite characteristic of Miss
Burton. She was a clerk in a candy
store and had been written up" In the
local papers as the prettiest girl in
town. Such fame as that must neces-
sarily have p%rejudiced her In the eyes
of a rigid a~ristocrat like Frederic Clin-
ton. Indeed, it was for a love affair
with a girl of very similar antecedents
that Clinton had disinherited and ban
ished his only SOL
Miss Burton repeated to me the story
she had told Devlin. and she made no
excuses.
al wanted to see him." she said, as
If that were quite sufficient.
On his part, Robert said that he had
spent the evening in Greensboro, about
twenty miles from Bradbury, and had
returned by the last train, but he re-
fused to tell me what errand had call
ed him there. Pollard would not dis
close the nature of his business with
Mr.. Clinton. pleading professional priv
ilege.
On the morrow, however, there came
a startling revelation. The cashier of
the First National bank told me that
Pollard had obtained during the last
few days over $4,000 in cash from
Mr.. Clinton's account and had also
visited the safe deposit vaults with
Mr.. Clinton. presumably to get securi-
ties.
In questioning Pollard more sharply.
To my surprise. he threw aside his
reticence completely.
my business with Mr.. Clinton" he
said, "has related to a settlement with
his son."
II thought he was dead" said l.
HE is not dead,' replied the law
yer. His father has seen him several
times of late. Mr.. Clinton desired to
keep this matter from the knowledge
of the nephew, Robert, and therefore
the son. Edward Clinton. has been liv-
ing in Greensboro"
Greensboro? 2" said |. did Robert
go to see him last EVENING""
HE did. They were together up to
the time that Robert took the last train
home"
'"Then Edward, the son, has an alibi
In Roberts testimony"
"He has," replied the lawyer. 50
have talked with Robert today about
it."
ibid Robert fear that the sol would
be restored to favor and he himself cast
adrift?'
II think So"
II have always understood that Mr.
Clinton had made Robert his sole heir
by will"
THAT was true, but it is not true
now" answered Pollard. 'There is no
will. Mr.. Clinton destroyed 1t three
days ago, intending to draw another.
The son is the natural heir. Robert
gets nothing, but" he added signif-
cantly, Robert does not yet know of
this. Neither does Celia Burton"
"Do you mean to intimate that one
of them killed him?"
"Who else could it have been?" said
he. "Who had a motive?"
"But Edwards safety depends Oh
Roberts evidence
(which | have induced him to put in
the form of an affidavit" said the law
yer grimly.
You don't believe that Robert killed
hin, - coid L ssxot tbic Sc NOT n vuomon,e