The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-05-29

Rushcroft Took the Whole Affair With
the Most Noteworthy Complacency.
"JuSt minute" interrupted Put
nam Jones, wholly unimpressed. "a
man just called you up on the phone,
Mr.. Barnes. | told him you was en-
tertaining royalty at lunch and
couldn't be disturbed SO he asked
me to have you call him up as soon
as you revived. His words, not mine
Call up Mr.. ODowd at Green Fancy.
Here's the number"
The mellow voice of the Irishman
soon responded to Barnes call.
81 called you up to relieve your
mind regarding the young woman who
came last night" he said. You OBJ
serve that ! say came She's quite
all right, safe and sound, and no cause
for uneasiness. / thought you meant
that she was coming here as a guest,
and so l made the very natural mis-
take of saying she hadn't come at all,
at all The young woman in question
Is Mrs. Van Dykes maid. But, bless
me soul, how was to know she was
even in existence, much less expected
by train or motor or Shanks' mare?
Well she's here, so there's the end of
our mystery"
Barnes was slow In replying. He
was doubling his own ears. 1t was not
conceivable that an ordinary-or even
an traordinary-lady's maid could
have possessed the exquisite voice and
manner of his chance acquaintance Of
the day before, or the temerity to
order that sOur-faced chauffeur about
dis if The chauffeur!
"But thought you said that Mr..
Curtis chauffeur was moon-faced
and"
''He is, bedad," broke in Mr..
ODowd, chuckling. "That's what de-
ceived me entirely, and no wonder. 1t
wasn't Peter at all, but the rapscallion
washer who went after her. He was
instructed to tell Peter to meet the
four o'clock train, and the blockhead
forgot to give the order. Bedad, what
does he do but sneak out after her
himself, scared out Of his boots for
fear of what he was to get from Peter.
| had the whole story from Mrs. Van
Dyke"
"Well, I'm tremendously relieved"
said Barnes slowly.
"And so am l." said O'Dowd with
conviction. 81 have seen the heroine
OF our busted romance. She's a good
looking girl. I'm not surprised that
she kept her veil down. If you were
to leave it to me, though, I'd say
that it's sin to carry discretion so
far as all that. You see what mean
don't your" His rich laugh came over
the wire.
Perfectly. Thank you for letting
me know. My mind Is at rest Go,rt-
by" AS he hung up the receiver he
said to himself, "YOu are a most af-
fable. convincing chap, Mr.. ODowd,
hut l don't believe word you say.
That woman is no lady's maid and
was there"
At four o'clock he set out alone for
a tramp up the mountain road in
which the two men had been shot
down. His mind was quite clear.
Room and Paul were not ordinary rob-
bers. They were, no doubt, honest
men. He would have said that they
We're thieves bent on burglarizing
Green Fancy were ii not for the dis
closures Of Miss Thackeray and the
very convincing proof that they were
not shot by the same man.
It was not beyond reason-indeed,
1t was quite prObable-that they were
trying to cross the border; in that
event their real operations would be
confined to the Canadian side of the
line. He could not free himself of the
suspicion that Green Fancy possessed
the key to the situation. Room and his
companion could not have had the
slightest interest in his movements up
to the instant he encountered the
young woman at the crossroads. His
busy brain suddenly suffered the shock
of a distinct conclusion. Was she
fellow conspirator? Was she the In
side worker ut Green Fancy In a we'll
laid plan To rifle the place?
Could II be possible that she was
the confederate Of these painstaking
agents who lurked with sinister pa
thence outside the very gates Of the
place called Green Fancy?
His ramble carried him far beyond
the spot where Rooms body was found
and where young Conley had come
upon the tethered horses. His eager,
curious gaze swept the forest to the
left Of the road In search Of Green