South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-04-03

/ that Paroles alone saw the light
give out 1t was his suggestion that
he go 10 the front of the house to
investigate. This path might be used
as a short cut to the deserted house.
The rendezvous may have been
there"
Rawlins was interested again.
How far is it?"
Not much more than a mile"
Groom answered.
Then Wen 60" the detective de-
, cided. SHOW the way"
Groom in the lead. they struck off
, through the woods Bobby, who
walked last. noticed the faint mes
sengers Of dawn behind the trees in
| the east. He was glad. The night
cloaked too much in this neighbor-
| hood. BY daylight the empty house
would guard its secret less easily
Suddenly he paused and stood quite
still. He wanted to call TO the others,
| to point out what he had seen. There
was no question. BY chance he had
accomplished the task that had
/ seemed so hopeless yesterday. He
had found the spot where his con-
seriousness had come back momen-
tarily to record a wet moon, trees
straining in the wind like puny
men. and a figure in a mask which
he had called his conscience. He
gazed. his hope retreating before an
unforeseen disappointment for with
the paling moon and the bent trees
survived that very figure on the dis
covery of whose nature he had built
so vital a hope; and in this bad light
! il conveyed TO him an appearance
nearly human. Through the under
brush the trunk Of a tree shattered
by some violent storm Knocked him
with its illusion. The dead leaves at
| the top were like cloth across a face.
Therefore. he argued, there had
been no conspiracy against him.
Paroles was clean as far as that
was concerned. He had wandered
about the Cedars alone. He had
/ opened his eyes at a point between
| the court and the deserted house.
Rawlins turned back suspiciously.
asking why ne lOitered he cOntin-
ued almost indifferently. lie still
wanted to know Faredes's goal, but
his disappointment and its meaning
| Obsessed him.
When they crept up the growing
| light exposed the scars of the desert
cd house. Everything was as Bobby
remembered it. At the front there
! was no decayed wood or vegetation
| to strengthen the doctors half
! hearted theory Of a phosphorescent
\ emanation.
The tangle of footsteps near the
rear door was confusing and it was
some time before the three men
! straightened and glanced at each
other. knowing that the Doctors
wisdom was proved For Paroles
had been there recently; for thai
matter. might still be in the house.
| Moreover, he hadn't hidden his
tracks. as he could have done, in the
/ thick grass. Instead he had come
in n straight line from the woods
across a piece of sandy ground
! which contained the record Of his
direction and his continued stealth.
! cept burnt-out matches strewn
across the floor, testimony OF their
earlier search. The fugitive had evil
IDENTIFY left more carefully than he
! had come. The chill emptiness of
the deserted house had drawn and
released him ahead of the chase
Il guess he knew what the light
meant" the detective said. "as well
as he did that queer calling. 1t com
plicates matters that l can't find q
woman's footprints around here. She
may have kept TO the grass and this
! marked-up path for, since / don't
believe in banshees, III swear there
been a woman around, either a crazy
woman. wandering at large. who
might be connected with the muir
ders, or else a sane one who sig
nailed the foreigner. Let's get back
and see what the district attorney
makes of it,"
1T might be wiser not to dismiss
the banshees, as you call them, too
hurriedly." Doctor Groom rumbled
As they returned along the road
in the growing light Bobby lost the
feeling he had had of being spied
upon. The memory of such an ad-
venture was bound TO breed some
thing like confidence among its ac-
tors. Rawlins. Bobby hoped. would
be less unfriendly. The detective
in fact, talked as much to him as
10 the doctor He assured them tina:
/ Robinson would get the Panamaniar
unless he proved miraculously clever
Hes shown us that he knows
something" he went on. Il don't
say how much, because I can't get
motive to make it worth his while
to commit such crimes
The man smiled blandly at Bobby
while IN your case there's a mo-
tive at least-the money"
He chuckled.
That's the easiest motive TO un-
derstand in the world. It's stronger
than love"
Bobby wondered. Love had beer
the impulse for the last few months
folly that had led him into his pres
ent situation Graham, over hi
stern principles OF right had al
ready stepped outside the law IL
backing Katherine's efforts to save
Bobby. So he wondered how mucE
Graham would risk, how far h,