The Washington herald., 1919-01-19
CHAPTER VI oContinuedD

This case, Delaney" Drew sad.
lis like many others which appea:
at first impossible of solving. All
things can be solved by first prin-
ciples. Give me all the facts and I'll
give you the answer to any riddle.
The answer will come, Don't try 10
write your plot until you have words
to form your story. Don't make the
mistake OF forcing AN answer TO
father a wish. In other words. De-
laney, best Of friends. we haven't a.,
the facts we are going to get in this
case and therefore it is idle to at
tempt to deduce who shot Stock
bridge"
"Or how he was shot. chief"
Its almost the same thing. Botli
answers will come with hard work
and plenty OF it We must keep along
the main stem. Truth is a tree with
many branches. 1t rises from Lhe
roots named cause, and reaches the
top called effect. 1t springs from
motive up to crime in one straight
stem. We must trim away the
branches and the false work. and then
We can see the trunk"
There's one I'd like TO trim right
now" said Delaney. pausing in his
snow-caked stride.
Which one" asked Drew.
That noise in the library like d
cat getting its tail twisted
II can explain that"
It's been driving me to drink,
chief"
The telephone company. Delaney,
have a device they call a howler.
they cut the device in on the wire
when receiver is left off the hook.
1t is simply a high-frequenCy current
generated for the purpose of vibrating
the receivers diaphragm until some
body hears the noise and puts lhc
receiver back on the hook"
Its a howler. all right, chief"
"OftentiEes a book or magazine
gets under a receiver and lifts ii up
an inch or more This attracts the
attention Of the central operator who
thinks somebody s trying to get q
number When the situation is clea r
to her that the receiver is off the
nook, or that the circuit is closed
without anybody being at tie re-
ceiver end, she notifies the wire cap
tain or chief operator. 1t was ei.hc.
one or the other who put the howleT
OH alltI SlOChDlluSe was SnOl am
the phone had fallen to the floor Is
that satisfactory? Does that explain
the noise we heard in the library b.
fore we broke down the door,"
Il see now. chief thought all
along it was spirits like the rest of
the job. Outside of spirits. what j.
the answer to the things that hap
pened in that house? l know it, /
deduct it, chief. The old man was
expecting somebody all of the time.
He let this somebody into the library
when the butler wasn't looking. May
be 1t was a woman, for all we know.
Maybe a German spy. Maybe any
body. This somebody got in an argu-
ment with him over spoils on some
deal. and shot him dead. That's my
idea, chief"
You've missed your profession, De-
laney. You've dlsgraccd the firm!
How did the library door get locked
on the inside? How did that happen ?
Did Stockbridge. shot through the
brain, rise and do it? 1t was mighty
well locked-you remember"
81 never thought of that" admitted
the operative. Then 1t looks, chief,
as II it was a case of suicide"
"Fosdick said the same thing with
out having many facts. How could a
right-handed man shoot himself be-
hind the left ear? How could he do
a thing like that and then get rid of
the weapon without leaving a trace
of it? How-oh, well. get facts and
you won't ask such questions"
Then it was done by an outsider?''
blurted Delaney. staring through the
wind-hlown snow which came of the
housetops. TT was done by the fell
low who 'phoned and wrote that let
ter. or had the letter written:
don't see how he cou'd do it,
Drew smiled at DCl4ney's candor.
Neither do l." he said simply. But
we've crossed Forty-second street and
were on the trail by everyday, up
to-date methods which never fail IL
they are continued long enough and
men work hard enough. Wen start
with Harry Nichols-the man in olive
drab! I've his address,
CHAPTER VII.
''rhc Spot of Black"