The Washington herald., 1919-01-18
CHAPTER vI-Continued.
Ccopyright. 1918. By Mon

dropped them behind him and started
solitude and in silence. He went over
everything in the library with the
trained eyes of an operative who had
| learned his profession In many
schools. He left deduction and sur
mise for a later hour. He was after
/ cold facts which might lead to an
answer to the riddle. He held with
some slight scorn, the theory OF the
armchair detective and the puzzle
: worked out by retrospection- HIS
experience had been. that only
through hard work could he expect 10
( find his answer. He had been credited
with visiting COO laundries in search
OF a certain mark. He had a note
book filled with his failures TO find
the man he was after. The men he
had found caused him no concern
whatsoever. They had gone to prison
and closed their accounts with him.
/ He applied bard work over the
/ minutes to the case at hand. He went
over the body of the aged millionaire.
I III. took scrapings OF the blood stains
on the floor. He scratched up some
...v- ans OF dried whisky. lie eN-
amined the bottle. He searched each
square inch under and about the
body. He went through Stockbridge' $
pockets and beneath his vest He
tried everything in the way Of getting
facts which might bear on the case.
I A tapemeasure furnished certain dis
tances which were recorded upon the
back OF an envelope. His data was
complete, insofar as he had time 10
60. He desired to spend at least
twelve hours in the library. This
could not be. The case would be
taken from his hands within min
utes Already there was a stir IN
the front part of the house. The bell
had been ringing for some time. De-
laney and the butler had hastenec
forward 10 answer il.
THE central Office bunch" an
nounced the operative. parting the
curtains and staring in at Drew.
Here they are. chief"
The detective stepped briskly ouI
Of the room and glided through the
foyer hall to the front door. Here
Delaney Joined him. as steps wer,
heard coming up from the servants
quarters as well as outside. IL was
as if raid were, in progress
Brass band methods" said Drew
You get out. Delaney, and go 10
cur taxi. Stay there want 10
speak TO Fosdick.'
The door opened 4 burly form
blotted out the light from the avenue
and stamped in. shaking the spov
from his overcoat. 1t was FosdiCk-
chief Of detectives.
Hello" he said cuttingly Hello
Drew! What's this you've been Civ.
ing me over the phone
The detective drew Fosdick aside
: and allowed FIVE central office men .tC
stream into the hallway.
Go and see he suggested into thu
detectives ear. Go and see. I've
left everything just as ] found IT,
The body is still there The servants
, have been kept in the house. Ques,
tion them. I'm of. now. Phone m,
not later than this morning. III
be at my office. I'm acting in a
private capacity. I'm protecting Loris
i StoCkbridge-the sole heir"
"Protecting,'' exclaimed Fosdick
What dye mean"
Drew dropped his hand to his pocket
and Crammed down the little ivory
handled revolver. We'll" he smiled
broadly. You know what mean.
She's alone in this world-saVe for
her friends. The old man called me
in the case. I'm still in the case
remember that
Fosdick EIlpcd hard. "AII right
he said. turning and peeIinE OF his
coat "I'U soon get to the bottom
OF this Case looks easy to me. It's
suicide. That's all it ever could be-
Drew found his hat and coat where
the butler had hung them He went
out through the front door without
answering Fosdick. lie crossed the
aVkue on a diagonsf which brought
IN to the waiting taxi where Delaney
stood mufned to the chin. The two
= men climbed upon the running board
The driver started up with a Jerk
from his frozen position in the snow
They rounded the block and stopped in
front Of the drug store where Loris
had met the officer.
The central Office man who had
taken O'Toole's place had little TO re-
port. O'TooJe had vanished toward
the south. When last seen hs was
close on the heels OF the man in olive
drab.
Come on. Delaney" said Drew al
this information. We'll walk over
to Fifth avenue and then downtown
The driver can pick up our men in
the alley. ] want TO clear my head
3 Of this muddle. A walk will do it,
Delaney fell in behind his chief
They turned the corner. They STRUCK
through a side street and westward
They saw ahead of them the white
eXpanse Of untrodden snow. and be
yond this the faint blue barricade OF
! the Palisades.
The hour was after 3. The Crisr
underfooting brought wine TO their
checks. The grip of winter air cleared
both mems heads like a draught ol
ether. They stepped out Their
shoulders went back. Their thoughts
passed from the case at the mansion
, to other things The night had been
, filed with a thousand disappoint-
. ments. Greatest of these was the
stabbing memory that they both had
been picked by the mUltimIlliOnaire
to protect him and save him from
his enemies. They had failed in this
: trust Their patron lay dead, and
somewhere whispering voice
, chuckled over a victory.
Fifth avenue" announced Drew ss