Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-03-17
CHAPTER Xxx.
THE U FROM RUTH,

Next morning I was conscious of
out one desire, to get to Ruth and
tell her Of my love and faith in her,
and assure her of my protection and
assistance whatever happened.
Whatever happened! The thought
struck me like a knell. What could
happen but her arrest and trial?
But as I went out of my own door
Il left the house early, for I couldn't
face Aunt Lucy and Winnie-I sud-
denly decided it. would be better to
had transpired since 1 left him.
T. rang the bell at vicky VANS
house with a terrible feeling of 4m-
pending disaster, that might be worse
than any yet known.
Fibsy let me in. I wanted to hate
that boy and yet his very evident
alteration of Ruth Schuyler made me
love him. I knew all that he had
discovered had been as iron entering
his soul, but his duty led him on
and he dared o pause or falter.
W may as well tell him." he said
to Stone. and the detective nodded.
But come downstairs with us and
have a cup of coffee first" Stone said:
no breakfast. Fibsy makes frst-rate
coffee. and I ear tell you. Calhoun,
you've a hard day before you"
Have you learned anything fur
there" I managed to stammer out as
we went down to the basement room
That they used as a dining-room now.
Eyes; as I told you, walls have
tongues, and the walls have given up
the secret of how Mrs. Schuyler man
aged her two-sided existence"
But he would not tell me the secret
until I had been fortified with two
cups of steaming Mocha. which fully
justified his praise of Fibsy's culinary
prowess.
Fibsy himself said nothing beyond
a brief good morning." and the lads
eyes were red and his voice shook as
he spoke.
Il knew" Stone said, as we finished
breakfast, that there must be some
means. some secret means of COM
munlcation between the two houses,
the Schuyler house and this. You
see. the Schuyler house, fronting on
Fifth avenue. three doors from the
corner, runs back a hundred feet, and
abuts on the rear rooms of this house,
which runs back from the side street.
In a word, the two houses form a
right angle, and the back wall of the
Schuyler house is directly against the
S"S q VI eAO AVdl iOOHio III lII3S
House. Therefore. I felt sure there
must be an entrance from one house
to the other, mo- perceivable to an
observer. And. of course, it must be
in Mrs. Schuyler's own rooms; it
couldn't be in their dining-room or
halls. a few questions made me real
ize hat Miss Van Aliens iboudoir was
separated from Mrs. Schuyler's bath
room by only the partition wall Of the
houses. And l said that wall must
speak to me. And it did"
We were now on our way upstairs.
Stone ready at last to let me into the
secret he had discovered.
We ven to Vicky's boudoir, and he
continued: You know you found the
strand of gilt beads caught in this
mirror frame. We all assumed Miss
Van Allen had firted it there as she
dressed for her party, but I reasoned
that it might have caught there as she
escaped to the Schuyler hoSse the
night of the murder. Yes, she did es-
cape this way-look."
Stone touched a hidden spring and
the mirror in the Florentine frame
slid silently aside into the wall, leav->
ing an aperture that without doubt
led into the next house. The frame
remained stationary, but the mirror
SAAS away az q SAANAIA6 wv WI dil
so smoothly that there was absolutely
no sound or jar. "
I saw what was like a small closet.
about two feet deep and perhaps
three feet wide. At the back Of it,
that is, against the walls Of the ad-
Joining room in the other house, we
could see the shape of a similar door,
and the secret was out. There was
no need to open that other door to
know that it led to Ruth Schuyler's
rooms. There vas yet more t~elltale
evidence. In the little cupboard be-
tween the houses was a small safe.
This Stone had opened and in 1t WAS
the black wig of vicky Van and also
once as jules well-remembered
plainly parted front hair.
You see, Tibbetts is Julie" said
Fibsy, in such a heart-broken> and
despairing voice that I felt the tears
rush to my W eyer.
Vicky's wig. The loops of sleek
hair, tile soft loose knot behind, the
delicate part, all just as It crowned
Ter little head-Ruth's head Oh,
couldn't stand it! It was too fearful!
This other door, Stone said.
"opens into Mrs. schuyler's bathroom
That I know. You see, she had to
have this entrance from some room
absolutely her own. Her bathroom
she chose she slippedl through from
one house to the other and back Al
WILL Sd
mo, cart understand It," / In.
slated, shaking my head. III she
came In here as Ruth Schuyler why
wasn't she Scent"
"Becauss. before she was sean, shl