Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-18


dall's, and an apparently half -wittrd
farmer lad named Scollay. A British
naval vessel is blown up in the bay
under suspicious circumstances. RoI-
ton, a detective, arrives on the scene.
AND HERE IT CONTINUES
LIE smiled again. Evidently he was
IL decidedly pleased with himself this
morning.
"All right, Mr.. Merton; III do that
much for you
Just before opened the door for him
bad one last shot.
won't you even give me a hint,
Mr.. Bolton?"
He looked at me for a moment, and
then said in a low voice Cfor we were
near the door,:
"Theres some one in this island who
hasn't lived in it all their life-not by
any means. I've found that out. y
He nodded significantly at me, but
his lips closed tight again and l saw
there was no more to be got out of him.
so | wished him luck and returned to
my chair TO think.
Whether excitement at the prospect of
actually reaching the crisis of this ad-
venture that very night, or Chagrin at
seeing the problem which had eluded me
solved straight off by this great drOver
of fellow was my uppermOst feeling, |
should be afraid to say. | know both
were strongly mingled and for few
minutes it never even occurred to me to
question whether the man really was
within sight of a solution. And then
/ began to wonder.
Who was this mysterious person who
had not lived all their" life on the
island? He had concealed, probably
deliberately, their" sex. And was it
then a fact of which l myself was un-
aware? Bolton said he had found it
out. But it might be no news to me. |
thought of several people, a woman
and at least two men, who had certainly
lived considerable part of their lives
out of the island. But there was no use
speculating with the test so near at
hand.
All the same | felt so restless that
should have gone out to walk it off there
and then had it not been for the fear
that / might chance to follow in Boil
tons tracks and lead him to think
was doing it deliberately. At all costs
wanted him to see that I was playing
the game (as / was playing it,, SO I
waited till after our early dinner and
then set Off
l well remember the day. a nasty raw
specimen of March weather, not px-
actly raining, but trying to all the
time, and altogether gray and dismal.
The spring plowing was proceeding
apace, and as the fields grew brown
there was less and less trace of color
left in the landscape. In fact. it was
day when something evil could
scarcely help happening; or, at least.
it seems so, looking back
I walked briskly to keep the chill
out, following the winding road, but so
wrapped in my thoughts that | hardly
noticed where / was going till I found
myself passing from the mptaled high
way on to the rough track that led one
beyond the last of the farms out to
the desolate stretch of country at the
nor'west end of the island. At both
sides, and especially on the north. the
rocks rose here till they became gen
uine cliffs, not very high, but rugged
and broken. with little hollows dipping
down through them here and there and
giving scrambling access to small covps.
l kept along near this northern cliff
line, still thinking all the while, until
with start and a quickening Of my
heart L became abruptly conscious of
figure fifty yards or so ahead.
/ had a sudden dim recollection; he
seemed disturbingly familiar, and then
In moment I recognized Jock. though
why the sight Of Jock should rouse a
disturbing thought was more than I
could say.
When / saw him he was close to one
of those little dips. but whether he had
been down at the shore or not, I could
not say, for up to that instant 7 had
been quite inattentve. But in any case
Jock was such a chronic aimIess wan
derer that his appearance anywhere
never surprised his acquaintancps.
Evidently he recognized the harmless
eccentric Mr.. Hobhouse quickly enough,
for he broke into a shambling trot and
came toward me with an unusual air
Of eagerness.
''Stones - he cried as be came up to
me. 'Jock knows stones ~
"Stones?" said 7 geniaIly. Dear
me, Jock. this is great news. Arc these
the stones?" and l pointed to the rocks
all about us.
"Stones here!' cried Jock pointing
eagerly across toward the other side
Of the promontory, and catching me by
.be arm in a friendly way.
have never seen the creature so ex
cited before and for a moment could
make neither head nor tail Of it, AnC
then i remembered. On my last yisi
to the knoll near the Scollays'. Jock hat
been watching me, and by way of play
Ing my part thoroughly had affected {
vast interest in certain large slabs o.
stone showing here and there through
the grass. Looking az stones was thu
\ last thing was keen about this after
noon, but there was simply NO resisting
Jock. With the air of a pleased chile
he led me In the way he wished me t.
20. only letting go my arm when h
saw really meant to inspect his stones
s.This is an unusual exhibition fol
+ Jock" j thought, but in the character
Of Mr.. Hobhouse there was nothing fol
~ but pretending high qualification anC
going where he led me-
The promoptory was about third o.
a mile across attnis poi1t and when w
&1tsr-I..ruax4 nv lfufoIlioa