South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-05-28
CONTINUED FROM SUNDAYS
EDITION.

the stairs. stopped AZ the gate, un-
locked 1t and cried TO the group OF
neighbors. newsboys, market boys.
tan1aIe vendors, and other early
birds collected in front. "Where'd
ne go!"
"whoT'
The mantle man" Hopkins
strove for an accurate description
the man with the black derby"
A boy in the front row grinned
and glanced at the circle Of men
towering above and behind him.
Every man in the bunch has got
on black derby except us kids" he
exclaimed.
Hopkins stood chagrined. He
had seen the man, front. side and
rear view for a full minute. but was
at an utter loss 70 describe him.
The man who just came out Of
the gate2" ne cried.
"Oh. the fellow that monkeyed
with the lock. I thought he be-
longed there. He had a key Where
did ne go now" remarked the boy,
puzzled.
Some said one way and some an
other. but II was quite apparent
that the man had slipped in and
out unnoticed, due 10 his plain ap-
pearances his mstter-of-fact man
ner.
IT We could find him. Hopkins
declared to a detective Who showed
up later. Il think we'd be on the
right track all right ("
That's the only clue the detec-
tive agreed. Maybe it was Brick
Kelly or Sam Arson. How'd you
say he looked?"
That's the trouble He's a
smooth one, looked so much like
everybody else you couldn't tell him
apart" replied Hopkins lucidly
But he's the man all right" he
asserted forcefully to cover up his
lack OF proof IF we could only
get ahOld OF him we'd soon have a
solution to this here mystery He
had a key TO the front gate, he
must come back TO destroy that
evidence found on the dog; there
weren't no chance for him TO pass
Alert when he was doing his work
It's a cinch- He just went in an
pulled the trick in the 10 minutes
between my rounds. but how in he'll
he got past that dog is by me-"
'It couldn't be done. That dogs
a devil, no human bein' could a
done it." the detective summed up
emphaically. Besides, the guy
couldn't have got through any door
or window except one the dog was
watchin', an nobody could have got
in there without that dog wakin'
up the whole town. It amt human,
that's all got to say. But you're
rights If we could find that guy in
the black derby an that sausage
skin we'd soon have a solution.
The square-chested man in the
black derby was Christopher Poe
the New York banker. spending q
much-needed vacation in the carni-
val city. He had no sooner shut the
Dubois gate behind him and stuffed
the sl1in-lilze object into his pocket
than he slipped through the collect
ing crowd dexterously. without
touching any Of the onlool<ers or at
tracing attention by any unusual
IuON6s 416 hdlhGu 10 lnt GuInti
without once turning around, cross
ed the street and returned briskly
10 the edge OF the crowd just If
time to hear Hopkins cross-ques-
tioning the small boy.
Poe nodded his head with the
rest and agreed quickly with some.
body who had pointed out at ran
dom the direction he had taken. A,
a member OF the crowd, as an un.
obstructive unit, he was utterly I'm
noticeable. He stayed no longer thar
the rest and said just like every.
body elseS3n parting from the mar
who stood next him, 'TH bet it was
the Teller in the derby hat. Wonder
what it waSthe kid said he took of
the dog.
Having heard an the facts anC
conjectures, Poe walked 10 the cor
ner again, turned up the side stree
and paced slowly down Bourbon
past a block OF cheap lodging
houses. largely occupied by vaude.
Vile artists. travelling fakirs anC
other true BolhemianS Each ole
house had, like many OF the dwell
ings in the French quarter OF New
Orleans. a courtyard in the rear, di-
vided the courts on Royal ST. by
high brick walls.
stopping AZ the house who's,
courtyard backed directly onto thai
Of Old Dubois Christopher Poe in.
serted a skeleton KEY in the simple
lodging house lock, twisted il sharp
~ twice, glanced up and down the
street, opened the door and stepped
in. closing Il quickly after him and
standing motionless at the spo'
where his first step had brought
him. That he was listening intently
was disclosed by his suspended
breath. In that moment one would
hardly have described him as Hop
kins had human blank. His in
tense violet eyes We're focused TO-
ward the tup OF the dim winding
old staircase mounting in front OF
him his mouth was drawn into g
firm. purposeful line: his form look
cd 1.-the and strong; he seemed the
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