Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-26
THE PARADISE MYSTERY
-u,s STARTS THE STORY
Wv ], S. Fletcher
Copyright. 1850. ov Ayr.d A, nrob,. mo

Tbs HttIe En0noh o" s.,s.,,,.
Wrycn,,steyy. Mary Be,oUry, nineteen
ord "oIid "ooid and her brother DICK. seq.
yeots nye ,onrds Of Doctor Rdnsford,
tMv,,,as man sees Doctor RdnsJord
Wt tsw minutes later ts found dead.
srss theory is hat ne ton osa .ns 70
cote,s ne loas slain. Rdnsford has
tnssS ,"ychase fo,oers for the dead
hoIy tgn,eT1l, bryce finds an entry
rhons s,,ssh rcoistef phero Mark Rams
=, ,ord Mad acted as best man az nc
,yorrIaoc Of yohn BraHs , nna mSsp
Bsye,tv could fhrow R0ht on the Brake
srder saw % Is found dead. Detectives sur
mp,s .5ord Is the murderer on the
W,Nvnd WV. that he prescribed tor CoiN-
p,0.a po,r and his wife the NIGHT before.
n~sp,tc police suspicious, Mary az
surs' simpson Horker, a detective,
hu'. ..,,onino Bryce, learns n scrap Of
qss be took from Brdden tells Of
polp,et Ddpers hidden IN a cemetery.
Two,t,y ddn,its he has learned that
R,aisr pds IN truth Brdke, Jgther ot
Sarv and Dick. Harker tells Bryoo Of
Aay Aaayr,,ict he sd,o IN ths city before
o.sSsp;s death. At the Inquest over
1S.iEsbnm's body Doctor Ronsford IN
y. outburst dcntes any part IN tho
g",tbs Of either Brddon or the mason.
pyvoc finds party has searched the
e,"si, STOLEN from the Duke Of Saron-
..,sode NAM podrs before. The police
..occtor and Scotland Yard man
VII an Doctor Rdnsford and ask his
S,i. he tells them OF hts snsptctons
y, Brvce and Rorker. The officers de-
c;de 10 shddor Bryce.
AND HERE IT CONTINUES
UyJERY likely" said Jettison. They
had crossed the close by that time
and came to q gas lamp which stood at
~. entrance; and the detective pulled
an, his watch and glanced at II. Ten
n.., H." he said. "You say you know
,h,s Bryce pretty we'll? Now. would II
\. too late--if he's UP still-to take a
,ook at him? II you and he are on good
farms YOU could make an excuse. After
shat I'VE heard, I'd like to get at close
/ ouarters with this gentleman"
easy enough" assented Mitchington,
eve been there as late as this-he's g
An. Of the sort that never goes to bed
h.yore midnight. Come on'--it's close by.
put-not word of where we've been.
ri say I've dropped in to give him a
| nj, Of news Will tell him about the
,.wel usiness----and see how he takes It.
And while we're there-size him UP. v
Mitchington was right In his descrip-
Tim of Bryce's habits--Bryce rarely
went to bed before l o'clock In the
morning. He liked TO sit up. reading
Wis favorite mental food was found In
ina lives Of statesmen and diplomats
most Of them OF the sort famous fol-
t,ickery and chicanery-he not only
made close study of the ways of these
gentry but wrote down notes and 90
sracts of passages which particular,
spoealed to him. His lamp was burn
ing when Mitchington and Jettison cams
N view of his windows--but that nigh,
| Bryce was doing no thinking abou
| statecraft--hls mind was hxed on HI:
own affairs. He had lighted his fire or
soins home and for an hour had sal
vith his legs stretched out on the fen
DIR, carefully weighing things up. Th'
event OF the night had convinced hin
that he was at a critical phase or M
present adventure. and II behooHed MIN
AZ a good general, to review his forces
THE forestalling Of his plans abou
the hiding place In Paradise had upse
Bryces schemes-he had figured OF
being able to turn that secret. what
ever It was. to his own advantage. II
struck him now, as he meditated. tina
h. had never known exactly what n,
expected TO get out of that secret-Du
ne had hoped that II would have beer
somethlng which would make few mor'
considerable and tightly strung meshe'
IN the net which he was endeaNoring t'
weave around Ransford. Now he wa'
faced by the fact that II was not goinh
TO yield anything In the way OF help
Il was a secret no longer and II hat
Yielding nothing beyond the mere knowl
edge that John Bra0en, who was II
reality John Brake, had carried IN
secret to Wrychester-to reveal II In th'
proper quarter.
That helped Bryce in no way-so fal
rs he could see. And therefore II wal
necessary TO re-state his case to him
self; to take stock: to see where M
stood-and more than ALL to put plainl,
before his own mind exactly what HI
wanted
And Just before Mitchington and thu
detective came up the path TO his door
Bryce had put his notions into clea'
phraseology. His aim was definite-h'
wanted to get Ransford completely Into
his power. through suspicion of Rams
tords guilt in the affairs OF Braden anc
colshaw. He wanted, at the same time
to have the means OF eXonerating him
whether by fact or by craft-so that. al
an ultimate method of success for hi
own projects ne would he able to sc
10 Mary Bewery and say "Ransford'
very life Is at my mercy; II keeI
silence he's lost : II speak, he's saved
its now for you To say whether I'm tC
speak or hold my tongue--and you're tht
price | want for my speaking TO save
him. II was In accordance with MS
Views OF human nature that Mary Be~'
cry would acGedc to his terms. he haf
not known her and RansfOrd for nothing
and he was aware that she had a pro-
found gratitude for her guardian, whicf
might even be akin to n yet unawakenef
warmer feeling. The probability was
mat she would willingly, sacrifice herself
70 save lsansford-and Bryce cared little
Y what means he won her. fair ol
loul so long as he was successful Sc
now he said to himself, he must make 6
sun more definite move against Hans
iord' He must strengthen and deeper
.he suspicious which the police alread!
hsn; he must give them chapter an,
verse and supply them with information
thd get Ransford into the tightest o
%rhers' solely that, in order TO win Mar!
pewery he might have the credit o.
puI'ng him out again. That, he fei
"Hain he could do-if he could make
net In which to enclose Ransford III
evG'd also invent Il two-edged swor'
ch would cut every mesh OF tina
". INTO fragments. That would be
.Ni'as play-mere statecraft-elemen
y diplomacy, But flrst--to get Rams
Sru talrly hnttled up-that was thu
lalhs' lie determined to lose no more
eIhnd ho was thinking of vlstinl
ochlhglon Immediately after break
IH"cknS next morning %ben Mitchhgtor
pEce was rarely taken back, and OF
hs Mhchington and a companion, h
""'th invited them into his parlor
out his whisky and cigars, anC
vHsseu both on them as II their lat'
A., were matter of usual occurrence
Sae Ma when he had helped both to {
'"k, he took one himself, and tumble
again. INV ''' '"'' N"''
-, We saw your light. doctor-so I tool
S Me liberty of dropping into tell YOU .
wv OF nnMs uhn.nnnI ~. I.n..-.I o .