Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-05-26


He wandered about the isthmus, half
witted. forgetting his name. nursing
one idea. Someone had robbed him.
and he wanted his money back or q
different kind of payment but he
couldn't remember who, and he took
it out in angry talk. Then he dis
appeared, and people said he had
gone to Spain. OF course his wife
suspected good deal In Blackburn's
desk are pitiful and threatening let
ters from her which he ignored. Then
she died. and Blackburn thought he
was safe. But he took no chances.
Some survivor of those days might
turn up and try blackmail. II was
safer to bury himself here"
Then" Bobby said. maria must
have brought her father with her
when she came from Spain last sum-
mer."
brought him or sent for him."
Parodes answered. "She's made most
OF her money on this side, you know.
And she's as loyal and generous as
she IL impulsive. Undoubtedly she
had the doctors do what they could
for her father, and when she got
track Of Silas Blackburn thru you,
Bobby, she nursed in the warped
brain that dominant idea with her
own Latin desire for justice and pay
ment."
"Then," Graham said, "that's what
Silas Blackburn was afraid OF instead
of Bobby. as ne tried to convince US
tonight to cover himself"
'.One minute, MT. Paredes," Robin
son broke in. why did you main
tain this extraordinary secrecy? No
body would have hurt you II you had
put us on the right track and asked
for little help. Why did you throw
sand in our eyes? Why did you talk
all the time about shosts7"
II had TO go on tiptoe," Paroles
smiled II suspected there was at
least one spy In the house. SO gave
the doctors ghost talk all the i'm
petus I could was like Howells,
as I've told you. in believing the
case couldn't be complete without the
discovery of the secret entrance of
the room Of death. My belief in the
existence Of such thing made me
lean from the first to Siias Black
burn rather than Robert. It's a
tradition In many families to hand
such things down to the head of
each generation. Silas Blackburn
was the one most likely to know.
Such a secret door had never been
mentioned to you, had 1t. Bobby?"
Dbl CD, Do
turned and smiled at the haggard
butler.
I'm right SO far. am l not. Jen-
kins?"
jenkins bobbed his head jerkily,
"Then," Paredes went on, you
might answer one or two questions.
When did the first letter that fright
ened your master Gomez" ~ 5es
1.-THE day he went to Smithtown
and talked to the detective" the but
Ter Quavered.
You can understand his reflec-
TONS" Paroles unused. Money was
his god. He distrusted and hated
his own flesh and blood because he
thought they coveted It.. He was
prepared to punish them by leaytng.
1t to a public charity. New arises
this apparition from the past with no
claim In court OF law. with an In
tention simply to ask and. In case
Of refusal, to punish. The con-
clusion reached by that selfish and
merciless mind was inevitable. He
probably knew nothing whatever
about Maria. II all the world thought
his brother dead, his brothers MUIR
der now wouldn't alter anything, I'll
wager. doctor, that at that time he
talked over wounds at the base of
the brain with YOU"
The doctor moved restlessly.
Eyes. But he was very supersti-
tious. We talked about II in con-
nection with his ancestors who had
died Of such wounds in that room"
Everything was ready when he
made the rendezvous here" Paredes
went on. HE expected to have
Bobby at hand In case his plan failed
and he had to defend himself. But
Maria had made sure that there
should be no help for him. When
the man came did you take him up
stairs. Jenkins?"
mo, sir. I watched that Miss
Katherine didn't leave the library,
but I think she must have caught
Mr.. Silas in the upper hall after he
had pretended to give up and had
persuaded his brother to spend the
night"
Paroles smiled whimsically. He
took two faded photographs from his
pocket. They were of young men,
after the fashion of Blackburns, re-
markably alike even without the
gray, obliterating marks of old age.
Il found these in the family al
bum," he said.
I'VE should have known the diff
ference just the same" the doctor
grumbled. why didn't We know the
difference?"
i've complained often enough"
Paroles smiled, 'of the necessity of
using candles in this house. There
was never more than one candle in
the old bedroom. There were only
two when we looked at the murdered
man in his coffin. And in death
there are no familiar facial express
sions, no eccentricities of speech. So
you can imagine my feelings when
tried to picture the drama that had
gone on in that room. You can i'm
agine poor Naria's. Which one? And
Maria didn't know about the panel,
or the use of Miss Katherine's hat
pin, or the handkerchief. All Of those
details indicated silas Blackburn"
How could my handkerchief indi-
cate anything OF the kind?" Bobby
asked, How did 1t come there?"
What" Paroles said, lis the COM
monest form OF borrowing in the
world, particularly in a climate
Ia Il 4