Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-07-02
CHAPTER xI!-continued.

'N3thing doing" he sneered. "Any
crook 1ar;ng enough to steal those
pearls, once he had got his hands on
them, never would return them.
Pearls are too easily disposed of.
You've got to dig up better expla-
nation than that"
what did Mr.. CASTOR think? What
did he say when he found them
there?"
HE had nothing to say. He was
so tickled at finding them again that
he hustled with them right away to |
the safe deposit vaults and did not |
rest until he had them safely locked |
up. BE took both jewel cases with
him and made me go along with him |
to protect them
Didn't you look at all for the secret
passageway 1 told You about?"
Still dreaming about that, are
your" scoffed German. mo, we didn't.
On the way up to the Granddeck the
old man spoke about it and I told
him that in my opinion there was
nothing to it. After he recovered the
pearls he was too excited to think
about anything else. 1t seemed to
break him all up, and took him back
to his hotel and left him there. He
said he had some writing to do, and
that he would meet me at my Office
at noon today"
"How do you account for the re-
turn of the pearls?" I cried desperate
ly. whats your theory about them?"
81 haven't any," he replied. cts
up to you to explain it. Maybe by
the time 1 come to see you tomorrow
you'll have thought up a new yarn
to spin"
"Please, please" 1 called after him
as he turned away, "do look tomor-
row and see if that secret passage is
not where 1 said it was"
He walked away without answering.
Back once more in my cell, stretched
myself despondently on my little iron
cot, and closing my eyes, tried to
concentrate my thoughts on an at
tempt to solve this new mystery,
which 1 could plainly see had all but
destroyed Germans faith in my hon.
esty. I must solve it if / was to re-
tain him in aiding me to get free, yet
the whole thing seemed inexplicable.
I could hardly blame him for doubling
me. The great value of the pearls
had been motive enough for their
theft, but what possible motive could
there have been for the thief return
ing them?
With shock it came to me, too
that the restoration of the pearls
practically upset the whole theory OF
my defense. If I could have estab
lished the fact of this theft, a jury
might be persuaded to believe my tale
of anonymous notes. mysterious whis
pers, and a secret passageway by
which the thief had gained access tc
the apartment, but without the motive
of theft, my story, unsupported by
witnesses and uncorroborated by 9th
er evidence, surely would be incred
ible of belief.
had just one hope left. Old Rufus
must find that secret passageway ant
see whittier it led. That, with ou
knowledge of the identity of the tele
, phone girl and the possibility of prov
; ing Germans belief that Wick wa
!, an ex-convict, seemed likely to be m,
: only salvation. Old Rufus must fin
/ that passageway. He must He must
} For hours I lay there racking m
brains over the unsolvable problems
2 My luncheon was brought in, but
5 waved it away untouched. Wearil
/ wondered whether the recovery Q
! the pearls had destroyed my aged re
|. ative's faith in me, as it seemed t
] have destroyed Germans. I coul
D hardly blame him if he doubted N
t after finding that my story Of the di!
q appearance of the pearls was appal
emily untrue In my brief experienc
as a prisoner / had learned all to
well the bitter fact that once a ma
is discredited, henceforth no Oh
I. trusts him. If Rufus CASTOR faile
!. me at this juncture did not see ho
l could possibly extricate myself III
scathed from the web that unseee
hands had so skillfully and NAL
ciously woven around me. The on
ray of comfort that I could find an
= where in the whole situation was
l, my firm belief that though old Ruff
and German and the whole wor
" doubted me, Barbara Bradford-n
- Barbara, ventured to call her in n
innermost heart-would continue
believe in me. She would be sure, I
% matter how much appearances we
against me, that / was telling Il
truth. Barbara and I knew. Even
she had not known that I could n
e, possibly have fired the shot that kill,
I'd Miss Lutan. / was certain that 81
ne still would have trusted me.
IS Thinking about Barbara I recall
be that it was the day of her sisters we
On ding. l had one of the prison atten
I'd ants get me the evening papers to S
ly what they had to say about it, f
tn 1 was fearful lest some breath
he scandal at the last moment involvi
IT. the Bradfords might bring about
Id postponement. Eagerly was hopi
IT. that nothing had happened to preve
the marriage taking place. With t
- fortunes OF neT sister assured a
her mothers future safe, l realiz
- lat the course of my relations WI
.arbara would be likely to be mu
IN smoother sailing, provided of coul
- that 1 was acquitted. In the f
chats 1 had had with her, had re
a ized that wealth and luxury and soc
position meant nothing to Barbar
- happiness. She was the sort of s
who for man she loved gladly wo1
orave poverty, hardship, everythin,
sincere, true-hearted woman witt
III clear vision Of the real values of
- istence.
My messenger returned with
newspapers, and as I picked them
everything went black. "Milliona
au- CASTOR Found Murdered" was
ons startling headline that flashed bef
son me, right there in the column next
we'd the account of the Bradford weddi
ldi- The sinister effect of this terri
the news dawned on me instantly. "
the my great-uncle Rufus dead, with