The Oklahoma miner. [volume] (Krebs, Okla.) 1912-192?, 1920-11-11

your uncle never sent you his wlfe's
Photographic That would Rave been a
perfectly natural thing to do"
"lf I'd got photograph, / should
have headed for Japan, not for
France" | laughed. hut | was thinking
deeply. His line Of reasoning as to the
incongruity of the marriage was not
so different from my own that | could
sneer at his suspicious. | snrank rom
telling him that didn't care hang
whether the widow was Il fraud or not.
If the two women who had settled
themselves on the Barton estate were
imposters. they were extraordinarily
daring and clever
We were nearing a gateway where
his car waited, and | saw several Of
the guard hanging about at a discreet
distance. Look here, Singleton" he
said angrily, "you don't seem to take
this business very serlou y. You don't
want to make the mistake of letting
pretty girl pull the wool over your
eyes" He lowered his voice and added
tensely: "Those women are under sus.
piciOn Of something more serious than
an attempt to rob an estate. An agent
oe the state department called or me
yesterday and asked embarrassing
| questions about Mrs. BashfOrd. Not
secret service man, you understand, or
anything Of that kind, but an inpOr-
tant man in the state department"
"Of course you knew nothing 20
tell" / suggested.
| II took a chance at lying to him
| about her expected arrival thought
! 1t only decent to have a look at the
woman first. He told me nothing eX-
cept that the British embassy had
made inquiries and that the mater
was delicate and must be handled
carefully"
"Was this inquirer lame-a small
dark man with a black mustache"
! asked, suddenly interested. such II
| person has been hanging about here,
so the boys tell me?"
'Not at all l may as we'll tell you
! 1t was RaynOr-yOu probably remem-
Der him, He's a specialist in interna-
tional law, and they took him into the
state department just after the Lusl-
tanla business. He's gentleman and
L good feilow-Tve played golf with
him good Geal-and hated to lie 10
him, but l thought I'd see this womah
before telling him she had reached
America"
confess that l was a trlne dis
mayed by this. RaynOr | knew slight
ly. Professionally and socially he
stood high, and even without the pres
tige of his official position he was not
u chap to sneeze at but l didn't want
Terrence to know had any doubts aS
to the perfect authenticity of my un-
cle's widow.
"Oh, every transcontinental pilgrim
Is probably scrutinlzed closely these
days." | remarked c0relessly. Mrs.
BashfOrd has lost q brother In the
war, and l haven't heard anyone talk
more bitterly against Germany, And
her companion certainly has no tllu-
siOns about the kaiser"
81 don't like the business" he de
clared stubbornly.
Lets do nothing foolish" ! Insisted.
"If Raynor has reason to suspect
either or both Of these women, wei
hear further from him"
1--WE put myself in a hole" he said
ungrily. "Of course I've got to advise
him Immediately that Mrs. BashfOrd
is here"
"Just wait a few days; | undertake
to keep them under surveillance; you
can put the whole responsibility on
me. If they attempt to leave, I'll warn
you and Raynor instantly, but they
have settled themselves as though
they expected to spend the rest OF
their lives here"
told him of Mrs. Bashford's adven.
lures In reaching the house without
convincing him that there was any,
thing funny in her experiences, and hc
left on my promise to report to him
daily at u given hour and instantly II
anything unusual occurred. | was on
my way back through the grounds
when Antoine arrested me.
Pardon me, but I'd like to ask what
you think of 1t, sir?" he asked hoarse
ly, falling into step.
"If you mean what do | think OF
Mrs. Bashford," l replied sharply, 81
think she's quite charming and de-
lightful and all any one could ask in
every way"