The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1920-10-21

Johnston sszSG::s. s!s:z.SsG-::ss.
CHAPTER xII-eOntInusd.

Nothing doing" he sneered. "Any
-I.rook iarlng enough to steal those
pearls. once he had got his hands on
then, never would return them.
Pearls are too easily disposed Of
You've got to dig up a better expla-
nation than that"
what did Mr.. CASTOR thlnk1 What
did he say when he found them
there?" !
He had nothing to say. He was
30 tlckled at finding them again that
ne hustled with them right away to
The safe deposit vaults and did not
rest until he had them safely locked
up. He 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 0bout2"
' "Stll dreaming about that are
your" scoffed German. "No, we didn't.
On the way up to the Granddeck the
old man spoke about It and / 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 pearls7" I cried desperate
1y. "Whats your theory about themT'
IL haven't any," he replied. ITS
up to you to explain It Maybe by
the time l come to see you tomorrow
you'll have thought up a new yarn
to spin"
"Please. please" called after him
as he turned away, "do look tomor-
row and see If that secret passage is
not where l said 1t was"
He walked away without answering
Back once more In my cell, l stretched
myself despondently on my little iron
cot, and closing my eyes, tried tC
concentrate my thoughts on an at
tempt to solve this new mystery
which l could plainly see had all but
destroyed Germans faith In my hon
esty. / must solve 1t II was to re
tain him In aiding me to get free, yet
the whole thing seemed inexpllcable
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 coulC
there have been for the thief return
ing them?
With a shock 1t came to me, too
that the restoration OF the pearls
practically upset the whole theory o
my defense. If / could have estab
lished the fact Of this theft, a jur.
might be persuaded to believe my tai,
of anonymous notes, mysterious whis
ipers, and a secret passageway b!
which the thief had gained access I,
the apartment, but without the motiv
of theft, my story, unsupported b,
witnesses and uncorroborated by 9th
er evidence, surely would be incred
1ble Of belief.
had Just one hope left. Old Ruff
must find that secret passageway an
tsee whittier 1t led. That, with ou
knowledge of the identity of the telC
phone girl and the possibility of prov
hng 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 lay there racking m
brains over the unsOlyable problems
My luncheon was brought In, but
waved 1t AWAY untouched. Wearil
/ wondered whether the recovery {
the pearls had destroyed my aged re
iative's faith in me, as 1t seemed {
have destroyed Germans. coul
hardly blame him If he doubted N
after finding that my story of the dl
appearance of the pearls was appa
emily untrue. In my brief experienC
us a prisoner l had learned all tC
well the bitter fact that once a ma
Is discredited, henceforth no Oh
trusts him. II Rufus CASTOR faIl6
me at this juncture l did not see no
] could possibly extricate myself u
scathed from the web that unseet
hands had so skillfully and ma
cIOusIy woven around me. The on
ray of comfort that could find an
where in the whole situation was
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,
matter how much appearances we
AGAINST me, that l was telling Il