Washington telegraph., 1920-06-25

-15-
"Ncthing doing" he sneered. "Any
crook laring enough TO steal those
peariD 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 think2 What
did he say when he found them
there?"
'He had nothing to say. He was
so tickleG 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. He took both Jewel cases with
him and made me 90 along with him
10 protect them"
Didn't you look at all for the secret
passugeway told you about?"
"Stiil dreaming about that, are
you" s:offed 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 pearls?" | cried desperate
ly. whats your theory about them?"
81 haven't any" he replied. ITS
up to you to explain It. Maybe by
the time | come to see you tomorrow
you'll have thought up a new yarn
TO spin"
please, please" l called after him
Us he turned away, do look tomor-
row and see if that secret passage is
not where | said It was"
lie 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,
NAll'll Nbulh Ilhllllg Htt luN al bNt
destroyed Germans faith in my hon
esty. | must solve 1t If was to re-
tain him in aiding me TO get free, yet
the whole thing seemed inexplicable.
l SCulG nardly blame him for doIbtlng
me. The great value Of the pearls
theft, but what possible motive could
there have been for the thief return
ing them?
With a shock II came to re. too,
that the restoration Of the pearls
practically upset the whole theory Of
llshed 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 10
the apartment, but without the motive
of theft, my story, unsupported by
witnesses and uncorreborated by 9TH
er evidence, surely would be incred-
ible of belief.
had just one hope left Old Rufus
must find that secret passageway and
see whittier it led. That, with our
knowledge of the identity Of the tele-
phone girl and the possibility Of prov
ing Germans belief that Wick was
an eN-convict, seemed likely TO be my
only salvation. Old Rufus must find
that passageway. He must! He must
For hours | lay there racking my
brains over the unsolvable problems.
Ny luncheon was brought in but I
waved it away untouched. Wearily
/ wondered whether the recovery of
the pearls had destroyed my aged rel
ative's faith in me, as It seemed to
have destroyed Germans. could
hardly blame him If he doubted me
after finding that my story of the dis
appearance of the pearls was appar-
emily untrue. In my brief experience
as a prisoner had learned all too
well the bitter fact that once a man
is dlscredited, henceforth no one
trusts him. II Rufus CASTOR failed
me at this juncturr ! did not see how
l could possibly extricate myself un-
scathed from the web that unseen
hands had so sklllfully and mali
clousy woven around me. The only
ray of comfort that | could find any
where in the whole situation was in
my firm belief that though old Rufus
and German and the whole world
doubted me. Barbara Bradford-my
Barbara, ventured to call her In my
innermost heart-would continue to
believe in me. She would be sure, no
matter how much appearances went
against me. that ! was telling the
truth. Barbara and knew. Even If
she had not known that | could not
possibly have fired the shot that killed
Miss Lutun. was certain that she
still would have trusted me.
Thinking about Barbara | recalled
that it was the day Of her sisters we'd
ding. | had one of the prison attend
ants get me the evening papers to see
what they had TO say about H. for
! was fearful lest some breath OF
scandal nj the last moment involving
.be Rrndfords might bring about