The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-12-22
Continued. SyuODSiS

ened by a strange accident, the fam fly lawyer, Samuel Titheridge, comes upon the scene as an advisor and summons Detective odell.
 '.Nos one had mentioned it; but ' gather that the cripple, Randall made some sort of outburst about il at the dinner table last evening, and that sort Of brought the matter to a head in Lorne's mind. Anyway, when [ I arrived a little later for confer ence with him he told me of his sus- picion that those so-cal1ed accid ents might, have been devilishly planned.
 He couldn't suggest anyone who might be guilty, nor a motive, and l laughed at him; but while we were talking something occurred that seems to put solid fact behind his wild theory" 4. -fzsSs -7
 He told Of the fall of the picture and Genes escape, and the young ser geant listened with the keenest at tention. v Sae 2 you are sure about those wires being hacked apart?" he inquired ] when the attorney had finished -'The portrait has been hanging there for 7 years. you say! Couldn't they have worn through? %
 '1mpossible. The strands hadn't {, parted from age;7 their tips were bright where they had been severed. ; want you to come up and have a } look at them for yourself; but first let me tell you of a further affair tnlS morning, Wn1cn to my m1nd leaves no doubt that some one, either inside the house or with a. confeder- ate there, is trying deliberately to ex- terminate the whole family! That , sounds ridiculous, I know, in these days and right here in the heart of { the city; but I have seen what I be- leve to be the evidence of it with my own eyes"
 events of the night and early .norrr- ing: and the detectives merry Hwinkle vanished in a. vacant. mar row-lidded stare of concentration. You did not hear the footsteps?"
 '.No. I was so stubbornly confident , that no further attempt would be made on any of the family for few days at least that I thought poor . vous apprehension Titheredge's usually dry tones were filled with 'contrition. 'T only wish that we had gone out then and investigated, but ! the rest of the family and there would be another scene.
 "I did hear the gnawing, grating sound very distinctly, and I was per lthat I thought it must be caused by rsstss or mice in the walls. Lorne said that he could have sworn it sounded louder than any rat, but I back, I realize that it might well have been a saw cutting through the solid oak of the top step of the stairs"
 You haven't had a chance to ex j anime it yourself"
 ''No, but it won't be touched until { we get back there-." The attorney halted as a. sudden memory gripDed him. By George, I'm not so sure of that, after alli We had better hur- Try
 Sergeant odeII rose. As they made their way from the building he gave more than one keen sidelong glance at his companion
 It was not until they were speed ing uptown in the taxi, however, that iTitheredge mentioned the thought which had come to him.
 sergeant as I was leaving the house this morning to run down here n came upon two workmen arguing with the butler in the hall. They ssaid that some one had telephoned ito the shop yesterday to have them tcome and re-hang a large picture Yesterday, mind you, and the por- trait only fell last night! If you can find out who telephoned from
 'Did they say that the call had come from the house itself, MT. Tith- ieredge." the detective interposed quietly.
 well, no; now that I think of it. they didn't say from where it was sent, but inferred-'
 ''I think we'll go to the shop first'' Again the detective interrupted him.
 A AAehS Ao, II SOd hhOW WIldL SllOp sent them out?"
 ''Yes. it's Kenny's, on Eighth ave- nue. The attorney gave the address der has ben given concerning the broken stair and carried out before ,ge get there. we'll just rip it apart again.
 'rMr. Titheredee" The detective had evidently been following a train of thought of his own. You said that MT. Lorne wanted to phone the headquarters last night but you dis .suaded him?'
 ..Yes. Even before the portrait fell he said that he felt like going to the authorities. He had nothing but his vague. superstitious fears to back up his story, which then seemed fan tastic to me beyond belief. But af- ter that attempt on Genes life I had all could do to compel him to wait until could get in touch with you.'
 "And where did this discussion take place?''
 Right there in the library in front of the fallen picture"
 With the door open, so that any one who chose to listen could hear al that was said ?''
 why, yes" The attorney looked somewhat taken aback- What are you driving at sergeant?"
 '"The. necessity for the stairs beins rendered almost fatally dangerous 1T the night. It was a risk, you know with you two talking in that room right at hand.'
 '-But I don't see,'' Titheredgt stammered. "I thought it was dont to cause the death of the first mem Der of the family who attempted tl descend, regardles of which one i might be.
 Odell shook his head, and his ton, was very grave.
 Had any one been listening in tn, hall outside the library last nigh md rd fA toIy story to the police this morning the, would naturally suppose that yol would rise earlier than the rest O khe family, and that you and Mrs Lorne would descend the stairs to
 gether, wouldn't they?"
 That never occurred to mel
 was a mad desperate attempt, ther
 to kill us in order to prevent our no
 tifying you"
 Not necessarily to kill you, but t
 injure you and delay our receipt o
 your message at least until the DOT
 trait had been re-hung and the onl
 1f iaI,