Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-05-31
THE
SECRET
HOUSE
BY
EDGAR WALLACE
Author Of "The Clue OF tho
Twisted Candle" Kate Plus
TO-" Tho Man Who
Knew" etc.
CHAPTER III.
"Aasaasin!"


aroused the interest of ono inhabt-
tant OF Braksly Square who was
awake. Mr.. Gregory Harrington. u
victim OF insomnia. heard tho sound.
and put down the book ho was read
Ing. with n frown. He roso from his
easy chair, pulled his velvet dressing
gown lightly round HIS rotund form
and shuffled to tho window. His
blinds were lowered. but these were
OF the ordinary type. and he stuck
two fingers between two OF tho laths.
There was a moist film on the
window thru which the street lamps
showed blurred and indlstinct. and
he rubbed the pane clear with the
tips of his fingers Che described
every action to T. d. Smith after
wards).
Two men stood outside the house.
They occupied the center OF the de-
serted pavement, and they were
talking excitedly. Thru the closed
window Mr.. Harrington could hear
the staccato rattle OF their voices.
one who had lived for many years
in a Latin country. he gathered that
they were OF that breed.
He saw one raise his hand to
strike the other and caught the flash
of n pistol barrel excitedly flourished.
'Humph!" said Mr.. Harrington.
He was alone in his beautiful
house In Braltely Square. His but
Ter. the cook. and one sewing maid
and the chauffeur were attending tho
servants ball which the Manley-
Potters were giving. Louder grew
the voices on the pavement.
Thief" shrilled a voice In French,
Am to be robbed Of" and the
rest was jpdfstinguishable.
There was n policeman on point
duty at the other side of the square.
Mr.. Farrington's fingers rubbed the
glass with greater energy, and his
anxious eyes looked left and right
for the custodian OF the law.
He crept down the stairs, opened
the metal flap of the letter box and
listened. It was not difficult to hear
all they said, tho they had dropped
their voices. for they stood at the
foot Of the steps.
what is the use?" said one In
French. There Is reward large
enough for two-but for him-my
faith! there Is money to be made,
sufficient for twenty. 1t IL unfoy-
tunate that we should meet on SIM
liar errands, but swear to you did
not desire to betray you" The
voice sank.
i Mr.. Harrington chewed the butt OF
his cigar in the darkness Of the hail
and pieced together the jigsaw puz-
zle OF this disjointed conversation.
These men must be associates Of
Observation-Disclosures Fallock, who
else?
Montague Fallock, the balckmailer
for whom the police of Europe were
searchinGs and individually and sep
arately they had arranged to black
mail him-or betrey him.
The fact that T. b. Smith also
had house In Brakely Square, and
that T. B. Smith was an assistant
commissioner of tho police, and most
anxious to meet Montague Fallock in
the flesh, might supply reason enough
to the logical Mr.. Harrington for this
conversation outside his respectable
door.
Yes. I tell you," said the second
man, angrily, shat I have arranged
to see m'sieur-you must trust me-
1--WE go together" said the other
definitely, II trust no man, least of
all a COMPOUNDED Neapolitan-'
Constable Habit had not heard the
sound of quarreiing voices, as far as
could be gathered from subsequent
inquiry. His statement. now in the
possession OF T. B. Smith, distinctly
says, II heard nothing unusual"
But suddenly two shots rang out.
"Clack-clack!" they went, the UNI
mistakable sound of an automatic
pistol OF pistols. then a police whistle
shrieked. and P. c. Habit broke into
run in the direction Of the sound,
blowing his own whistle as he ran.
He arrived to find three men, two
undoubtedly dead on the ground, and
the third, Mr.. Farrington's unpic-
turesque figure, standing shivering in
the doorway of his house, a police
whistle at his lips, and his grey vel
vet dressing gown Tapping in a chill
eastern wind.
Ten minutes later T. B. Smith ar
rived on. the scene from his house, to
find crowd of respectable size, half
the bedroom windows Of Brakely
Square occupied by the morbid and
the curious, and the police ambulance
already on the spot.
Dead, sir" reported the constable.
L. B. looked at the men on the
ground. They were obviously for
eigners. One was well, almost richly
dressed; the other wore the shabby
evening dress of waiter, under the
long ulster which covered him from
neck to foot.
The men lay almost head to head.
One flat on HIS face Che had been in
this position when the constable
found him, and had been restored to
that position when the methodical p.
c. Habit found that he was beyond
human assistance) and the other
huddled on his side.
The police kept the crowd at a
distance whilst the head of the Sc
cret police ct. B. Smiths special de-
partment merited that description
made careful examination. He
found pistol on the ground, and
another under the figure of the hud-
died man. then as the police ambu-
lance was backed to the pavement,
he interviewed the shivering Mr..
Harrington.
IF you will come upstairs" said
that chilled millionaire, Il will tell
you all I know"
T. B. shifted the hall as he entered
but said nothing. He had his olfac-
tory sense developed to an abnormal
| degree. but he WAS a tactful and a