Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-30
THIS STARTS THE STORY

,Snbed TO- as Warner, stonemdSoh,
assists he tods slain. Runstord has
%srjs funeral Bryce finds an ontry
~ \ payish register tphere Mark Rams
Sord had acted as best man at the
r,arr,aos Of John Brdke aud Mdry
BeperV Coliishaw; laoorer tcho
.,,,dsr. ts found dead. Detectives sur
,,i,e R1nsford Is the murderer. on the
rsound that no prescribed for Colh-
sho,p the night before. Despite police
s1sptcions, Mary assures Ransford OF
Asr confidence n him; @ Simpson r mar'
TWg,tsr ADMITS Ne has learned that
p.aJen ,pas ~ tr1lth Brake, father of
WarD and Dick. Horker tells Bryce OF
convict he sdto IN the city before
BrSdens death. AZ the tnq,lest over
an outburst.. do,.tes any part IN the
Deaths Of either Brdden or the mason.
Eyycs finds marty has searched the
cswsterp and found a boz containing
%e,peis stolen from the Duke of Suron-
sieade The pohoe inspector Gnd,o,. Gnd
Ronsjord and ask his help. He tells
nam of his suspicious Of Bryce and
Herker The officers 90 to question
Brvce. He admits loving Mary Beoery
1nd leads them to cast ncto suspt-
Earn Earn Bryce paid CollishaW ftty
"o,,nds tpo days before his murder.
Thsv ara ustoahded by toire from
Pnrsford stating the mystery has been
cleared and the guilty men are knoton.
AND HERE IT CONTINUES
pRYCE had ridden away on his bicycle
ID from wrychester that morning intent
m n new piece Of diplomacy He had sat
nm thinking for some time after the two
nolice officials had left him at midnight.
and II had occurred to him that there
was a man from whom information
co,,ld be had of whose services he had
az vet made no use, but who must be
somewhere in the neighborhood-the
man Giasedale. Glassdale had been In
WINCHESTER the previous evening; he
could scarcely be far away now; there
was certainly one person who would
know where he could be found, and that
person was the Duke of Saxonsteade.
Bryce knew the duke to be an extremely
approachable man, talltative, even a
garrulous man, given to holding con-
verse with anyeedy about ANYTHING, and
he speedily made up his mind to ride
over to Saxonsteade, invent plausible
excuse for his call, and get some news
out Of his Grace. Even II Glassdaln
had left the neighborhood, there might
be fragments of evidence 10 pick up
had given HIS former employer the In
formation about the stolen Jewels and
would no doubt. have added more about
his acquaintance with Braden. And
before Bryce came to his drea -of
master-stroke in that matter, there were
one or two things he wanted 10 clear up
TO complete his double net, and he had all
idea that an hours chat with Glassdal2
would yield all that he desired.
The active brain that had stood Bryce
' IN good stead while he spun his meshes
and devised his schemes was more active
than ever that early summer morning
I II was ten-mile ride through woods
and valleys to SaNonsteade and there
were sights and beauties OF nature or
either side of him which any other mar
would have lingered to admire and mos,
men would have been influenced by. But
Bryce had no eyes for the clouds over
the copper-crowned hills or the mystic
shadows IN the deep valleys or the new
buds In the hedgerows, and no thought
for the rustic folk whose cottages he
ulated country. All his thoughts were
fixed on his schemes. almost as nechan
ically as his eyese followed the white
road in front of his wheel. Ever sine,
he had set out on his campaign he hao
regularly taken, stock Of his position
now, IN his opinion, everything looked
very promising. He had--so far as h,
was aware-created a definite atmos
phere OF suspicion around and against
Ransford-it needed only a little more
suggestion, perhaps a little more evi
dsnce, to bring about Ransford's arrest
And the only question which at al
troubled Bryce was-shoufd he let mat
ters go to that length before putting hi:
ultimatum before Mary Bewery, .,
should he show her his hand first? Fol
Bryce had so worked matters that a wore
from him to the police would damr
Ransford or save him-and now II al
depended. so far as Bryce himself wa:
concerned, on Mary Bewery as to which
word should be said. Elaborate as th'
Ransford to the police, he could SWEEP
them up and tear them away with a sen
tence of added knowledge-if Mary
Bewery made 1t worth his while Blu
hrst-before coming to the critical poin
there was yet certain information
which he desired to get. and he felt surf
OF getting it II he could find Glassdale
For Glassdale. according to all accounts
mad known Braden intimately Of lat,
years, and was most likely In possession
u facts about llm--and Bryce had full
lonhdence in himself as an Interviews
V other men and a supreme belief tina
could wheedle secret out of anybody
Y whom he could procure an hour!
|ft conversation.
E2l& luck would have It, Bryce had NJ
80 W make can upon tne approach
aole and friendly duke. Outside tn
little village at Saxonsteade. on the edg
or the deep woods which fringed tn
oucal park, stood an old wayside inn
relic of the coaching days, which Dor
on It's sign the ducal arms. Into its oil
stone hall marched Bryce to refresl
hlnself after his ride, ami as he stoo,
az the bow-windowed ber. die glance
INTO the garden beyond and there saw
comfortably smoking his pipe and read
nB IN" newspaper, the very man he wa
looking for.
Byrce had no spice Of bashfulness, n
want or confidence anywhere in his ma
!ure he determined to attack classical
mere hnd then. But he took q good loo
az MS man before going out into tn
saroen TO him. A plain and ordinar
sort or fellow, he thought: rather owe
middle age. with a tinge OF gray in hi
n@air @ ana moustache: prosperous lookin
ana well dressed, and at that moment q
me appearance of what he was probabl
"Nrh Tor by the inn people-a touris
con,n whether he was the sort who would b.
,mm'InunlcatiHe ,m or not Bryce could no
t eh from outward signs, but he WIS goin
Fy and he presently found his card
tSSe TOOK out card, and strolllng dowI
Se Se garden to the shady spot In whicl
u,assdale sat assumed his politest ant
oh Allow me, sir" he said, CAREFUL!
"aSSstaining from any mention of names
Nay ] have the pleasure Of a few
n'Inutes conversation with you?"
,rSs SSHassdale cast a swift glance of sur
Rrlse, not unmingled with suspicion, a
sne intruder-the sort of glance that
man used to watchfuiness would throw
a. ~ anybody. thought Bryce. But his fac
s,ed eared as he read the card. though |
was sun doubtful as no lifted It again
aou'ye the advantage of me, sir" n
sag. Doctor Bryce, see. But"
npyoe smiled and dropped into
sarden chair at Glassdales side.
mA" he answered. ''I'm we'll known /,
WINCHESTER. The duke" he went on
nodding his head In the direction of tn
ssStf house which lay behind the wood
az u,e foot Of the garden ''knows m
Nel enOnKh--ln fact L WAS On my Nun,