Evening star., 1920-03-14
THE MAN FROM IRONS

up the seven steps at one bound, l do
believe, and put the distance to my
home between myself and the chapel.
II returned almost at once with
couple of men from the house. You
know what we found-Lacey Cassidy in
the crypt, huddled up against one of the
wallis with the back of his head very
badly smashed. and his degenerate soul
somewhere in the waste.
"You know what condemned me. Cas-
sidy's letter was found on me; it was
guessed correctly that l had gone out
to give him his desserts, and the big oak
cudgel l had taken with me was found
in the vault, where 7 dropped it in my
fight. and it's business end had most
unluckily rolled into a pool of blood
beside the body. l stated I had only
meant to thrash Cassidy until he could
not stand. and that. indeed. had been
my intention, but it carried little
weight with the jury. I do not really
blame them. But there was blacker
evidence even than what I've men,
toned Obviously Cassidy had been
done by an assailant. l spoke OF a
slight covering of snow on the ground.
1t was sufficient to show the footprints
OF two men. Well, it showed mine
and Cassidy's. That did IT,
Abel Heriot wound up by wiping his
perspiring forehead. I watched Tired
ways, who still played with his foun-
tain pen He said, after silence:
Ibid not your counsel hint at rob-
berry as a possible motive?"
bah! Yes, he did. but what good
hot A val h1a min yIf1Ch
Cassidy always wore was missing from
nothing"
ITO nothing. as you say. In what part
Of the chapel was the body found?"
up against one OF the walls. There's
the remnant of a fresco on that wall;
a few daubs OF what was once tho
Five Rivers OF Paradise. At least. 80
they say" Heriot looked at his inter-
locutor doubtingiy. then got up and
seized hs hat and stick. He blurted,
what do you think of my story. Mr..
Tredways?"
ITO be frank-not much," replied the
other.
And you. sir?' Heriot turned to me.
ut is not without sensation" made
answer guardedly.
Exactly" raped out Heriot. wheel
ing again upon Tredways. "Do you
think. sir. that should go out Of my
way to invent such a detailed yarn as
that II I had killed Cassidy?'
Truth compels me to state, Mr..
Heriot. that it is precisely what you
the -anr--"
He stopped. Our indignant visitor
had quilted us in the most uncere-
monious fashion. Bang! went the down.
stairs door.
Tredways threw back his head. i'm
mensely tickled. His town address Is
on his card: we shall know where to
find him II we want to. character.
my dear Francie. Can you come round
tomorrow afternoon. We will go down
into Bucks together. There is much
that is singular to be unrayeled."
"Then you do credit Heriot's ac-
count?" l questioned. surprised.
Every word was true. Call Mr..
Heriot anything. but a liar-no,
please"
The mile long walk from the rail-
way station to the pretty village call
ed Whitewater was charming. with
summer in the riPened corn and on
the timbered uplands. .-t -
My companion stopped outside a
house in the village which bore the
sign OF 1.-THE Golden Plover." a some-
what sordid-seeming1place Of refresh
ment. When he said, This won't do"
and walked on. I cordially agreed
with him.
. "Francie." he repoved. you are
thinking OF the inner man. You are
of the metals. A drink Is not my in
tent. l will tell you what l have in
mind. That Lacey Cassidy meant to
run off with Heriot's pretty wife is. I
believe q fact Now he would want
some conveyance. in all probability.
or. more likely still, a change of
horses. propose to look in at the
principal inn in this village and learn
something OF his movements that
night. And here we have what we
seek"
1t was a decidedly more pretentious
house than the other, and called "The
Joyous Brethren" We went straight
into the bar-parlor, and the first thing
we saw was a large portrait OF a
bulky pugilist standing in pecu-
liarly sinister posture of attack. A