The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-04-17

! Cosgrove," he said quietly. Accident
| ly Mrs. Graham and have stumbled
upon the real reason for Mrs. Allisi
presence in your home. If Mrs. Co.'S
groves friend, the attorney who is on
his way here can persuade Mr.. Drake
that Mrs. Grahams presence Is not
necessary at the justice court, she will
tell you everything we have discovered
II is a matter only for ourselves. how
ever, outsiders can have no possible
| concern in it"
Reading between the lines of Dicly's
speech I saw that he was determined
to see the expected theft of the pic
lures by Mrs. Allis and her accom- !
plice through TO the finish, without
the aid of the police or any other au-I
thorities. My cue. of course, was ST.
lence, except to Mrs. Cosgrove, but
thrilled with excitement at the pros
pect Of the tale had TO tell her.
1t seemed hours before the lawyer
summoned by Mr.. Cosgrove arrived,
but it really was only a few moments
before an auto whizzed up to the gate
and an intelligent serious looking
young man alighted and hurried to the
house.
J Then there were introductions and
( conferences. Dicky talked for some
time with attorney and I guessed that
under the seal Of the profession he was
telling the lawyer of the plot we had
discovered and Mrs. Allis' reason for
denouncing US. There was another con-
ference with Dicky, the attorney and
! the warden as participants, and then
DiCky came over to me.
ITS all settled, Madge," he whis-
pered cheerfully. "Tll introduce you
to the attorney. you instruct him TO
plead Not Guilty for you, and that
will be all there is to It. He'll attend
| to the rest of the case for us. If things
go right here we can force that lit
tie Allis cat to go down Monday and
withdraw her accusations"
But. Dicky." I returned dismayed.
] 81 can't plead Not Guilty 7 was trout
| ing. you know"
will you shut up?" Dicky demand
ed in a savage whisper. do you want
to spoil everything with those anti
quated Puritan scruples of yours? No
body's asking you to give any evidence.
or swear TO anything. Pleading Not
Guilty is simply a legal form. AK
prisoners are supposed to do 1t even
when proof is blacklist against them.
at Cannot Bel"
I wanted to let myself be convinced
| by Dickys sophistry, but my con-
science troubled me sorely as I ac-
knowledged Dicky's introduction Of
me to the lawyer. and answered the
few questions he put TO me. 1t was a
relief when the men left the house and
Mrs. Cosgrove after a hasty look at
the roasting ducks in her kitchen over
came back to the living room and drew.
her chair close to mine before the fire.
evidently ready for the confidence
Dicky had promised.
I omitted nothing from the story
which I thought she ought to know.
Beginning with my first suspicion of
Mrs. Allis when a momentary look
into her eyes had told me that she
feared Dicky's knowledge of the value
of the pictures which made a glory OF
the living room. I told her of the con-
versation in the woods between Mrs.
AlIis and her accomplish which Dicky
and had overheard, and OF her tnvf-
tations to drink tea with her nightly
in her rooms, of which Dicky was
afraid.
Only once did Mrs. Cosgrove inter
rupt meat the point in Mrs. Ailis'
conversation with her accomplice when
he had protested that Goldstein-evi-
IDENTIFY their New York principa-was
getting a bit Ieary' and didn't see
how she was going to get away with
so many of the pictures without their
being traced.
"There's something about this bus
mess that even Goldstein doesn't
know" the woman had replied. some
thing he isn't going to know until 1
get good and ready TO tell him. It's
something that will make him sit up
and take notice. I promise you"
"Please say that over again." Mrs.
Cosgrove asked. and say it slowly"
She sat with her eyes closed as I spoke,
and for so long afterward that would
have thought she had fallen asleep
save for her deeply knitted brows.
AZ wonder if 1t could be possible"
she unused aloud at last. mo no, It
cannot be. That would be too cruel.