Evening star., 1921-08-15
CONTINUED from Yesterdays Star,

| you did," McCarty dropped his END
Of the ladder and beamed upon her II
be after you like flies around honey.
And how do you know twas that shot
you heard2 What time was it,"
''At quarter Of two in the morning.
| I know, for my family, the de Forests
had come home awhile before from a
dance and walked me up; We've a house
party of young folks and the noise they
made saying good night would have
reused the saints! got up and looked
at my clock and I was just climbing
| back into bed again, when l heard q
bang like the roof was coming off.
waited, but nothing else happened and
l made up my mind a policeman must
have shot a stray dog over in the park
1t was only when the papers came out
| this afternoon that I learned what 1t
really was"
| Ibid any one else in tho house hear
| it, too?" McCarty asked.
mo; at least, none of the help did
and the butler and footman said that
the family talked about nothing else al
dinner and somebody said twas funny
that the shot wasn't heard-ili be up
until near midnight writing letters In
the servants dining room in the front
basement iffyou're coming back TINS
| way, and I've no doubt l can hnd bit
of supper for you," she continued
thospitably.
| They thanked her and when she had
Withdrawn into the house Dennis asked:
! "Well, Mac, what's the game now!
| Lets get over in the next yard and
pull the ladder with u.s." RESPONDED NC
Carly. 81 want to have look at the
rear of the closed house..
| They scaled the fence without diffi-
Guilty and, depositing the ladder IN the
grass plot of the second yard. they
| turned to reconnoiter.
| DO you think, Denny. that you could
| TO of he
| the third floor? You could see over the
! ICrevelings wall them
"Do / think 1 could walk up pair
| of stairs with my eyes shut? retorted
| the ladder along, you can hoist 1t back
again where it belongs. With them sills
and lintels sticking out the way they
do. a small boy could reach the roof:
| Without further speech he shed his
coat and hat and began to Chamber up
as agilely as a monkey while McCarty
watched from below in solicitude that
was almost ludicrously maternal. At
length he reached the third floor and,
perching himself on broad window
ledge, peered over the high wall into
the blind alley at the rear of the Crevel-
!i.g house.
"WRat do you see?" McCarty de-
manded in a hoarse whisper.
| Nothing" responded Dennis laconi-
cally. "'Tis as bright as day, for the
at the back and the court, or whatever
it is, is as bare as the palm of your
hand"
do you see no sign of an opening?
There's a back door to the house
but it's closed tight Dennis leaned
over and craned his neck downward
"If it's in the wall you mean, there's
not SO much as a loose brick. Is thai
all you wanted to know"
He prepared to descend. but McCarty
halted him.
mot by a long shot, it isn't, You'll
stay where you are. Denny. my lad
until something happens or were sure
that it won't, and you'd best be making
yourself comfortable. for it's likely
there'n be a long wait ahead of you
'Tis barely O'Clock now"
And a long wait it proved to be
Dennis shifted about from time to time
but stuck faithfully at his post and Nc.
.Carty paced back and forth upon tht
narrow strip of sod which lined The
fence. An hour passed. then another
and the lights in the rear Of the neigh
boring houses began to go out, one b,
one. but still there came no mufflet
honk from the horn which McCarty hac
given to Martin and no sign from tn,
watcher above
The back of the Creveling house hat
long since been dark and no sound is.
sued from it. McCarty began to feel al
inward misgiving. Had his train o.
much to be done, SO many loose thread:
to be gathered up in this strange tanglt
of events Was he wasting preciou!
!time? Had he allowed himself to b'
turned aside from the main issue by th
chance hint of a gossiping servant whil
the real slayer of Eugene Creveling es
lcaped?
| He told himself miserably that h
should have had them watched. tn
whole lot of them! Mrs. Waverly an'
Mrs. Creveling were out of it, and tn
lORourkes were not even to be con
!sidered, but anything could be eXpecte'
from the rest Of them! Even that alb
of the Fords might have been cooked VI
between them and Cutter, though wha
common interest they all had in block
ling the investigation
! ''Whisht!" A sibilant command from
Dennis broke in upon McCarty's pessi
mistic meditation and brought him VI
standing. There's light just FLASHED
: up for minute in the third floor win
dow nearest the farther wall! You't
have seen it yourself if you'd, not beel
Sleep walking! Look up! There it il
iagain!'
McCarty was already straining hi
eyes up into the darkness, and now h
saw a tiny pinpoint of light CLEAN ou
over the wall from the direction of th'
window indicated, sweep across Spac
like a streak of distant lightning ant
vanish.
"Pocket electric torch.' he ejaculate'
softly, prancing in the sudden excite
iment of renewed hope. whats goin.
ION, Denny? 1 can't see through bricl
wall
For the love of God, stop your haver
ling." came from above in a fierce, far
carrying whisper, and McCarty subsided
mentally cursing the increasing grit
and lack of physical practice which pre-