The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-01-13

hlCnam LOTne. Barry oueu,
 detective, learns Farley Drew, : known to the police, is an inti- [ mate friend of the family. He follows Drew to a seemingly de- E tries to bride the detective. As < Odell is leaving the house he is hit on the head and regains con- sciousness in what seems to be : boathouse.
 'T am not so sure" Odell demurred. ,s..T have only been on the case little 4nore than twelve hours, you know; &and I still have hopes. As to the note, you may remember I told you Ia few minutes ago that it would be turned over to the bureau which it would ordinarily concern if said the word. I have not said the word, for fJ am not sure yet that it concerns any pbureau other than mine"
 the homicide squad" Drew stam- ,nse nnotns and 5s ssg1 fo is 1f ser his cigar Exactly. I am not sure that that Fnote has not direct bearing on the murders I am Investigating"
 ;prcw sprang from his chair "You Itxnow less than I thought of what t11at note refers to if you imagine such a. ridicu1ously far-fetched t'1ing!"
 Mot so far-fetched if you rem en- sber the wording of the note and com hpare it with the events of the last fSnonth,' Odell remarked quietly. q sauoted 9. sentence or two from it be- Bore, but do you recall the rest . lsYour mothers went through with out . hitch, and the next one will if you .enly keep your nerve. It's got to be idone by the sixth or you know where .the first one will send you.' I believe Ithat is it. word for word, MT. Drew. When you consider that Mrs. Lorne s'ns already been done to death with out hitch and that the sixth of the s1nontf1 was the date of Julians death, it appears to lend the note quite an other significance; doesn't ito"
 My God!'' Drew retrea-ted a step sor two. What devilish rniscon- ,struction. But you don't believe it yourself, sergeant; you are trying to bluff me. Do you think I would be enough of an ass to write so openly and sign my name to it if I were plot ting nuTder?''
 what the jury would decide after the idistrict attorney had got through ex- tpiaining it to thern,'' responded Odell s''You know Hutci1ins' reputation don't syou, Mr. Drew? They say he can get i Ia conviction on less evidence than ] sny one else us1o has eyer been in |. office. It may be that the note, to- sEether with few other little things (which we have against you. are not sufficient to serd you to the chair, but they are strong enough evidence to indict you and put you on trial.'' N You can't do that," Drew cried hoarseiy. gripping the back of his chair as he stood behind it <until ii creal<ed a warning.
 This talk of conviction is all rot and you know it; bat I might as wei go to the chair as through the noto- fiety ard indignity of arrest on sucf "a hideous chargei It would be 2 frarne-up! You can't do it, Odell you sha'n't, You'll never leave this room alive to put. it over on mel"
 ''Steady, there, Drew" the detective sadvased coolly, for the others voice ffad risen and his features were work ,fng convulsiveiy. Don't take your sthe note, remember; and if I don Sehow up he will act on it at once Moreover. two of my men accompa tthis room. The other is waiting out eide for ne to I~ejoin him; if do no fsfO so within certain specified tim she has his instructions as to how t
 A measure of self-control had re stNsned to Drew and he 1aughe, shortly.
 .Tm not murderer nor ever { jpotentia1 one, as you know yourself teeryeant. I spoke in sheer desDera Etion without thinking what was say ing. I am not likely to place n1ysel fin Jeopardy by eliminating an obscur member of the police force!' H a, caught himself abruptly as if rea!iz ing that he had made a, false nov and added in haste; "I was foolis k over a mere bluff: I should hay k graSped the fact at once that neithe Yt you nor your chief would make laugh II 5tng-stock of yourselves by attemptfn N to bring me to trial on such a charg \ and with such evidence, It would D a farce, a patent frame-up and yo would be lucky if you were merel X dismissed from the force withou 8 having further action taken agains w you!"
 Odell could not help but admir- the cleverness with which his oppc nent had turned the tables, and l,
 "Granted. strl"--the smile fade and his jaw set sternly-''aE, arre. on suspicion, with due publicity, 1T 5cluding the printing of that note vel s.batim in every newspaper iii the cit would achieve practically the san result as far as you are coGcerne my dear MT. Drew. I fancy tn; EGene's explanation would not on xprove interesting reading to your ci cle of acquaintaDces, but would pr ~ fvent your making others among Il unSophiSticated ScionS of wealti
 famflies.''
 'Perfaps. but Gene is not in a D. sttion to offer explanations,' Drew r storted smoothly. Having called yo1 gsbluff, sergeant, it seems to me tn
 we are back at the starting point
 my proposition. Arrest me if yC
 like: I admit it would ruin me as f i,aS New York society goes but I
 break you for it; and the world wide for my activities, although n
 for yours unless you join the arn
 of dtscredited petty officials who op private detective agencies and starI
 Bring me the note, call it square, al Ill make your career"
 He was his own debonair, smiIir
 slighIy ironic self again; Odell studi him refiectively for moment befo
 replying. In the light of the revel
 ton which had come to him since c
 tering the room his theory. weak al
 ~aIx fnyo h hr 01a6 r. in -his heart to be, had been utter
 demolished; and the detective realiz
 that he had chung to it only becau no other possible explanation of t
 mystery presented itself.
 Could Farley Drew furnish hi
 with the information of which
 boasted? Was it within his power supply the motive for this seeming
 purposeless series of crimes? He h
 spoken, too, of strong circumstant evidence of the identity of their pt