The Oklahoma miner. [volume] (Krebs, Okla.) 1912-192?, 1921-08-18
CHAPTER VIII-continued.
-12-

our position is unanswerable.
will tell you all | can, but that may
not be much"
You mean l am to question you?"
You may try. but l warn you; ] am
very difficult subject may answer
and l may not. If l refuse, still you
must pretend to be content Are the
terms too rigorous?'
1T sounds like a test"
1T is test l must remain a mys-
tery not from any real desire to con-
ceal my identity from you. but be-
cause of duty to others. Now | will
tell you all l can"
you greet me as Philip Severn to-
night yet last evening l told you my
name was Harry Daily. How did you
know l lied? And how did you dis
cover who | really was?"
Her eyes sparkled with enjoyment.
Il knew that would be your first
question. The answer is extremely
simple. Did you wonder why ! did
not denounce you to those men in the
other room? Oh you did! You
knew YOU were there surrepttiously,
IN disguise, under a false name, mas
querading as a friend of that fellow
Horner. You knew it-well SO did L."
But how could you know that?
What gave you such a suspicion? And,
knowing it, why should you desire TO
protect me?"
iii waive your last question that
can wait its own answer" She leaned
toward me and her extended hand
touched a ring I wore.
Because men who wear Yale
Signer Of 1899 are not going to be CON
nected with that kind of a gang" she
said gravcly.
"But," | exclaimed, bewildered, "how
did you recognize the signetf"
"My brother wears one"
Your brother! In my class? You
will not tell me his name|
"No, Mr. Severn. ] have reason to
believe You know him very well, or did
few years ago. However that was
why ! trusted you so suddenly.
pinned my faith on the honor Of old
Yale That is why l kept silent and
asked you to call at 247 lie Compto
street"
81 did call" rather Indignantly.
"And was informed there was no Miss
Conrad residing in the house"
81 suspected you might make some
such discovery. Yet your coming was
appreciated it afforded me the oppor.
tunity | sought to discover where you
We're stopping and under what name
you registered. To confess the truth.
this was my sole object in the sudden
invention of Miss Conrad"
"Then there is no such persOnY
81 would hardly go as far as that;
undoubtedly there IS; in fact. l know
a very estimable stenographer by that
name. but she does not reside on lie
Compile street"
But how could my inquiry there
have brought you the information de-
sired? | was not asked my name"
"A boy got into the car with you
at the corner, did he nOt-a Jewish
boy? You paid no attention to him
after that; you had no conception that
he got off also where you did and was
not far behind you when you entered
the hotel. He did not remain long,
merely long enough to assure himself
that YOU were given a key from tie
box and went upstairs. That proved
you to be a registered guest Ten
inmates later he met me outside and
told me what he had learned, Then
/ paid him and he went away. Not
at all complicated, you see"
"No, but even then your information
was Incomplete"
'Yet | found 1t quite easy 10 fiji in
the details. Do you recall your class
picture, with the names printed be-
low? | copied those names-it was
quite a task-and, in a way, memor-
ized them. with these in mind ran
back over the hotel register until |
came to philip Severn, Washington,
ID. c.. G-145.' Then | knew | had
found you" She laughed softly.
Then you did not return to Wash
ingtonY
There was really no need. Be
sides, circumstances compelled me 10
change my plans"
The answer instantly brought back
10 my mind what those circumstances
might be. Her immediate presence,
her ease of manner and happy mode
of speech had for the moment obliter-
ated the dark crime with which she
wus associated.