Cheyenne record., 1921-01-27
CHAPTER x,,-con.inu.d-

is
IN thing doing" he sneered. "Any
crook iaring enough to steal those
pearls. once he had got his hands on
them, never would return them.
Pearls are too easily disposed of.
You've got to dig up q better expla-
nation than that"
"What did Mr.. CASTOR thinkI What
did he say when he found them
there?"
"He had nothing to say. he was
% tickied at finding them again that
he hustled with them right away to
the safe deposit vaults and did not
rest until he had them safely locked
up. He took both jewel cases with
him and made me 60 along with him
to protect them"
"Didn't you look at all for the secret
passageway l told you aboutT'
"Still dreaming about that, are
you" scoffed German. "No, we didn't.
On the way up to the Granddeck the
old man spoke about 1t and told
him that in my opinion there was
nothing to 1t. After he recovered the
RCuAA6 nU Wu0 wv CASllCO " Shthh
about anything else. It seemed to
break him all up. and took him back
to his hotel and left him there. He
said he had some writing to do. and
that he would meet me at my office
at noon today"
"How do you account for the re-
turn Of the pearls?" I cried desperate
ly. "What's your theory about them?"
II haven't any," he replied. "It's
up to you to explain 1t. Maybe by
the time I come to see you tomorrow
you'll have thought up new yarn
to spin."
"Please. please" called after him
as he turned away. "do look tomor-
row and see II that secret passage is
not where l said 1t was"
He walked away without answering.
Back once more In my cell, stretched
myself despondently on my little iron
concentrate my thoughts on an at
tempt to solve this new mystery,
which could plainly see had all but
destroyed Germans faith In my hon.
esty. 1 must solve 1t If was to re-
tain him In aiding me to get free, yet
the whole thing seemed inexphcable.
! could hardly blame him for doubling
me-. The great value of the pearls
had been motive enough for their
theft, but what possible motive could
there have been for tie thief return
ing them?
With a shock 1t came to me. too,
that the restoration Of the pearls
practically upset the whole theory Of
my defense II could have estab-
lished the fact of this theft, jury
might be persuaded to believe my tale
of anonymous notes, mysterious whis-
pers, and secret passageway by
which the thief had gained access to
the apartment, but without the motive
Of theft, my story. unsupported by
witnesses and uncorroborated by 9TH
er evidence surely would be incred-
ible of belief.
had just one hope left. Old Rufus
must flnd that secret passageway and
see whittier II led. That, with our
knowledge Of the Identity of the tele-
phone girl and the possibility Of prov
ing Germans belief that Wick was
an ex-convict, seemed likely to be my
only salvation. Old Rufus must find
that passageway. He must He must
For hours lay there racking my
brains over the unsolvable problems.
My luncheon was brought in. but I
waved 1t away untouched. Wearily
] wondered whether the recovery Of
the pearls had destroyed my aged rel
ative's faith in me, as 1t seemed to
have destroyed Germans. could
hardly blame him II he doubted me
after finding that my story of the dis
appearance of the pearls was appar-
emily untrue. In my brief experience
as a prisoner l had learned all too
well the bitter fact that once man
Is discredited. henCeforth no one
trusts him. II Rufus CASTOR failed
me at this juncturr did not see how
I could possibly extricate myself un-
scathed from the web that unseen
hands had so skillfully and mali
'ciously woven around me. The only
ray of comfort that could find any
where in the whole situation was in
my firm belief that though old Rufus
and German and the whole world
doubted me, Barbara Bradford-my
Barbara, l ventured to call her In my
innermost heart-wOuld continue to
believe in me. She would be sure. no
matter how much appearances went
against me. that was telling the
truth. Barbara and I knew. Even II
she had not known that I could not
possibly have fred the shot that killed
Miss Lutan, ! was certain that she
still would have trusted me.
Thinking about Barbara l recalled
that II was the day Of her sisters we'd
ding. had one Of tho prison attend