Evening star., 1921-08-27
Continued from Yesterdays star.)


know the writing and there wasn't
even an initial signed to the answer.
but 1 stuck it in my pocket quick.
Id heard him tell Rollins and Sarah
that they could clear out until next
day and l thought that meant that
was to serve the supper. and my time
had come at last! He said he expected
gentleman guest for supper and
ordered me to wait at the house and
arrange the table and take the stuff
from the caterers men. and then
bring freshly pressed Tuxedo to
the club at IL o'clock. 1 did. think
. ing, of course, that l was to return,
and l could have cursed him to his
up until the next day.
Il went home to the little fiat where
lisa was hiding and we talked it over.
The note that I'd kept was enough
II 1T was handled right to make him
clear llSa'S name by blufflng his wife
some way and giving out that the
jewels were found even if he couldn't
produce themr but if l knew who the
man was that was coming Id have
Creveling so he couldn't even squirm.
He had put through more than one
shady business transaction at those
little midnight suppers of his before,
and | knew this must be nearer black
mail than the others, if he wouldn't
have one of us there even to serve
the supper. 1t meant I'd be dis
charged If he caught me in the house
when he'd told me to stay away, but
! made up my mind at last to go
back and risk it. 1t was almost 3
g o'clock, but usually those conferences
were all-night affairs and l hoped to
get just one look at his guest with
out being seen.
The house was all lighted up. but
/ didn't think anything of that, and
let myself in with my own key at the
tradesmen's entrance. / kept as quiet
as l could for fear Mr. Creveling
should discover me and it was well
for me that / did. for l heard heavy
footsteps and mems voices in the
kitchen and I had barely time to
dodge into the scullery when they
came out and started down to the cell
lar; a policeman that l recognized as
the one on night duty around that
beat, and two men in plain clothes.
Il turned cola, for it came to me
right away that soInt hing had hap
pened to Mr.. Creveling, and the lett or
I'd found might be of no use in free
ing lisa, after all! AS soon as they
had gone down the cellar steps 1 hur-
ried around to the main hall and
looked into the breakfast room and
then the study. There lay Mr.. Creve-
ling, dead"
"HiT'-McCarty interrupted the story
did that gun beside him belong TO
Mr.. Creveling?'
The valet shook his head.
Il never saw it before, sir. and I
didn't notice it particularly then. /
was staring down at the place where
his face had been. and 1 almost went
crazy for a moment thinking Of lisa
and that her last chance had gone"
What did you do them" McCarty
asked Think carefully. Hill. Did
you touch anything in the room? Did
you See any playing cards or any
thing lying around?"
Il don't have to think" the other
responded. "I'll never forget that
scene as long as 1 live! 1 didn't see
any playing cards or anything except
just Mr.. Creveling's body and
wouldn't have soiled my hands by
touching it for the world! l don't
know how long stood there with my
brain whirling. but 1t couldn't have
then 1 began to think fast. / saw 1
had two strings left to my bow, after
all One was to find the man that had
been there and shot Creveling and
hold what 1 knew over his head to
make him help me. as he could have
if he knew Mrs Creveling and had
any influence with her; the other was
to get Mrs. Creveling and her uncle
there together as quick as I could and
offer to hush things up If they'd set
lisa free / knew that shed stopped
caring for her husband long ago
hated him. in fact-and thought she
would want to prevent scandal and
notoriety before anything else. just as
IT..
glad enough that Creveling was out
of the way so he could handle the es-
tate to suit himself"
You didn't stop to think that it
might have been suicide?'
Hill laughed shortly.
Not knowing Mr.. Creveling the
way 1 did. He wouldn't have had the
the CUTS to do it, sir! 1t takes long
to tell it. but 1 just thought it all out
in fla
who had been there that night by
tracing the writing at the bottom of
that note and 1 knew Mr.. Creveling
kept lot of private letters in that
I'd been through it often enough be-
fore. having watched when he didn't
know it to see how he worked the
spring. but some of the letters were
from gentlemen whose names were
strange to me and l hadn't taken
notice of the writing.
Then l remembered that there
would be a thorough search made for
clues all over the house, and it came
to me-what if Mrs. Jarvie had left
something in her desk that would
show where lisa was hiding? She
was an old lady. and though close
mouthed. was given to scribbling
notes and diaries and such. I sup
posed. of course. that the policeman
and the other two were the only liv-
ing men in the house besides myself,
and started upstairs, when all OF
sudden you and the inspector came
out of Mr.. Creveling's room. I sprang
me- When you had gone on to the
next floor 1 slipped into Mr.. Creve-
1ing's room. put on a pair of his
gloves SO that my finger marks
wouldn't show, ard. opening the little
drawer, took out the letters.
IT hoped against hope that I could
sneak into the housekeeper's room
before you got around to it in your
search. but you nearly caught me on
the stairs a second time. and I had to
wait until you had gone down again.
/ knew that she used to hide the
spare key to her desk behind loose
brick up in the fireplace and chanced
that she had forgotten and left 1t
there, which she had done. Her old
household account books were in the
desk, together with stack OF loose
papers, and I had to take the lot. for
don't know howN ever got out of the
house without being seen, but I heard
you all talking In the room where
Mr. Creveling's body was lying and
slipped out and made for home. where
lisa was.
"She looked over the housekeeper's
books and papers, and sure enough
the furniture of our little fiat. that
Td given Mrs Jarvie the money to
nav for, with the address scribbled on
It to where the stun was to De oe.
livered. so lisa burned the lot. 1 read
over the notes I had taken from Mr..
Creyeling's desk and compared them
with those seven words written at the
bottom of his letter. None of them
were In the same hand, but I kept
two or three for Mrs. Creveling to
NO. oh vad