Evening star., 1921-10-16

tdHQ. ana IL you COfH0 u tudtp '" III
/ the devil is Sandford"'
Good gracious. Mr.. Fortune. do yol
mean this business is that business? ?
! well. there's a lot of unknown
quantities about" said Regg!e.
Some days after the discovery o.
with supt. Bell when Kimbal
came to them. He was briskel
\ than ever. Anything new. is there
Have you hit on anything? / came
round at once. you see, when I go'
your note. Delighted to get 1t. Much
up. Well. what Is it?'
I'm afraid I've nothing for you my.
SELF" said Lomas. THE fact Is. For
| tune thought you might be able tc
give him some information on one o,
81? God bless me. you know al
that I know. Where is he. then. ii
] he wants me-"
And Reggie came. Have you beer
waitin'?" he said. with his airiest
mann, manner; $50 Sos sorry. Things @ are re- r., ,eall, i,
every post. Well. we'll" He dropped
into chair and blinked at the party
| What are we all doin' here? Oh. ah
/ remember" He smiled and nodded
| at Kimball. ut was that fellow
| wanted to ask you about"
Kimball. as was natural. did not
relish this sort of thing. Il under
stood you had something important or
hand. I've no time to waste"
| why, it's so jolly hard to under.
stand what's important and wha,
comes out in the end"
You think SO. do you? This is the
coal AFFAIR.""
'I wouldn't say that" Reggie an.
swered thoughtfully. mo. 1 wouldn't
say that. After all. the Coal RamI
Then why do you bother me"
| Kimball cried.
Reggie sat up suddenly. Because
] this Is something you must know
He rearranged his coat and slid down
! into the chair again. and drawled out
\ what he had to say. Some time the
end of last year-point of fact, last
December-bein' quite precise, from
fifth to twenty-ninth-in one Of the
nursin' homes in Queen Anne street
a man bein' operated on by Sir Jenkir
Totteridge for an affection Of the mid.
die ear. This chap was called Mason
You went to see him several times
! Who was Mason?"
Kimball stared at him with singu-
lar intensity. Then he swung hall
round in his chair with one of hi:
chara acteristic jerky movements ano
pulled out his snuffbox. He took 9
pinch. you've found mares nest,
| ne SdlQ, Will ii lduSH, anu lOOh Gil
other pinch.
AS he spoke, Reggie sprang up will
some vehemence, humping into hi:
! arm. "Sorry-sorry. A mares nest
you say? Now what exactly do yo'
! mean by that?"
you're wasting my time" he said.
That isn't what ! should call al
explanation" Reggie murmured. Fol
instance, do you mean you didn't 81
to see Mason?"
| Don't let's have any more of thi!
damned trifiing." Kimball cried. Ger
! tainly / went to see Mason"
| Good, Who is he?"
+, Jack Mason is a fellow ] knew il
my early days. / went up and h
didn't. When he had that operation
poor chap, he wrote to me, and j wen
! to see him for the sake of old times
| And what the devil has it to do will
| Scotland Yard?"
| Mason is the man who was foun.
at the Montmorency House fats wit
God bless my soul. Mason. Poo
chap. poor chap. But what are yo'
talking about? The papers said tina
was man called Rand.
Mason. otherwise Rand. Rand
otherwise Mason. Who was Mason Il.
Kimball made one of his 1erky ges
lures. KILLED, was he? l though
he fell out of the window"
He was murdered"
Good God. Old Jack Mason: IT.
Leyond me. You know this upsets IN
a good deal I've seen little Of hir
for a long time. ] can hardly believ
he's gone. But why the devil did h
call himself Randi"
what was he?" said Reggi
God bless me. couldn't tell you.
Eimball laughed. He was AWAY
very close. An agent in small wa!
when ] knew him-colonial produce
and so forth. Comfortably off always
but he never got on. Very reserve
fellow, Loved to be mysterious. Nc
l suppose it isn't surprising he use
two names
gle.
'T can't help you"
That's all you can say?
"Yes. Afraid SO. Yes. Let me kno1
as soon as you have anything moro
Good morning, good morning.. II
BUSTED out.
"A bit hurried, as you might say,
said Supt. Bell.
DEGGIE picked up a paper knit
IN and fell on his knees. He ros
with some fragments of white powde
on the blade. Il suppose you saw m
jog his arm" he said. And that
cocaine" He tumbled Lomas' pape
clips out of their box and put tn
stuff in. do you remember the frs
time we had him here ne took snuf
/ thought he was rather odd about il
and after 1t, and l went over to tn
window where he stood to see IL
could find any of the stuff he useG
But he's been careful. He is careful
is Kimball."
HE is damned careful" Iona
agreed.
There was a pause. BEG your par
don. sir" said Supt. Bell. DO yo
suppose Mr.. Kimball. being a dop
fiend. is not responsible for his &C
tions?"
"Oh. no. Kimball's not a dope fient
He uses the stun same like whisk!
He's not slave to it yet. Say. he
heavy drinker. It's just beginnin
TO interfere with his efficiency That
why he left the box behind in tn
bathroom; that's why he's a littl
jerky. But he's pretty adequat
still"
Lomas tapped his pencil impatient
| ly. And what do we do next?"
Take out warrant and arres
kimhall." said Reggie. carelessly.
Bell and Lomas looked 1T each othe
and then at him. Il don't see m
way" said Lomas.
1.-The corpse can be identified as Ma
son. I'll swear to the operation. TOT
teridge will swear it's the man he or
Grated on as Mason. In the ROOF
from which the corpse was throw
was a gold snuff box containing &C
caine. Shortman's will swear ths
box is their make and exactly simila
to a box sold to KimbaI. And Kim
ball takes cocaine. It's a good prim
facie case"
YES. Did you ever see q jur
that would hang a man on it?"
I'VE do have to be SO careful" Be
murmured.