Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-01-07
to swing inward, tried to peer after

him, but the passage was in dark
ness. After a little moment, how
ever, the detective saw the darkness
cut by a sudden glare from a lighted
room as an inside door was opened,
and through this he saw the tall man
pass. Then the. passage was dark
again.
The colored boy, Ezekiel, had
stood meanwhile gazing in silent,
open-mouthed, awed wonder. Now
Brooke turned to him,
Ezekiel" he said, "you saw that
bag. didn't you?"
"Yassah!"
WAS there anything about it that
would make you remember it,"
"Yassah!"
"What?" .
Der vas ropes round it, sah!"
Brooke looked At Phillips and
doubt in his mind.
WAS that Mr.. stoushton?" he ask
ed Ezekiel.
"Yassah!" ....
whats Mr.. Stoughton's business,
Ezekiel? Do you know"
Hes sellin' some kind of gold
stocks or sumfin' like dat, sah."
This time the detective winked at
Brooke.
Gold bricks, I guess" he said.f
"Yessah." affirmed the negro.
"Yessah! OATS it for shut, Gold
bricks. sah!""
Again a light flashed midway down
the passage.
Then. instantly, the whole passage
was illuminated group Of electric
lights having been switched -on-and
in this sudden glare Brooke saw that
which transfxed him with astonish-
ment. S~toughton, who was approach
ing, was not alone. Behind him
sauntered Jack Moore, talking and
smiling. as though his presence there
at that hour was quite the most
natural thing in the world.
CHATTER XXI.
Retrospective.
Well, old chap. what do you make
Of it,"
1t was two hours later, and Brooke
and Moore sat together in Brooke's
room, at the Waldorf, while the blue
dawn came in through the east win
dows and turned to sickly yellow the
glow of the electrics over their
heads.
Moore had told his story-a
~ S~A Va AAO Nv
Brooke had tried with its aid to draw
some conclusion from the events at
the Albright, in which they had both
had part; but it had all proved very
battling; and nov as he sat stretched
out In q great armchair. his feet on
a hassock and a cigar between his
teeth, he admitted ast much, in reply
to his friends question.
TITS too much for a mystery for
me as It stands" he said, with a
hopeless MINOR key in his voice. 81
can't make head, tail nor middle of
it,"
For q moment there was silence,
while Moore looked at his watch, got
to his feet and walked restlessly to
one Of the windows.
Suppose we 80 " it again."
Brooke suggested, inspired by a re-
pewed determination to grapple with
the problem to a nnish. ''Ill just run
them, and II I misstate any. one Of
them Ill expect you to correct me-"
Moore turned from the window and
half seated himself on the arm Of a
chair. Drive ahead" he said with an
air Of resignation. Its quite beyond
my powers Of deduction. I'll admit
that, L never encountered. such an
amasing mixup in all my experience.
It's worse than any Arabian Nights
story"
But Brooke scarcely heard him.
His brow was drawn. his lips were
pursed and his eyes thoughtful.
Gin the first place." he began, Gin
response to the note signed 8. H.,
i which enclosed q matinee ticket, you
went to the Herald SQUARE, theater.
You found sthe, ticket called for an
end seat, 90 there was no difficulty in
discovering on which side was locat-
ed the party-to whom you were d.
rected to slip q ffty.dollar bill.
"You were, however, completely
non-plussed when you found that
your neighbor was = young woman Of
ladylike appearance, who through
two acts of the play gave you no sign
OF announcement and refused TO re-
spond TO any respectful advance on
your part. Under the circumstances,
OF course. you could not have offered
the $50, which, / believe. It was real
~ never your intention to include in
the program"
Right you Ars," Moore agreed,
'lsughng. Il Gd4dn.t Intend 10 gfvA Up
q NIFTY mtfl-well 1t least, until +