Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-08-25
RED HOUSE lAn@R
MYSTERY u
bAAMILNEl ~ =
. on Eppmno u~y < Y, (IS

by his wonderful acting could make
Ruth Norris look a fool in front OF
the others. could take her In, and
then join in the laugh at her after
ward, he would indeed have had a
worthy revenge!
".How Cay. how?' he said eager
ly.
"'Well, 1 haven't really thought II
out l protested. 1t was just ar
idea
HE began to think II out for him
self.
"T might pretend to be a mana
ger. come down to see her-but l
suppose she knows them all. What
about an interviewer
IT'S going to be difficult / said
thoughtfully. You've got rather a
characteristic face, you know. And
your beard
"Td shave it off, he snapped.
"tMy dear Mark!'
HE looked away, and mumbled,
I've been thinking of taking 1t off,
anyhow. And besides. IL I'm going
to do the thing. I'm going to do 1t
properly
Eyes, you always were an artist
| said. looking at him admiringly.
He purred. To be called an artist
what he longed for most. Now
l knew that 1 had him.
"All the same l went on, even
without your beard and mustache
you might be recognizable. Unless,
of course 1 broke off.
"'Unless what?'
"'You pretend to be Robert I
to laugh to myself again. by
Jove!' l said, that's not a bad idea.
to be Robert. the wastrel
brother, and make yourself objec-
tionable to Miss Norris. Borrow
money from her, and that sort of
Robert he said. Yes. How
hall we work it?'
There was really a Robert, Mr..
as l have no doubt you
and the inspector both discovered.
And he was a wastrel and he went
to Australia. But he never came
10 the Red House on Tuesday after
noon. He couldn't have. because he
lied (unlamented) three years ago.
But there was nobody who knew
his, save Mark and myself, for
Mark a the only one of the family
eft. his sister having died last year.
l doubt, anyhow, if she
knew whether Robert was alive or
lead. He was not talked about.
For the next two days Mark and
worked out our plans. You under
by now that our aims were
1ot identical. Marks endeavor was
hat his deception should last for,
a couple of hours; mine that it
go to the grave with him. He
lad only to deceive Miss Norris and
other guests; 1 had to deceive
he world.
"When he was dressed up as
1 was going to kill him.
Robert would then be dead. Mark
lof course) missing. What could
anybody think but that Mark had
killed Robert? But you see how
it IA for Mark to enter
into his latest (and last) i'm
p~ersonation. Half-measures would
be fatal.
"You will say that it was impos-
sible to do the thing thoroughly
enough. l answe again that you
rever knew Mark. He was being
v hat he wished most to bean art
list. No Othello ever BACKED him
self all over with such enthusiasm
as did Mark. His beard was going
a chance remark
of Miss Norbury's helped here. She
did not like boards. But it a i'm
for me that the dead mans
hands should not be the hands of q
manicured gentleman. Five minutes
upon the vanity of the artist
his hands. He let the nails
grow and then cut them raggedly.
Miss Norris would notice your
hands at once I had said. Besides.
as an artist
$50 with his underclothes. 1t was
necessary to warn him that
his pants might show above the
edge of his socks: as an artist he
had already decided upon Robertian
pants. 1 bought them, and other
things. in London for him. Even If
| had not cut out all trace of the
makers NAME, he would have in
stinctively have done 1t. AS an Aus
tralian and an artist, he could not
have an East London address on his
underclothes. Yes, we were doing
the thing thoroughly. both of us: he
as an artist. 1 as a-well, you MAY
say murderer, if you like. 1 shall
not mind now.
"Our plans were settled. l went to
London on the Monday ana wrote
him a letter from Robert. (The ar
tistic touch AGAIN.. I also bought a
revolver. On the Tuesday morning
he announced the arrival of Robert
at the breakfast-table. Robert was
now alive-we had six witnesses to
prove It; six witnesses who knew
that he was coming that afternoon
Our private plan was that Robert
rrASnnt him sale OF . n'n1nnL
in readiness for the return of the
golfng-party shortly afterward.
The maid would so to look fol-
Mark. and having failed to find him
come back to the Office and find MI
entertaining Robert in Marks alb
sence. / would explain that MARI
must have gone out somewhere, aut
would myself introduce the wastre
brother to the tea-table. Marks alb
sence would not excite any com
ment. for II would be generally fel
indeed Robert would suggest it
that he had been afraid of meeting
his brother. Then Robert would
make himself a~musingly offensive Il
the guests. particularly. of course
Miss Norris, until he thought tina
the Joke had gone far enough.
THAT was our private plan. Per
haps I should say that 1t was Mark
private plan. My own was different
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