Evening star., 1922-02-12

spend all his evenings in literary
| composition.
OF course. there is always the temp
| tation in pursuing theory TO force
the facts to fit the conclusion one Is
i seeking: and Ramsey could not deny
that a series of brilliant articles was
appearing in one of the newspapers
under Achison's name. or that he him
self had heard a publisher speak of
! the lawyers forthcoming book as a
real contribution to the literature of
painting.
And even more convincing to him
self was an assurance that the sur-a
yeillance which had been exerci sed
over his own movements had recent
Ily been lifted. For months past
he had known that he was followed
| by one of Achison's agents where
even he went; but with his adVer-
| sary's migration to the country, this
had apparently ceased. Puzzling.
| Was it not reasonable to suppose that
+! IL Achison had an Illicit enterprise
on hand, he would increse rather
! than lessen his safeguards?
| = =
| cTILL going over all the informa-
y tion he possessed, Ramsey could
not divest himself of the feeling
that these contrary circumstances
might be only a part OF an elaborate
camoufage to cover the real pur-
nose Of that secluded bungalow and
the solitary evenings spent there.
The suitcase brought back to the
office every morning might easily
contain. beside the dictaphone re-
cords. q bundle of spurious bills for
distribution. Perhaps this White.
| whose defense the lawyer had un-
dertaken upon so fimsy an excuse,
was one of the distributing agents
At any rate, the bungalow. its ac-
tiv,ties and its personnel seemed to
offer go promising field for investi-
| cation that Ramsey, regardless OF the
danger involved in a single-handed
! adventure Of the sort, saw nothing
else for him to do but take it on.
| with this conclusion reached, he
pulled down the shades to shut out
the Frightening daylight, and retired
(. to bed. Arising about noon, he first
disposed of luncheon. and then saun-
+. terinr out, as it, for an ordinary
stroll, bent, his steps by devious ways
to a garage many blocks distant
from the one where he kept his own
car, and hired q a,"fiivver" for the at
ternoon.
| For half an hour he drove aimless-
lly about the city streets until satts-
fed he had shaken off any attempt
to shadow him, and then, heading for
the Fort Lee ferry. set out for the
Jersey hinterland. An hours driving.
with the aid OF Hatton's map. brought
| him to q branch road. steep and new
Ily repaired, which wound UP hill
! apparently into rugged country.
Running the car into covert of
bushes off the side Of the road, Ram
sey parked 1t there and started to
climb the hill on foot.
| A stiff walk of ten minutes or so
through the woods and underbrush--
! for he avoided the road-brought
him to the edge of clearing in
which stood the house. 1t was Of
| simple. bungalow architecture. paint
ed a pale buff. and with red-tiled
roof. A wide porch with bright
awnings ran the length of 1t. At the
rear, and separated from the cottage
by only . few yards, was garage
and beyond that the clearing ceased
In front there was stretch Of
close-clipped lawn. with several
sprinklers at work, betray!ng the Sec
| ret Of it's vivid emerald; at the side
there was gay garden full of bloom
ing flowers. and back of this a'vege-
table patch with an old gardener pot
tering about in it. and at the farther
end row Of beehives.
Ramsey, contemplating the repose-
> full scene from behind tree. yielded