The Washington times., 1922-12-01

eASAAaSt oHS o~~A~'
The Fortune Hunter glanced
down at her.
"Geoffrey Foster" he echoed
vaguely. His thoughts had been
far enough away. and 1t was
only when he saw the color rise
in her cheeks and the hurt ex-
preston of her eyes that he has.
tened to add: II should hope he
won'tv'
But for the moment he had
quite forgotten that Foster was
the name mentioned by the land
lord at the inn as the man who
had wished to marry Anne.
ITS impossible to go on" he
told himself angrily. Sooner or
later I shall give the game away.
and it's not worth the risk. Why
the devil can't clear out now.
before I get deeper into the
mire?"
But when Tommy proposed
calling the gardener In to lend
a hand in moving the boxes up
stairs the Fortune Hunter agreed
readily and himself unstrapped
the knotted cords that bound
them.
(which box is the bear skin
in?" Tommy asked, and the For
tune Hunter frowned and rum
pied his hair in perplexity.
Dashed II know" he said.
He had not the least intention Of
opening the boxes, and would
not have done SO II he could. but
for the moment 1t had seemed
easier to yield than to argue with
this boys eagerness.
"And now where are the keys?"
Tommy urged.
The Fortune Hunter plunged a
hand into his pocket; he tried
every pocket in his coat. "I must
have lost them" he said. The ex-
cuse was more than welcome,
though to satisfy Tommy he took
off his coat and turned every
pocket inside out.
They're gone. right enough"
he said.
"You probably dropped them
yesterday when you went into
the river" Anne said. Don't
look 30 tragic, Tommy dear; we
can soon get some more that
will fit"
FERNIE AN ENEMY.
But the boys face had fallen
again into its fretful, peevish
lines.
Something always happens to
spoil my fun" he complained.
Are you sure they're not down.
stairs in your room?"
"Quite sure"
Tommy grunted something in
audible and slipped away, and
the Fortune Hunter looked at
Anne.
"And now what do we dor" he
asked. trying to speak naturally.
He had painful feeling that no
matter who else he was success
full In deceiving, before long Anne
would find him out.
mo; there are no papers
nothing to identify him at all,
unless what that fellow Fernie
says 10 true, and. somehow, I
have my doubts. Fernie was al
ways q liar! I destest the man."
"Fgnie?" said the Fortune
Hunter. uncertainty.
Eyes: q little rat Of q fellow
who lives in the village. Does
nothing for q living, and pokes
his nose into most things that
don't concern him. He turned
up at the inquiry this morning,
and swore that he was coming
through the woods last night
and saw q man leave the very
spot where they afterwards found
the body. You know It was
Fernie who found 1T"
"I hate Fernie!' Annie said.
80 do I, my dear" her uncle
answered mildly. But his story
will have to be investigated. and
there may be some truth In II.
You see. his theory IL that the
other man robbed the dead man
of his papers, money and what
not, and left him."
HE doesn't suggest by any
chance that the other man mur-
dered him. suppose7" the For.
tune Hunter asked. dryly.
Mr.. Harding laughed.
Dear me. no! The doctors have
proved II was heart failure, right
enough, but Fernie sticks to his
story Of this other man, and
swears. too. that he can identity
him."
The Fortune Hunter stopped and
tied the rope Of the punt to q
dead willow stump in the bank.
friend rernie sounds a. II, he
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