Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1922-12-01
Blu Randall Parrish


which is why l happen to know what
his name was. Something queer ABOUT |
that fellar. | reckon, but faint none
a. nv business. You amt q detee 1
tive or nothin' like that, are yerF |
Nothing at all like that west /
laughed. although interested. why! I
Did YOU think the police might De
after himf
Not for enything l know about
only he skipped out mighty sudden
Paid me a months rent, n ohtS
! STAYED there three days. That looks
sorter queer. Then Sunday that lellar
what committed suicide out south
read about it in the papers-cahe 10
see him In a ear. l got a boy worklh IN
his factory. that's how | come to Kho"
who the guy was, TIL next nleh'
Hobart. an them with him, just natur-
ally skipped out"
"Who did he have with him here-a
family" :,
"a woman bout his age, l should
say, an a younger one. | dluht see
'em only from the window; didn't gel
no sight O. the girls face at all, but
could tell the way she walked she
was young. They didn't have nothin
with 'em. that's all my stuff in the
house there"
Feeling the uselessness Of trying to
] learn anything more. West thanked
him. and returned to the taxi.
"Back to the club" he ordered brief
" and settled into his seat to think,
The information thus gained hao
been small enough, yet sufficient 10
stimulate his belief that he was at
, least upon the right trail. The sudden
departure of this man Hobart, ana the
fact that no young children were III
the family, were important items 10
consider. Coolidge, then, had not
visited this cottage to aid a WIDOW
" and orphans. There had been some
other object In his call. The girl nus
~ have known and understood the real
- purpose that was why they both ac-
~ nuiesced so readily to his remaining
~ outside in the car. 1t was part Vi
:, their mutual plan to thus leave MN
II in ignorance. Yet they had maze u
% mistake in taking him along at all
A. This error alone gave him now an OPP
~ portunity to unravel the riddle. Bu'
did tn What did he know? Merely
that Coolidge had not gone to TINS
,.. borse on an errand of charity tina
,es tbe occupant called himself, TEN
No. porarily, perhaps, jim Hobart; tina
:, his family consisted of two women
undescribed except as to age; an
that all three had mysteriously dis
,ot appeared together. He might take
No.. for granted that this disappearance
was caused by the death Of Coolidge
'rst but they had left no trail, no lnklin
as TO where they had gone. He mlgl
:, suspect this sudden vanishing had d
orr rect connection with the crime he wa
1u endeavoring to solve, but he po
GRO sessed absolutely no proof. and, a.
parently, any further movement G
his part was completely blocked.
More puzzled than ever, althous
now fully convinced that murder ma
; In been committed, West could do nothir
but wait the temperance of SeXto
ron The latter arrived promptly on tim
MN and West told his story. His listen
seemed to sense the situation clear
at wasn't no mistake, your gol
= it out there, sir" he said conildehtl
"What we know now gives US son
thing to work on anyhow, an its ]u
what | thought-that trip Sunday !
with up to this KILN, an something ia
200 pened while they was in there to $
tho Miss Natalie ak up. Now we got
to find this fellow-what did you say
then name was, sirY'
nm. "Hobart-Jim Hobart; that Is,
With was known by that name there.
his "And did you say he has SIM
rider. dropped out O. slght?'
ont That's true; never left a clue
nr hind him."
!, no "Well, sir, I'm not quite so 81
s TO about that. You listen to me,
He This afternoon l walked out to RI
II no lawn from the car line, an come
must across the fields to the house. | die
mate have no good excuse for goin' Di
down there, sir, an was sorter afraid
that meet up with Miss Natalie. She mi
parch have thought | WINS just spyin' 'rou
osity, But | didn't have no need for De
!. He afraid, for 1t seems she'd driven
essed town about noon, an hadn't got bi
,issal. There wasn't nobody but the SerV
about around the place, sir. DO you rem
laint- Der Lizzie, the second maid-so
d oc. full face, an light hairT
ickly, West nodded, wondering what
n her this might be leading to.
n. well, she an | always hit II
o and together, an / talked with her Gul
an bit. She told me, sir, that Miss Nat
miliar had a telephone call this morning
r him took her into the city. Lizzie
i. He went to the phone when It rang,
I, but 1t was a mans voice he "ou'
signs leave no message, but insisted
Ing at speaking to Miss Natalie. Lizzie
from to call her down from upstairs
Every "Did the gin overhear the CON
ma sspY1 tionY'