Evening star., 1922-04-13
Spontaneous Combustion
One of The Stars Weekend Fiction Series Each Story
Complete in Three Instalments.
BY ARTHUR B. REEVE.

Don't you smell something burn
| ing?' she asked.
,, II said 1 did and started downstairs
to investigate. Everything was dark,
l looked in each room downstairs as
l went, but could see nothing. The
kitchen and dining room were all
right. 1 glanced into the living room,
but. while the smell was more no.
ticeabie there. ! could see no evil
bers on the hearth. 1t had been cool
ish that night, and we had few
logs blazing. 1 didn't examine the
room-there seemed no reason for 1t.
the morning they found the grue-
some object l had missed in the
darkness and shadows of the living
room"
Kennedy was intently listening. who
found him." he asked.
reused us. Harrington's theory is
that uncle set himself on Are with
spark from his cigar-a charred cigar
butt was found on the floor"
We found Toms relatives a sad
dened, silent party in the face of the
very profusely for our intrusion, but
Tom quickly interrupted. as we had
agreed: by explaining that he had
insisted on our coming, as old
OH "HO{l ne lcll hC Souta
rely, especially to set the matter
right in the newspapers.
l think Craig noticed keenly the
reticence of the family group in the
mystery might almost have called
it suspicion. They did not seem to
know just whether to take it as an
accident or as something worse. and
each seemed to entertain a reserve
toward the rest. which was very un-
comfortable.
York had been notified, but appar-
emily was out of towe, for he had
not been heard from. They seemed
rather anxious to get word from
him.
Dinner over. the family group
tunity to take us into the gruesome
living room. OF course. the remains
had been removed. but otherwise the
room was exactly as it had been
tragedy. I did not see the body.
which was lying in an anteroom. but
Kennedy did. and spent some time in
| there.
After he rejoined US. Kennedy next
examined the fireplace. 1t was full
| been lighted on the fatal night. He
| noted attentively the distance OF
| Lewis LanGley's chair from the fire.
| place. and remarked that the var
nish on the chair was not even plis-
| tered.
| Before the chair. on the floor
where the body had been found, he
! pointed out to us the peculiar ASH
| marks for some space around, put
| it really seemed to me as II some
thing. else interested him more than
these ashmarks.
an hour in viewing the room. AT
last Craig suddenly stopped:
TON" he said. II think I'll wait
till daylight before 1 go any further
il can't. tell with certainty under der
these lights. though. perhaps. they
wouldn't show. Wed better leave
everything just as it is until morn
| ing"
| So we locked the room again and
went into sort of library across the
| hall.
We were sitting in silence: each
occupied with his own thoughts on
| the mystery, when the telephone
rang. 1t proved to be long-dis-
| tance call from New York for Tom
himself His uncle's attorney had
received the news at his home out
on Long Island and had hurried to
the city to take charge OF the estate.
But that was not the news that
caused the grave look on Tom s race
as he nervously retoined US
THAT was uncle's lawyer, Mr.. Clark
of Clark & Burdick,' he said. He has
opened uncles personal safe in the
offices of the Langley estate-you re-
member them, Craig-where all the
property of the Langley heirs Is ad-
ministered by the trustees. He says
he can't find the will. though he knows
there was a will and that it was placed
in that safe some time ago. Ihere Is
no duplicate"
The full purport of this information
aoc m |
the point of blurting out my sympathy.
when 1 saw by the look which Craig
and Tom exchanged that they mad al
ready realized 1t and understood eaca
other. Without the Will the blood reia-
tives would inherit all of Lewis Lang
ley's interest in the old Langley estate.
| Tom and his sister would be penniless..
1t was late, yet we sat for nearly
an hour longer, and l don't think we
exchanged a half dozen sentences in
| all that time. Craig seemed absorbed
! in thought. At length. as the great
hall clock sounded midnight, we rose
| as if by common consent.
Tom" said Craig. and I could feel
voice-"Tom, old man. I'll get at the
! bottom of this mystery if human In
| telligence can do it,"
"I know you will. Craig" responded
Tom, grasping each Of us by the hand.
That's why I so much wanted you
| fellows to come up mere
| Early in the morning Kennedy
aroused me. Now. Walter, I'm going
to ask you to come down into the liv-
| ing room with me and we'll take a
| look at it in the daytime"
| I hurried into my clothes and to-
sether we quietly went down. Start
| ing with the exact spot where the un-
fortunate man had been discovered.
| Kennedy began minute examination
of the floor. using his pocket lens.
Every few moments he would stop to
| examine a spot on the rug or on the
hardwood floor more intently. Several
| times I saw him Scrape up something
with the blade Of his knife and care
fully preserve the. scrapings. each in
| a separate piece of paper.
Sitting idly by, could not for the
life of me see just what good it did
| for me to be there, and I said as
much. Kennedy laughed quietly.
| you're a material witness, Wal
ter" he replied. Perhaps I shall
need you some day to testify that
I actually found these spots in this
| ROOM"
Can I help?" he asked. why didn't
you tell me you were going at it SO
early?"
rising from the floor. Il was just
making a careful examination of the
nobody would think was too inter
ested. I've finished. But you can
help me after all. Do you think you
| could describe exactly how every one
was dressed that night?"
"Why, ] can try. Let me see TO
begin with. uncle had on shooting
jacket-that was pretty well burnt:
| s1S ,boof;rr.ia ckafe m mr. a