Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-01-20
Continued from our last issue)

Continued from our last issue)
The girls slender figure did not
resemble the splendid, sensuously
full lines of the body of Mrs. Vane
save in its height. and the face was
an indistinguishable blur, but on a
sudden inspiration Barry rose, still
carrying the picture, and going into
the studio he turned on the brilliant
light within the reflector. Then he
drew from his pocket a small but
powerful microscope. 1t proved of
little aid beyond showing that the
blurred object by the girls side was
indeed a large dog, for the photo
graph was too worn and faded. but
on the reverse side the distinction
between the pencil marks and pen
scratches was plainly visible, and
three words written in a round,
girlishly Uniformed hand were I'M
mistakably revealed:
"Mopus would move"
Then, standing almost on the
same spot which the body of Miriam
Vane had occupied in front of the
easel, Barry used his microscope to
scan every inch of the portrait with
meticulous care.
Strengthening at length with a
very grave expression upon his boy
ish countenance, he switched off the
glaring light in the reflector, leaving
only the side brackets in the wall
glowing softly. and crossing behind
the portrait he passed the model
throne and ven to the row of win
dows.
When he raised the shade of one
OF them the empty house beyond
tt,a r.N cf.i, 90 era,s1nn stood mt
more distinctly than before and q
grayish effulgence was spreading
ove the cloudy sky. The sultry
summer dawn was at hand.
Dropping the shade once more,
Barry turned and refiectively re-
garded the back of the portrait up
on the easel. The huge square of
canvas was blank except for some
numbers scrawled in charcoal on
the Upper left hand corner and a
small cross in red paint a little be-
low the center. For sons minutes
these enigmatic characters occupied
the close attention of the sergeant,
then he turned off the last of the
lights and left the studio, going d.
rectly to the outer hall without a
second glance toward the boudoir
and bedroom.
Dig DodDt, seated upon lIe low
est step of the staircase, rose hastily
and saluted.
"One of the boys came up. sir, 10
find out about the light in that stu
do, but / fixed it with him." he re-
marked. Ibid you finds the answer
what was puzzling you. SER
seant?"
IF I've found the nswer to what
was puzzling me. Doane." he replied,
I've stumbled on a bigger mystery
yet, and a blacker one"
He found at headquarters that
Craig had already turned in his re-
port, and the chief was awaiting his
own appearance with ill-concealed
what do you think ?" the chief
asked.
AS to the identity of the MUIR
Jefer, sir?' Barry asked, cautiously.
I'm quite certain that several peo-
pie who might conccivably have
killed Mrs. Nane did not do it, and
that let's me out for the moment.
However, / took it upon myself to
10 a little unofficial investigating
"Of course! That's what l ex-
pected you to do" the chief inter-
rupted eagerly. 1.-The medical ex-
aminer hasn't performed the au-
topsy yet, naturally. but from his
account of the affair as well as the
reports of the boys from the local
precinct, and Boyle and Craig, it
appears that the Vane woman was
shot by some visitor. meo she
knew well, and that she had no pre-
monition of the attack. There's one
queer point about the murder that
the press is bound to pounce on and
play NJ big, and yet l can't see any
explanation; l thought perhaps you
might have some idea"
What is that, sir?" Barry's tone
was guileless.
There We're no powder marks on
The woman's smock, and the medical
examiner says that the shot must
have been fired from = distance of
several feet at least"
The chief paused. Nov. accord
ing to Boyle's report Professor Sem
yonov stated that when you and he
heard the sound of the shot and
opened his door he heard footsteps
on the stairs"
Sergeant Barry smiled.
The professor and | have a slight
difference of opinion about the di-
rection of the sound of those foot
steps; he believes that they were
coming up, while / am quite as GER
tain that they we're descending" he
said. However, that's not the main
point. You are wrong, | think, sir,
though 20 in the way you mean.
That step on the stairs had every
thing to do with the murder"
''What-t!" The chief sprang from
his chair.
Has anyone given you a descrip-
lion yet of the portrait which Miri-
am Vane was painting when she
met her death, sir ?" asked Barry.
"Oniy rnat IT Is a picture OF Mrs.
Theodore Vansittart-"
Coming down a staircase" Barry
finished. THE THIRD STEP OF
THE STAIRS is Just on a level with
The artists breast as she sat on &,
STOOL before the easel, and there is
a bullet hole in the anvas Miriam
Nane was shot through the heart by
someone on the other side of the
Portrait"
For a moment the chief seemed
about to explode with the mingled
emotions which consumed him. The
next he sank back in his chair and
raised his powerful hands, to let
hem fall with a slam upon his desk.
"a bullet hole through the por-