Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-07-24
Continued from our last issue)

later when he took his leave he
slipped a note into the hand of the
other.
The note was terse and to the
point.
Mrs. James Slocum removed
furnishings from Gotham Storage
Warehouse to Edgecombe Road,
Brookside. New Jersey. last Friday.
Will take care of bill of lading to-
morrow"
So that chance shot had hit the
mark,
Miles locked up the house and
room.
rip and l have been very busy
this afternoon" began Scottie as
Miles took a scat.
so Rip has been up to some
thing! Is that what you had in
mind to tell me. Scottie?
ut is, and l have had an exciting
time. I'm a matter of twenty dol
lars poorer for it which | shall
charge to the expense account and
Rip is nursing a scratch on the
shoulder" Scottie closed his right
hand and looked at it thoughtfully
and his companion observed for the
first time that the knuckles were
Redeemed and a trife swollen.
'"Twas a nasty minute and a close
shave for HIM" y
you've been in a scrap!" Miles
exclaimed.
You were not Attacked"
mo. 1t was me did the attacking.
You see, Owen lad, | took a look at
that cottage in the woods where our
friend Roger had his laboratory
long ago. l caught a glimpse of a
clearing just ahead with a blacken.
ed chimney sticking up, and heard
the sound of a number of voices in
dispute. Among them ! recognized
Rips and he was plainly frighten-
ed. I hurried forward and saw Rip
and a fellow who lowered half a
head taller than he, shaking some
thing under his nose.
"'You done pas dis phony money
on me yestiddy when / faded your
he was fair shouting, and he added
a curse that no accorded with the
Sabbath. You is gwine take it back
aad give me de real goods or I'll
cyarve your heart out!'
Il could see Rips face and it was
as nearly white as it ever will be.
"'Your lies don't go with me, Rip
Lunt! Desc boys all see you gimme
dis bill yestiddy and it was the onli-
est twenty dollar one in de game!
Amt dat right. boys?'
The rest of them were getting
excited and threatening and Rip
commenced to whine and blubber
when all of a sudden the big fellow
went wild and then things happened
quick. He crumpled the bill and
threw it in Rips face and with a
yell reached into his pocket and
that was where / took a hand in tho
A,InI tL.t Lilo 1,,,Ir ,,,ul
as his knife streaked down across
Rips shoulder and caught him on
on the point of the jaw that pu
him out for the count"
Scottie glanced down once more
affectionately at his clenched fist.
rip was loud in his gratitude
but out of the tail of my eye / saw
him hunt for that bill and then turr
to sneak away and l laid hold OF
him by the collar to wait till the
lout who had accused him woke up,
HE sat up after a bit rubbing his
Jaw and started to turn ugly III
spoke to him man to man and said
I'd make good for Rip If there'd
been a mistake. He told me Rip had
lost the money to him in a crap
game Saturday and when he tried
to change it he found the bill was
counterfeit. l made Rip let me
have a look at it and then I laughed
in the big bucks face and gave him
a crisp new twenty from my wallet
In exchange to show him what !
thought of it. Here's the bit of pa
per the row started over"
He handed to Miles a limp, worn
twenty-dollar bill, one end of when
had a tinge of brown M the de-
tective turned it thoughtfully over
in his hands.
Il wonder how Rip got it?" he
remarked. what did he tell you? %
Nothing. Not a sensible word
could l get out of him."
"We'll make him come clean
when we get hold of him. If the
bill is all right he needn't be afroid
-" Miles checked himself sudden
ly. But is it. Scottie? It's so old
l wouldn't take an oath on it"
Il would, lad" There was a GER
tain grimness in the others tone.
you'll mind l told o I was the
poorer by twenty dollars? / learned
bill is as phony as the brightest
gold brick that raj ever sold."
CHAPTER XIII
1t a nearly lunch-time the next
day when Miles glance fell upon
the door-plate of a room at the end
of the hall; a room which had re-
manned locked since his arrival and
which he had once heard Carter re-
fer to casually as "Mr. Rogers
storeroom.'' He had polished that
door-plate only Saturday morning,
but now there seemed something
odd about its appearance and the
detective bent closer.
The brass about the keyhole was
dulled save where a tiny, jagged
scratch pr two glinted and there
were traces upon it of a CONCEALED,
greasy substance at sight of which
Miles drew a quick, involuntary
breath.
Wax! Someone within the last
two days had taken an impression
of that keyhole, someone who was
too careless or in too great haste to
remove the evidence of the act.
What could Roger have stored
there which would be of interest to
anybody but himself?
Luncheon was owe when the de-
tective heard the telephone ring
he fastened toward the library, but
the sound of Rogers voice in reply
arrested him before he reached the
threshold.
eyes? . This is Roger Drake
speaking . WHAT'S that?" The
receiver fell with a clatter to the
desk but it was evident that Roger
had retrieved 1t for in a moment his
voice came again. shrill with some
thing very like terror.
"Who are you? You must be
mad! h. My brother?" There
was a long pause and then the one