Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-02-14
By WILLIAM MacLEOD RAINE
Author Of "A Man Four.Square,"
"Gunsight Pass" etc.
CoDiriotf. 1929. bu William Mac Leod RdtNS
|, William Macleod Rdine d.

arrested. He had tried to smooth over
difficulties between him and Jack. But
Kirby, against his desire. found prac-
tical reasons of policy TO explain thest,
ovcrtures. James had known he would
soon be released through the efforts OF
other cattlemen. He had stepped In to
win the Wyoming cousins confidence
in order that he might prove an asset
rather than a liability to his cause.
The oil broker had readily agreed to
protect Esther Mclean from publicity.
but the reason for his forbearance was
quite plain now. He had been protect.
ing himself, not her.
The mans relation to Esther proved
him selfish and without principle. He
had been willing to let his dead uncle
bear the odium of his misdeed. Yet be-
meath the surface Of his cold manner
passions. His love for Phyllis Hartman
had carried him beyond prudence, be =
yond honor. He had duped the uncle
whose good will he had carefully fos-
tered for many years, and at the hour OF
his uncle's death he had been due to
reap the whirlwind.
The problem sifted down to two fac.
tors. One was the time element. The
other was the temperament Of james.
A man may be unprincipled and vet
draw the line at murder. He may be
n seducer and still lack the courage and
the cowardice for cold -blooded killing.
Kirby had studied lis cousin, but the
man was more or less of sphinx to
him. Behind those cold, calculating
eyes what was he thinking?
Only once had he seen him thrown
off his poise That was when Kirby
and Rose had met him coming out Of
the Paradox white and shaken, his
arm wrenched and strained. He had
been nonplussed at sight of them.
mirror the dismay of his soul. The
explanation he had given was quite in.
adequate as cause.
Twenty four hours later Kirby had
discovered the dead body of the Japan
cse valet Horikawa. The man had been
dead perhaps a day. More hours than
on the possible connection of his cou-
sins momentary breakdown and tho
servants death. Had James come fresh
from the murder of HoriEawa?
1t was rosxible that the Oriental
might have held evidence against him
and thrcaencd to divlilge it. James,
Will llIc IedE VI NCutH Ill HIS hSutt
might have gone each day into the
taking to him food and newspapers.
They might have quarreled. The
strained tendons of Cunningham arm
could be accounted for good deal more
readily on the hypothesis of bit Of ex-
pert jujutsu than on that of n fall
downstairs. There were pieces in the
puzzle Kirby could not fit into place.
One OF them was to find sufficient
cause for driving 1lorikawa to conceal
himself when there was no evidence
against him Of the crime.
The time element was tremendously
important in the solution of the mys-
terry Of Cunningham's death. Kirby
had studied this n hundred times. On
the back of an envelope he jotted down
once more such memoranda as he knew
or could safely guess Mt Some Of these he
had 20 change slightly as to time to
make them dovetail into each other.
S:45. UncteJ leaves City Club.
500. Uncle ]. reaches rooms.
S :55-- 9:l0. Gets slippers, etc.
Smokes.
SOD go. Olson watching from w
fire. escapes.
9:10-- $50. Hulls in apt.
9:30- T:4O. X.
9:37-- 9:l2. Approximately time Of.
son heard shot.
go 0:4". Olson busy on roof, with
rope, etc. Then at win
dow till o :j3.
9:40- o 9:53. James in apt.
0:44- $50. Jack and Phyllis In apt
9:J5-1O 0j. Wild Rose in rooms.
:m. ! reach rooms.
10 20. Meet Ellis.
1925. Call police.
That was the time schedule az well
as he had been able to work it out. 1t
was Incomplete. For instance. he had
not been able to account for Horikawa
in it ut all unless he represented y in
that ten minutes Of time unaccountctl
for. 1t was inaccurate. Olson was
entirely vague as TO time. but he could
be checked up pretty we'll by the others.
Hull was not quite sure of his clock.
and Rose could only say that she had
reached the Paradox quite a little
after n quarter to TO-" Fortunatcl!
his own arrival checked up here pretty
closely, since she could not have been in
the room much more than five minutes
before him. Probably she had been
even less than that. James could not
have left the apartment more than a
minute or so before Rcsc arrived. II
wns ouita poScih1, that her coming hol