Evening star., 1923-05-13

the sound Of a shot, or believed that
his first attack had SO stunned Pei
ham that his death by drowning was
| inevitable.
Before climbing out Of the pool. Pel-
ham dived once below the surface.
Despite the fact that his head ached
from the grazing impact OF the stone,
and that he was soaking wet. he was
smiling as he walked across the lawn
to the castle.
His black eyes cleaned in the electric
light. "Sacre, m'sieu! What has hap.
pened?"
Some one tried to drown me In the
pool" Pelham replied.
! But who. m'sieu?" cried Pierre
Pelham shrugged his shoulders. II
didn't see him." he replied. Can you
| get me some dry clothes?"
Pierre could and would. He brought
them to a bedroom to which he had
| shown Pelham. After he had left the
| room. Tryon demanded a full expla-
nation. Given 1t, he asked Pierre's
! question: "Whor
You don't speak French, do you,
Jerry?"
The ex-iieutenan. shook his head
| impatiently. mot a word" he an
| swered.
"Tll give you a lesson by and by"
chuckled Pelham. What time Is it?"
Tryon consulted his watch. "Nine-
/ thirty"
Most of the servants have gone to
bed. then" said Pelham. while Tn
finishing dressing. suppose You get
Mrs. Barney and make a round of the
servants quarters. Get a shoe from
each one of the men,"
| Whats the idea?" asked Tryon.
Footprints" grinned Pelham.
That's the biggest bunk in the
world" scored Tryon.
"Of course it is. but the servants
won't know that no one was ever
| convicted on a footprint.
Tryon raised his eyebrows. you
want me to tell them the reason we
want the shoes?"
Exactly" said Pelham.
'Why7" asked Tryon.
because the man who tried to
or a knife next time. And I want to
find out before that next time comes"
Half an hour later Tryon returned
bearing a clothes basket filled with
shoes. TITS too dark to try and fit
these shoes to any footprints, even II
you were crazy enough to try" he
| grumbled.
But it's not too dark for some ono
to try to obliterate footprints that he
| might think one OF these shoes would
fit," said Pelham.
The ex-lieutenant Of police stared
at his ally. And to think" ne said,
''that I've been trying for years to get
you to join me. and you only con-
sented q month ago."
IN the shadows OF the great stone
castle. crouched on the terrace
| o Itsiie the French wind )ws Of the
dining room, they watched. And then,
just before the false dawn was due,
the French windows opened softly
and through the aperture stepped the
figure of a man. Even in the dark
ness they could see the white band
age about his head.
Across tho terrace tho man walked
and across the drive. Then. upon the
lawn, he knelt down. They saw the
hands working upon the grass.
'Wiping out footprints that would
never hang any one." said Tryon with
saturnine humor.
Pelham stood upright. Pierre" he
called sharply.
The kneeling figure on tho lawn
a S&e Ann - IN
stabbed the darkness. Bent low, the
two detectives raced at tho butler.
He fred twice again. missed. and
turned his weapon against himself
The Gray Ghosts followers preferred
a bullet to the electric chair.
Elias Mannering. awakened from
slumbcr by .he sound Of this sho,e.
insisted on . full explanation. Pei
ham gave il
Pierre had gone down to the cellar
for wine. That would take several
minutes. :tms enough for him to run
three hundred yards to the lodge. gain
admittance. kill Hardy. ana unlock
the gates, He could. then have rid
! den almost to tho houss. dropped OF
the bandits car, re-entered tho house
and proceeded to serve the wine. The
wnole Job need not havs :aken more
than i've or six minutes, in which
time he would not be missed.
HE would be alarmed At news that
we were going to examine footprints
on the grounds. He would know that
his were the only footprints leading
to the lodge. He would not know
that such faint traces as q running
-
- clues. Alarmed. he would try to
oblitsrats them You So. he was 20
alarmed already that he had tried to
kill me. For. Of course. he was the