Evening star., 1923-12-28
CONTINUED from Yesterdays star.)

thievin. Geon dismissed the repro
bate with shrug. "Time to turn the
long here"
"T guess it's safe enough now" the
doctor responded. whatever took
you into the city today? 1t wasn't
it?"
"I wanted to see a feller that works
for Mr.. Ashe, young Ruperts s father.
Geof's reply was conscientiously lit
one way and another. bout Lane and
Bernhard today, but I'll tell 1t to you
when we see what this detective from
headquarters has found out l got
a sort o s'picion, but ! may be dead
wrong, and / amt goin' to git myself
mixed uN IN this business worse'n /
beH
DR.. Hood glanced sidewise at his
companion, but the rugged, homely
face was set and determined in the
past experience he knew better than
to pursue the subject further. Geoff
would unbosom himself in his own
good time and not minute before.
The ancient car ratified and creaked,
but gathered speed. and the titled
fields gave place to pasture land and
stretches of woods, with here and
there a dark and silent farmhouse.
The distance seemed interminable.
but the picnic grove was reached at
last, and they had scarcely pulled
In under the shed when a figure ad
vanced as before to meet them.
Evening, doctor. l was begin
ming to think YOU and your friend
here couldn't make it," The voice of
Detective Lyons spoke from the dense
blackness. SORRY ] haven't got any
thing to report except where our man
wasn't last Wednesday night. I've
ciate OF his that / could locate, but
from the time he left that garage at
Brooklands until he drove into his
own in town he seems to have
There's just one point, though: he
wasn't riding around very much. ]
saw the garage helper again at the
Cavendish, the one who gave me the
first straight dope on him, and he
says that if Lane stocked up full with
gas and oil at about the distance
Brooklands is from the city-I didn't
give him the name of the burg, of
course; only the approximate num-
Der Of miles-there wasn't but a lit
tie more used up than would bring
him in, besides keeping the lights
going for that time. and the water in
the radiator wasn't even hot. That
looks as if Lane had driven straight
to New York and the car had been
standing somewhere, not any great
distance from the garage, for a good
part of those four hours. I'll get the
goods on him yet, though, If you'll
give lie Il more GU
couldn't give me any further lead on
him, could you, sir? Were wise to
why he and Bernhard quarreled, OF
course, but it might help some more
IL we knew what brought them to-
enemies for so long"
"I haven't been able to find any
body who could tell me that, Lyons,
and can't offer, you, any sugges-
He knows more of what's been going
on around the Cayley place than
II amt been nigh it today" GeoT
paused. This afternoon l went to
see that rich widow lady that's
bought the big Durant estate over to
Silver Bay-Mrs. Van Vert, her name
is. She wants me to put up some
Has that got anything to do with
the case?" demanded the doctor as
Lyons moved impatiently.
Il kinder thought it might have,
seems she's tryin' to git into So
lays and Bernhard pretty WELL"
drawled Geoff. ut was at a house
party she give last summer that Lane
met Miss Afillie, and l had a kind o
idee mebbe the little gal had some
thin to do with the beginnin' O the
friendship between him and her
uncle, same as she had with the
Dustin o it UP, and that she wasn't
no more to blame for one than
t'other. I'd figgered it out that if
Bernhard hadn't needed Lane in his
business he wouldn't have made up
with him and he'd have told him to
go to blazes when he come sparkin'
the niece. Now, this here Mrs. Van
Vert would do most anythin' to git
took up by the big bugs, and if
Bernhard had baited his hook for Lane
with little Miss Millie 1 wanted to
find out if Mrs. Van Vert held the rod
''Did you?' Lyons asked quickly,
with a new respect in his tone. II
don't know how you doped all that
out. but it seems like the straight
goods to me. Had this dame been
How'd you get her going?"
Well, L let on to the feller that
buttles for her when 1 sent in my
name that 1 couldn't come before be-
place, so she was all fixed for gossip
when he took me to her. l give it to
her, too. I've told more lies today
than I'll likely be able to live down
II kinder made out that Miss Millie
had took me into her confidence, bein'
as how I'd worked round their old
house summer after summer since
she was little gal. 1 lowed she
was grievin' cause Lane had seemed
to be sort O. coolin' off to'ards her
after her uncle'S death, but.that she'd
told me Mis- Van Vert would help
her to git him back, that she'd inter
dooced ,em in the beginnin. and had
swallered it like it was candy and
said it was true and she would do
anything for the dear child. Then I
let her drag it out o. me after lot
more coaxin' that folks were sayin'
Lane blamed her for gjttin' him in
SO deep with Bernhard through her
society inf1ooence that when she pre-
sented his niece he saw Bernhard
fall in with the idee or Bernhard would
wipe him out down on that there
stock exchange"
Great Jehoshaphat"' the doctor
exploded. 'Where'd you ever get such
notion, Geoff?"
Didn't git it nowheres." Geoff re-
sponded artlessly. 81 was baitin a
little hook o. my own and Mis- Van
Vert riz right to 1t. Afore she
stopped to think she said that Lane
Benkard's niece till he was head over
heels in love with her, and that she
and Bernhard had fixed it UP between
'em. Then she kinder recollected she
man, and a gabby ole at that, and
she shut UP like a clam: but I'd found
out what I wanted to know. 'Zeppa,
the cook at the Cayley place, had
Already told me how partial Bernhard
was to remindin' Miss Millie and her
ma o. what they owed to him. and
YOU said yourself, Doc. that after the
readin' o. the will this afternoon the
little gal lowed she was grateful to
her uncle's mem'ry for all he'd done
for her, even though she knew the
motive. I kinder figgered it out that
Bernhard never did nothin' for no.
buddy without maxim it pay him in
the end, one way or mother, and that
- = 4,
on from the home town six
years ago because he thought his sis
ter would be a help in gittin' into
sort o. society that would
further his Wall street schemes.
Then, when he seen how purity Miss
Millie was, he had her eddieated and
groomed just like one o. these here
trained hosses at the county fair, SOS