The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-24
CHAPTER 22 4 BRIRE

Maurice Trask took up his reins of government with a firm hand, He left all housekeeping and domestic matters to Mrs Peyton but the busi- ness affairs of Dr. Waring he con- cluded to clean up as rapidly IS pos- sible.
 IFS astonishing" he said to Lock wood. what a lot of varied interests my cousin had This mornings mail brings all sorts of things from ral, book catalogues to mining prospec- tuses By the way, I think I shall have an auction of his rare books. Such things don't interest me, and I believe that they have a big money value"
 Some of them have" Lockwood re- turned indIfferently.
 He could not bring himself to like fhis new employer, but as he ha6 agreed to stay with him for time he did his best to meet requirements.
 Take this lot. now" and Trasll indicated a bookcase full of old vel umes of the classics. "They mean nothing to mel can't read Latin or Greek, and wouldn't if I could. My good heavens. Look at this one."
 Trask had taken down the volume that had been on Dr. Warnings desk the night of his death. As he Tipped over the pages, two were stuck to- gether. and the ghastly red stains showed only too clearly that they were the spilled blood of the dying man.
 Ugh" he said. holding out the volume to Lockwood burn that up \ How could anyone have put it back on the shelf? Never let me see it aEain!'
 The secretary took it. noting that it was a copy of Martial. to which pr. Waring had been greatly at tached Indeed, it had to Lock woods knowledge, been lying on the doctors desk for week or more before his death.
 Laying the stained volume aside in his own desk, Lockwood proceeded to assist in the examination of the books.
 He was not at all surprised to find Trask discardlng the ones he would have retained and keeping the most worthless-though there was little that could really be called trash in the Waring library.
 "Where are the story books?" the new owner grumbled
 "No detective stories? No spicy novels? No joke books?"
 "Dr. Waring was serious minded, !" Lockwood reminded him. He cared little for lighter reading. He was a scholar"
 'He sure was-to judge from these old dry-as-dust tonnes. But, I'll fire
  make room for more entertaining books. You see, Lockwood, l hope and l expect to get me wife be- fore long,"
 Gordons heart seemed tG contract, for he divined what was coming.
 "Yeppy, that's so. Little Old Mau- rice wants a wifie-and-wh do you suppose has caught my fancy?"
 "Who?" was the mechanical re- sponse.
 "N'hy. none other than the little Miss Mystery. Oh, yes, l know she is under a cloud-but l can get her off I'm a bird of a lawyer. you know and we'll fix all that up. Then, I'll elevate that little nonentity tG the elevated position of the missus of Maurice Trask. Hey, my boy, hows that?"
 Had Lockwood's calm not been habitual with him he could scarcely have maintained it through this scene. As it was, he was boiling, seething furnace inside him, but his judgment told him that any eXhibl- tion of surprise or annoyance would only irritate the other man without doing any good.
 Moreover, if Trask were really a shrewd lawyer, and if he knew some thing that would make any trouble for Anita-and she had hinted that Be did-then, Lockwood argued. he kAust keep friendly with Trask. at least until he found out more of the matter
 So he said. lightly, Has the lady agreed?"
 ''WellAnot yet; butt say, Lock wood. you're hit in that same d. rection. eh?'
 T admire Miss Austin very much.
 "Well-you keep off-do you hearT
 T hear" said Lockwood In his i'm