Evening star., 1923-02-01
CONTINUED From Yesterdays star.)
CHAPTER xI.

-SRo ShO Sukc OIL INC ldDI6 o.
which he leaned. storrow looked wit
widening eyes at his guest.
"Rsnnison. are you mad? he gasp
ed.
1t 10 not my sanity. but your fac
uity for blundering. that is about L
Fpe subjected to a test. 1t 10 not wit
theoetes, but with evidence, that w
have to do"
What is your evidence, thenr de
manded Storrow angrily. What evi
dsnoA have you OF a nature that lead
YOU 90 believe that my loyalty is no
as Ytainted as your own; that l an
snw&ved nn, IN q. a conspiracy against od
hsamsons lips were set grimly a
coat An oblong object. In a few mo
nyents he had taken from the half
pisos Of metal he had found f'u unde
(the edge Of a carpet in the Wey
mouthshire. As he dropped the meta
on the table he glanced ipterroga
lively at his companion.
Does this resemble anything yol
have seen before. storrow?' he asked
why. no"yes'" he muttered. 1
looks like the broken point of tn,
sort of sword ] have in my cane"
Does it?' Rennison querled softly
His host looked at the metal NOR
narrowly.
His features were tense as h,
glanced at the young Army officer.
The crime of which you have spok
en- was not committed with this!" h,
exclaimed In a shaking voice.
THE blade IL broken, as you see,'
Rennison replied. THE next move O.
this test OF ours is up to you,
Storrow, breathing heavily. wa.
about to touch an electric button un.
der an edge OF the table when Renni
son spoke again.
You trust Cotton. your man, alb.
solutely. l suppose" he said.
Storrow stiffened suddenly, and tn,
hand h1had extended fell to his side
He flushed and the expression of won
der deepened on his face.
He darted . quick. searching glance
at Rennison, and walked briskI,
toward the entrance hall of his apart.
ment. Rennison hesitated, then
with dubious. self-reproachful ex.
preston on his features. he rose. and
followed him.
As storrow reached the hall he be
friend was behind him.
That's right. Rem" he said. bitter
~. Like me. I see, you are goins
to take no chances"
None" Rennison answered.
Hating at hat-rack in the hall
sterrow took from beside it his
prised Malacca cane: The glances
led the way back to the room they
had left. Arriving there, Storrow
laid the cane on the table. Having
done this. he bowed curtly to Renni-
son. then drew back.
The bow was returned by the Army
cane.
ITS still up to you. storrow." Rem
nison said. The stick is yours"
The idler hesitated. A growing
fear was In his eyes as his gaze met
that Of Rennison.
open the stick" Rennison directed.
Taking the cane from the table.
Storrow unscrewed the ivory head
and drew out a blade of steel. Both
men saw the point of this. had been
Beads Of perspiration began to
"Broken-broken. the idler NUT
name. does all this mean. REM"
The gaze OF his horror -dilated eyes
was upon the end of the broken blade.
1T means your thoughts are run
Rennison replied quietly. THE chap
who was murdered this afternoon was
not killed with this blade OF yours"
This assurance brought only a mo-
nlsntary expression of relief to Stor-
rows face.
"But-' he protested, weakly.
The attention of the canes owner
still was concentrated on the broken
blade. Rennison. however, quickly
reached for the Malacca sheath which
Storrow had tossed to the table
Holding the cane in perpendicular
Army man struck II sharply. several
times, against the table. At length
from inside the stick slipped a thin
role Of paper, closely bound with
florists wire.
An incoherent exclamation of
am naxement escaped Storrow's lips.
Moving quickly. Rennison unwound
the wire from the spill. and then
spread out on the table five sheets
of tissue paper. On one sheet was
drawn a checkered heart. The others
were filled with close-lined typewrit-
"That's ALL" Rennison said shortly.
What is written here is not for your
psrusal or mine"
Thus speaking. he folded the sheets
carefully and thrust them into a
there was a hunted look in stor-
rows eyes as he said, tuskily:
way beyond my depth. You are
not q man to make me the victim of
a practical Joke, Of course-on q sub
ject so serious as this"
mo. Storrow," Rennison answered,
gravely. 1.-THE sheets OF paper which
WA q hry
derer from the body of . murdered
man. The secret which they hold
may decide the fate of Seafalcen and
his powerful brotherhood"
'But how. in Heavens name, did
they get into my Gamer Sterrow de-
Rennison looked at him coldly.
Well, II you are not q blunderer
and are not addicted to the habit of
getting into dangerous company. you
should be able to answer that aues-
tion easily" Rennison reterted. "You
now will understand that, though I
had no suspicion of your predicament
when / warned you this afternoon to
leave Washington. 1 was justified in
my belief that. sooner or later, you
would become involved in trouble of
a serious nature. You demanded
nstural elunderer. and I have given
It 70 you. 1t now is up to both OF US
to evolve some line OF conduct that
Will get you out Of your difnculty."
But. Rennison. give you my
word that know nothing Of this af-
fair-exeept what you have told me,
and that is little enough. Why
should that roll of paper be thrust
into my cane1"
THAT 10 something which is essen
tSa1 that you make clear to me with
out delay. Inasmuch as the cane Is
And IN
in your possession in the
last twelve hours, which embrace the
period in which the crime was COM
mitted, 1t il obvious that it is up to
you to expain how these sheets of
paper were placed inside of it. The
seriousness of the matter is so great
that, from this moment. you must re-