The Washington times., 1923-01-28
The Manor
Mystery
Nv GENE FOWL m.

Arson Clews, detective en-
traordinary. linger in ones mem.
Org like the poignant fragrance
OF q garlic salad. Arson Clews.
rolling his piercing glass eye
with the same agility that he dis !
played ct dice. always had some
now Giant on crime and its social &
qualifications.
While others Of the agency
confessed inability at times TO
unravel the Gordon Gin knot Of
a dastardly deed. Arson CleWs
would apply his incisive intellect
to the puzzle and amaze his lis
teners. He always had the solu.
ton Whether 1t was solution ]
Of bicarbonate Of soda or com !
mon table salt he always had It !.
Haunted houses" remarked
Arson clews, one sultry Winter
evening when all Fifth avenue
Vas sitting in the xerntenDera-
lures peculiar to East Thirty
fourth street. Haunted houses
he rspoated, pointing significant
" to his skull, mean very little
to me-"
drew closer to the rnaeteH
mind OF criminology, partly TO SEQ
II he had called his point correct.
~ as he fumbIed the two little
squares and partly to catch every
accent, every syllable that came
from such q celebrated larynx.
"You refer to the case at Diana
Manor, presume" was my time
" intersection.
Arson's plate eye twinkled.
knew that he was up to some mis-
chievous sally, some Characters
1ic prank that makes him 50
popular with his friends. He
went on:
Eyes, It was ct Diana Manor
that the police were unable to
proceed without assistance from
more analytical source than
headquarters could muster,
and"
.Of course you were called il"
:cffered.
THE same" he accepted. For
several years 1t had been bruited
about in the village that Diana
Manor, with its ninety-four gables
and four rain pipes, was haunted.
The credulity Of the simple-mind-
ed millionaires of the hamlet
was such that strong men QuaiIed
a. they were whirled along tho
road in their little limousines.
7 do not exaggerate when 70
call the fact that Dobson Spey.
ers-Milkfed, the suspender button
king. one night saw the ghost Of
Diana Manor. The apparitiOn
was supposed to belong to one
Of the ancient proprietors Of .
London rub.
Il grilled the lodgekeeped and
then the patrolman Who was sta
toned near the Manor House.
They said they knew nothing.
Judging from the expression on
their faces, was all but convinced
that the public schools had done.
little or nothing for them u
Next and do not wish to
speak with a tonsorial air = r
called on the furnace man. He
was fiery temperament who had
evaded the draft. He knew moth.
ing. Then talked with servants
in several of the cozy little estates
that surround. the Manor House.
They knew nothing.
Come, now I said to myself,
in order to make conversation.
no one knows anything. Indeed.
everybody knows nothing. We
need more universities and less.
university men,
There were no clues. found
an overshoe near the pathway
that led to an uncared-for rose ar.
Dor. and deduced that 1t might
have rained or showed the year
before. A broken umbrella lying
near-the stable gave me q belief
that 1t certainly had been raining
sometime, or that the implement
was used as a weapon in some
violent struggle.
II stumbled across an Ice pick.
All! undoubtedly there had been
freezing temperatures. Then II
occurred to me to try a last RI
sort. had been told that there
weren't an resorts whereabouts.
as It is strictly q decent commun-
ity: but set out to find one.
my steps led me to the home
of Dobson Speyers-M ilkfed, the
man who had encountered tho
ghost. I was ushered into tho
reception hall. was disguished
as gentleman. Presently there
appeared before be Dobson Spey.
ers-Milkfed.
where and when did you
see this ghost? ! asked"