Evening star., 1923-06-08

John waring. newly elected TO the presi
dency of Corinth College, venerable New
England seat of learning. is found stabbed
to death in his study. AS he is at the pin
nacle Of his career and about to marry Emily
Bates. a charming and cultured widow. nc
motive for suicide appears. He had no known
enemies There is no trace of a weapon
nor is there any way in which murderer
could have left the locked room
The next morning Nogi, the japanese but
er is missing as are vaiuspe .h hesn rnpy esripk
and $500, known to have been In private
drawer. Gordon Lockwood. Dr. Waring
seSse'4 Spop the snisise % theory. Morton the town
detective discovers that the young man Il
secretly deep in debt. Another important
torney, IL a series Of footprints deep in the
crusted snow leading 10 and from the Frencr
windows OF the. study-footprints that are
unusually small.
"Oh, no." but Morton wriggled un-
easily. 1T couldn't be. No murderer
is going to walk through crusted snow
to and from the scene Of his crime,
leaving definite footprints like those.
That's no argument. He might nave
come here with no intent OF crime. and
asterward, might have been so beside
himself he couldn't plan safely.
"Oh, well. get what you can from
them" said Morton. pettishly. Il sup
pose you deduce a tall man. with blue
ewes and two teeth missing"
Don't be cheap. Morton. And. on
the contrary, ! deduce small man.
They are small footprints. and close
together. The japanese are small men,
Morton"
well, these prints are more than
Al nd MOI
clear enough to incriminate ANYBODY.
They haven't changed an iota from
the moment they were made. THIS colo
snap has kept everything frozen sond
Look at the frost still on the panes, the
icicles still on the window sashes' the
ice coating still on all the trees and
branches. In fact, 1t has grown steadily
colder since night before last, and until
II begins to tnaw We have these loot
prints g intact evidence. I will have
them photographed.
They are small" Morton agreed
you say. close together for an ordi.
nary sized man. 1t looks like the Jap,
beginning to wake up, are you
You've sure been asleep at the switch
Morton
Nothing of the sort. Mr.. Gray. Bu
ought 70 have help. I've had all
| could tackle, making the necessary mrs
/ inquiries. and getting the facts straight
ened out"
That business could have waited
better than those other things. Now
there's Crimmins, the lawyer, arriving
Let's interview him. But not in the
study. Keep that clear.
| The Missing Will.
| They met Crimmins in the hall, anc
| took him to the living room
| The matter of the will was immedi'
ately taken up. and Mrs. Bates was
asked to tell which desk drawer Il
| was in.
Accompanied by the lawyer and the
! secretary, Mrs. Bates indicated tht
drawer, and lockwood opened it with
| his key.
There were a few papers in II but nc
Nor could further search disclose any
Who took it?" said Mrs. Bates
blankly.
But no one could answer her. The
others came thronging in. Crays urgent
being entirely ignored.
II knew it, declared Mrs. Peyton
| triumphantly. Now, l guess you won'r
be SO cocky: Emily Bates-you or your
authority y"
Mrs. Bates looked at her. "I am the
heir" she said, haughtily. Il asser
that-but I cannot prove it until the
will is found. 1t isn't in your posses
| sion, Mr.. Crimmins?"
No: DIR. Waring preferred to keeI
it himself. 1 cannot understand its dis
appearance"
| IA lot of paper has been burned II
this fireplace" said Helen Peyton, wht
was poking the ashes around.
Morton hastened to look, for IL seemed
! to him as If everybody was stealing hi:
| thunder.
Nothing that can be identified" h,
said. CareleSSly
MOP" demurred Cray. AT an.
rate, 1t looks as If some legal paper
| were destroyed. This bit Of ash is quit
evidently the remainder of several sheet
folded together"
But no definite knowledge could b,
gained outside the fact that much pape,
| had been burned there. And no fire hac
been made since the discovery Of th'
tragedy, it stood to reason the papers
! were burned by DR.. Waring himself o.
| by his midnight intruder, if there wer'
was such a one.
We'll" Cray demanded of the lawyer
"if no will can be found, then wht
| inherits the property of DR.. Waring
| And Is It considerable?
Yes: Dr. Waring had quite a for
tune" Crimmins told them. "As to Al
| heir, he has a distant cousin-a sec
ond cousin, who. l suppose, would b,
| the legal inheritor, in the absence o
any will. But, l know he made a will
| in Mrs Bates favor. and it included /;
few minor legacies to the members O.
| this household and some neighbors."
"I know it." Mrs. Bates said. TN
L