Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1923-03-09
CHAPTER VII
In Which BARLEY Talks OF Many
Things.


Mrs. Currie wanted to hear the
story of our adventures and when
BARLEY recounted what had taken
place, I noticed that he expressed no
opinion as to what was back OF 1t all.
1t was after one when we reached
our rooms, and l expected that Bart
ley would want to 60 to bed at once.
I knew how tired 1 was, and supposed
that he must be even more weary.
But, after he had gotten into his pa
jamas, he dropped into a chair by the
window, curled one leg over the arm,
lighted his pipe, and turned to me.
"Well, what do you think Of 1t all?'
he drawled.
That was a hard question to an
swer. We had been through so much.
so many apparently unconnected
events, that l scarcely knew what to
think. Then, too, knew very little
of what had taken place after l had
left him at Sykes, or what new
things he had observed there. The
finding Of whisky and the sudden ap-
pearance Of the chauffeur, coupled
with my discovery Of the revolver
seemed to me to still further compli-
cate the problem. What had he come
to the vault for? I remembered that
the detective had said he thought the
chauffeur had killed Slyke. l Won
dered If this was simply wild guess,
or whether there was something be-
hind it.
BARLEY watched me with that little
smile on his lips that meant so many
things. "Well, Pelt," he said, ut
looks as If we were engaged upon
as mysterious a case as ever came
our way. The more l look 1t over, the
less sure l am Of anything. Do you
know, l picked up very little after
you left the houses"
I had been wondering all day If he
would find any clues Of value. ]
knew what a careful search he must
have made, and his statement that
he picked up very little of impor-
tance surprised me.
BARLEY watched me for a moment
or two before continuing Then he
told me of his days work. They had
been unable to find the chauffeur
either at the garage or anywhere else
around the estate. No one had seen
him since the butler saw him on the
stairs early in the morning. The cook
had later volunteered the information
that Mr.. Slyke and he had Quarreled
over something. What 1t was she did
not know; she had only heard the few
words he had repeated to me. The
house had been searched from top to
bottom, but without result. So far
as he could tell, nothing had been
stolen.
BARLEY had learned also that there
was Ill feeling between Miss Potter
and the chauffeur, and he had Ques-
toned her about it. She refused to
say what 1t was, and seemed to con-
slider Bartley's presence as an intru-
sion. He had secured nothing new
from her. When asked If she knew
whether Slyke had any enemies who
might want to take his life, she re-
piled she did not Repeated question
ing could not shake her story that the
step-daughter Ruth had not been ex-
pected home that night, and that she
had not known the girl was in the
house until we had all heard her
voice on the stairs. AS the girl car
ried her own key, she could easily,
she said, have returned without her
knowing It,
Then there was the dog to be con.
sidered He had slept as usual In the
big living room on the night Of the
crime. The girls story Of his walk
ing to the foot Of the stairs with her
when she came in. proved that he
was there the entire night. BARLEY
remarked that 1t was very strange
that the dog should have made nc
sound.
1T looks" commented, "as If who
ever committed the crime did not pass
through the living ROOM"
BARLEY gave me a disgusted look
"Or else, Pelt, the dog knew him. The
only way to reach the room where
Slyke slept was up those stairs. and
to reach the stairs he had to pass
through the living room. Remember
this, too, Lawrence said that Slyke
was not going to bed, but expected
another visitor. The butler says the
dog was In the room with him whex
he let Lawrence out Suppose the
other visitor came. If Slyke himself
admitted him, the dog would have
probably barked at least once-that
is, unless he knew him"
HYm.-x VUoo1~