Evening star., 1923-06-06
THE MYSTERY GIRL:
Thrilling Detective Story
BY CAROLYN WELLS.
Copyright. by J. B. Lippincott Co..

thing don't forget. Morton, after the
private secretary the next person to
be suspected is the butler-that is. in
fiction. which / gather you take as
your manual of procedure
bockwoods sarcasm drove Morton
frantic, but he was too wise to show
his annoyance.
Il shall neglect no possible suspect,
he said with dignity.
And then two men came from the
police, who said they were photog-
raphers and desired to take some pic
lures. at the chiefs orders.
Lockwood left them and went TO
the living room. where the household
and a few neighbors were assembled
I'm glad to get out of that detec-
tive atmosphere" he said. relaxing in
an easy-chair. ITS had enough to
have the man dead without seeing and
hearing those cold -blooded police bun
Cling over their clues and evidences"
Tell me a little of the circum-
stances" asked Mrs. Bates. who was
present. Il can bear it from you.
/, Gordon. and / must know"
apparently. DR.. Waring was sit
ting at his desk. reading" Lockwood
began. with a faraway look, as II try
ing to reconstruct the scene. He
must have been reading Martial-for
the volume was open on the desk
and the pages were bloodstained."
shuddered, but Lockwood went un-
movabiy on.
There were other books about
some open. some closed. but Martial
was nearest his hand-quite as il he
were reading up to the last moment"
when the murderer came" Mrs
Bates breathed softly. her eyes wide
with horror.
1T couldn't have been murder"
Lockwood said. in a positive way.
I d. se I,fN
have been. That Morton detective Is
trying to trump up a way the assassin
could have entered that locked room
but he can't find any way. j know
I he can't. So it must have been suicide.
Much as we dislike to admit it. it is
the only possible theory"
But they say there was robbery"
Mrs. Peyton put in. The ruby pin is
gone and the money from the drawer" :"
But, perhaps" Gordon said, they
also murder his victim. Nogi. now
"Of course" cried Helen Peyton.
quickly; Il see it, ! never could
! abide Nogi. with his stealthy ways.
He stole the things. and then he ran
away. and later DR.. Waring killed
/ himself.'
Because of the robbery" exclaimed
Emily Bates
"Oh. no." Lockwood returned.
/ SeTJalniy not Tor tnaJ. lnQeSu, tne
motive is the greatest mystery of all.
We could perhaps imagine a motive
/ for murder-whether IL was robbery
! or some brute of the other faction
! or some old enemy of whom we know
nothing. But for suicide. though
am sure it was that. l can think of no
motive whatever
Nor l." said Mrs. Bates. II knew
/ Kim better than any of you. and
know know for certainty that he
was a happy man. That he looked
| forward eagerly to his marriage with
me. that he was happy in the thought
of his presidency-that he hadn't a
| real trouble in the world"
THE other faction" began Mrs
Peyton.
NO" said Mrs. Bates. firmly. He
knew he>was doing his duty. uphold
ing the principles and tradition of
his college, and the other faction did
not worry him. He was too big
! minded, too broad-visioned to allow
that to trouble him.
II think you're quite right. Mrs.
Bates" Lockwood agreed: but grant
ing it was suicide. what do you think
was the cause?"
That's just it," she declared. AZ
couldn't have been. He was too
happy, too good. too fine, to do such
a thing. even If he had had a reason.
And. then, what did he do it with"
Morton imagines a secret entrance
of some sort" said Lockwood "If
there is one. the robber could have
come in afterward and could have
carried off the weapon
Hush, Gordon said Mrs. Bates.
sternly. That's too absurd. If 1t
had been suicide-which 1t wasn't
why under heaven would a burglar
coming in later take away the
weapon?"
ITO save himself" said Lockwood.
shortly. so he wouldn't be sus-
pected of the greater crime"
Nonsense" said Mrs. Peyton
irately; Il never heard such rubbish,
And. in the first place, there's no Sc
cret entrance to the study. | haven't
swept and busted and vacuum cleaned
that place all these years without
knowing that, Yes. and had the room
know every inch of it. There's no
possible chance of secret entrance
Who built it and when and why?
Not DR.. Waring. His life's always
been an open book. Never has he had
any secret errands. any callers whom
l didn't know, any matters on which
he was silent or uncommunicative
Until his engagement to Mrs Bates,
he hadn't a ripple in his quiet life,
and that he told me about as soon as
II occurred"
Mrs. Peyton looked squareIy at DR..
Warnings fiancee, as if to imply a
complete knowledge of the courtship
as well as an intimate knowledge of
the doctors life.
That's true" Lockwood said. "He
was man without secrets He was
always willing | should open his mail.
and there was never a letter that |
did not know about"
Yet even as he spoke, the man re-
membered the crumpled paper he had
taken from the waste basket and he
felt in his pocket, though he made
no sign.
Continued tomorrow)