Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1923-03-23

possibility of the girls having done
it. but had decided against it. He
reminded me that Slyke had been
killed on the balcony, and carried
down two flights of stairs, and that
Slyke weighed one hundred and fifty
pounds the girl not hundred. Re-
membering that and the task it was
to carry such heavy weight down
so many stairs, did l still think the
girl could have done it?
NV face turned red with chagrin,
and, seeing that I was hurt, he smiled
at me kindly and apologiZed.
81 didn't intend to hurt your feel
ings, Pelt. You are like all news
paper men, you enjoy building up a
story out of nothing. In this affair."
we mustn't let ourselves get side
tracked We shall need all the clear
thinking we can do"
Anxious to redeem myself, l said,
John, we have been going on the
| theory that some one from outside
| came into the house and killed Slyke,
! a mysterious visitor who arrived after
Lawrence had left. Perhaps the MUIR
derer was hiding in the house all the
| time"
He gave me an interested look and
an approving nod.
Suppose" l went on, that the
murderer was on the balcony. 1t was
a good place to hide. 1t was so dark
up there that he could not have been
seen from the ground. Then let us
assume that Slyke heard sound
above him, when he was in the room
below the balcony, and went up TO
see what it was The person may
have made the sound on purpose to
attract his attention. At any rate,
when he does come out on the bal
cony, he is killed"
BARLEY did not speak for a while,
turning my suggestion over in his
mind. Then he answered "You may
be right. 1t is possible that some one
was waiting for him to come upstairs
But do not forget that, if that is so,
the person would have had to wait
there for a long time; for he could
not tell when Slyke would come into
the room below the balcony. Still,
your suggestion is well worth keeping
in mind"
Although he spoke so favorably Of
my idea, l could see that he did not
really agree with me.
l yawned and BARLEY glanced at his
watch. 1t was after three, and We
Il 1, I,
ago. He rose and taking two objects
from his pocket placed them on the
desk I leaned over to see what they
were.
Living black and sinister on the DARK
mahogany surface were the revolver
| that had been taken from Sykes mana
jand hidden in the vault, and niue
= cork stopper, It's end covered with
red wax that showed where a knife
had been used on it.
Look" BARLEY said pointing at
them with a laugh. "The sole result
of q days work. The only clues we
have are before US. One is revolver
that did not have a finger print on 1t ;
the other a little stopper that IN ght
have come from anywhere. From
these we have to discover the MUIR
derer."
Again he laughed. I stood looking
at the two objects, thinking how IN
significant they were and wishing
they could speak and tell their story
Catching my mood, his face grew
grave. He stood looking at them fol
a moment, then with a sudden gesture
swept them into a small box saying
1--WE ought to have been in bed hours
ago"
I had reached my room and was
pulling down the bed covers when ne
called to me. Ireturned to his room
and found him sitting on the edge OF
his bed taking off his shoes.
"I forgot to tell you, Pelt, that Wher
we reach the solution of this murder
somehow or other whisky Will De
mixed up with it. When you told me
that Slyke had been selling whisky Il
his friends, l knew that something
was wrong. The finding of the liquor
In his own vault makes me more Ger
tain. He must have known that thai
whisky was there Why, under heaven
a man that had the money Slyke was
presumed to have had, should secret'
whisky on his grounds is more thar
! know"
But" I reminded him, "you say NJ
did not have as much money "a
people thought he had"
Eyes that is true. The lawyer con
firmed what l had heard about M
losses. Whisky and Slyke had a goo'
deal in common, you will find"
He yawned, and l started again 10
my room. AS l reached the door n
added, "Black thinks the chauffeu
killed Slyke. Maybe he did. Still
and he laughed-'I never saw MAJ
with a square head that knew yer
much. And that detective certainl
. has a square head"
And with that absurd remark in III
mind, ! went to bed.
S CHAPTER VIII