Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-04-10
THE BREAKING POINT
BY MARY ROBERTS RINEHART

nenciI. 'Ee went on for while on the horses
Then somehow, he must have lost thu horse,
for he turned up on foot, date unknown, In
a state of exhaustion at cabin that lies here.
I got lost myself, or I'd never have found the
place. He was sick there for weeks, and SO
seems to have stayed quite while after
he recovered, as though he couldn't decide on
what to do next"
Walter Wheeler stirred and looked UP.
What sort of condition was he N when he
left?"
Every good, they said
you're sure it was Livingstone?"
",The man there had a tree fall on HIM He
operated I guess that's the answer"
tits the answer to more than that, Rey-
nods said slowly. sit shows he had come
back IF he hadn't he couldn't have done 1t.
"And after that?" some one asked. a'r+
"I lost him. He left to hike to the rail-
road, and he said nothing of his plans 1t I'd
been able to make open inquiries l might
have turned up something, but couldn't. It's
hard proposition had trouble in finding
Hattie Thorwald, too. Shed left the hotel.
and is living with her son. She swears she
doesn't know where Hines is, and hasn't seen
him for years.
Bassett had been listening intently, his
head dropped forward. t@o.'
81 suppose the son doesn't know about
Hines?"
"No. She warned me- He was surly and
suspicious The sheriff had sent for him and
questioned him about how you got his horse,
and I gathered that he thought was de-
tective. When I told him 1 was friend of
yours, he sent you message. You may be
able to make something out Of it: I can't.
He said: You can tell him didn't say any,
thing about the other time"
Bassett sat forward. .tc
''The other timer"
''He is under the impression that his moth
er got the horse for you once before, about
ten days before Clark escaped. At night ALSO
mot for me-" Bassett said decisively.. ssTen
days before that I was he got out his note
book and consulted it, II was on my way to
the cabin in the mountains, where the Don
aldsons had hidden Jud Clark. I hired
horse at the livery stable"
could the Thorwald woman have followed
your" ~
"Why the devil should she do that?" he
asked irritably. "She didn't know who was.
She hadn't chance at my papers, for I kept
them on me. If she did suspect that I was
on the case, a dozen fellows had preceded
me, and half of them had gone to the cabin"
He considered the situation. ~
Nevertheless he finished, II believe she
did. She Hines himself. There was some
one on horse outside the cabin that night"
There was silence in the room. Harrison
Miller thoughtfully drawing at random on the
map before him. Each man was ceeing the
situation from his own angle; to Reynolds it's
medical interest and the possibility of his
permanency in the town; to Walter Wheeler.
Elizabeth's spoiled young life; to Harrison
Miller, David; and to the reporter convic-
ton that the clues he now held should lead
him somewhere, and did not.
Before the meeting broke up, Miller took a
folded manuscript from the table and passed
it to Bassett. Ut
"Copy of the coroners inquiry. after the
murder" he said. Thought it might Inter-
est you" ~
Then for time, that was all, Bassett, por-
ing over the inquest records and finding them
of engrossing interest, saw the futility of saw
ing man who could not be found. And even
Nnas faith, that the fabulously rich could
not die obscurely, began to fade as the sum-
mer died. She restored some of her favor 10
Wallie Sayre, and even listened again to his
alternating hopes and fears.
,tuc.
Continued Thursday. Renew your sub
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