Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1924-06-06
sYNoPsls
4 by Irwin Myers

prepossesstng woman. who says that
she 10 Oliver Hilditch's wife, that Hill
ditch 10 an arch criminal and that Led
sam has turned loose . dangerous man
to resume his preying upon society.
CHAPTER II-Lsdsam. dining with
his best friend. Andrew Wilmore. meets
Hilditch and his wife and 10 invited to
dine with them 1T their home.
CHAPTER IIL-At dinner with the
Hlditches. oliver shows Ledsam how
he killed his victim and says his own
death the same way would make his
home. Ledsam receives q phone sau
from Margaret. saying Oliver has been
murdered.
CHAPTER IV-Ledsam gets the cor
onsr to set divers death down AZ
suicide. Later on he admits to WILL
more that he has developed a keen in
ther, Sir Timothy Brast, the evil shep-
herd, who tells him q crime win be
committed before they leave the cafe.
CHAPTER v-Ths crime is com
mittsd and Shopland. O Scotland Yard
detective. asks Lsdsam TO interview the
girl In the case.
CHAPTER vI-Daisy tells Lsdsam
nothing much. except that her COM
panion had led = pretty fast life and
was trying to break away from his old
evil companions.
CHAPTER vII-By chance Francis
meets Margaret and asks for permis-
sion to call, which she refuses He
tells her he will ask her fathers per-
= 49, Aaa
nothing to do with Sir Timothy, al
though she admits he 10 everything
that IL kind to her.
CHAPTER vIII-Just a. Sir Timothy
appears to bo the murderer in the Sec
ond affair, another man suicides. ad-
mitting his guilt.
CHAPTER IX-Brast displays an un-
usual humane side to his character
and mysufes Ledsam by II.
CHAPTER X-Francis IL invited to
dine with Brast at his cottage. Return
ing to his Office he 1nds an unfinished
scrawl from the brother of Wilmore.
asking aid, but ending abruptly. Will
more then tells him his younger brother
has been missing for days and they
fear harm has befallen him. Search for
him proves unavailing.
The detective scratched his chin
thoughtfully.
Il said nothing definite just now,
sir" he observed "As a rule, | never
mention suspicious, but with you 1t is
a different matter. haven't discovered
the slightest trace of Mr. Reginald
Wilmore, or the slightest reason for his
disappearance. He seems to have
been a well-conducted young gentle
man, little extravagant, perhaps, but
able to pay his way and with nothing
whatever, that is to say, except one al
most insignificant thing"
'And that?"
"A slight tendency towards bad com
pany, sir. l have heard of his being
about with one CT two whom we are
keeping our eye upon"
Bobby Fairfax's lot, by any
chance?"
Shopland nodded.
He was with Jacks and Miss Daisy
Hyslop. night or two before he dis
appeared. am not sure that a young
man named Morse wasn't Of the party,
too"
What do you make Of that lotT
Francis asked, curiously. "Are they
gamesters. dope fiends, or simply vi
cious"
The detective was silent. He was
gazing intently at his rather square
toed shoes.
There are rumors, SIR" he said,
presently, "of things going on in the
West End which want looking into
very badly-very badly, indeed. You
will remember speaking to me Of Sir
Timothy Brast?"
II remember quite WELL" Francis ac-
knowledged.
I've nothing to go on" the other
continued. II am working almost in
the dark to find clue, as 1t were, but
I'm beginning to have ideas about Sir
Timothy Brast; just ideas"
"As, for instanceT
well, he stands on rather queer
terms with some Of his acquaintances,
sir. Now you saw, down at Soto's bar,
the night we arrested Mr.. Fairfax that
not one Of those young men there
spoke to Sir Timothy as though they
were acquainted, nor he to them. Yet
l happened to find out that every one
Of them, including Fairfax himself,
was present at party Sir Timothy
Brast gave at his house down the river
a week or two before"
I'm afraid there isn't much in
that" Francis declared. "Sir Timothy
has the name Of being an eccentric per-
son everywhere. especially In this re-
specific never notices acquaintances
heard. only the other day, that while
he was wonderfully hospitable and
charming to all his guests. he never
remembered them outside his house."
Shopland nodded.
"A convenient eccentricity," he re-
marked, a little dryly. II have heard
the same thing myself. You spent the
night at his country cottage. did you
not, Mr.. Ledsam? Did he offer to
show you over the Walled House"
"How the dickens did you know /
was down fhoraV Troncfo domanded