Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-05-23

WHO'S WHO M THE STORY
EVELYN HASTE. beautiful and ri

disappears.
KENNEDY HASTE. her husband, who
his old war comrade.
| SIR RAWDON WELLS, an amateur
| scientist. who has insisted on lend
ing the couple Hidden Hall Court,
his gloomy and mystery-ridden es-
tate, for their honeymoon, and who
is found after the disappearance in
q secret chamber
PANDORA. a gipsy-like girl, adopted
sister Of Kennedy and secretly in
MISS GlLLETT, an ex-war nurse, who
fell in love with Haste in a hospi-
tai, and who is an intense person.
DAGoN. youthful Scotland Yard de-
tective, who has done glorified spy
| work" in the war. He is of vivid
Latin temperament. though Canadian
in training.
The Davis Mystery
How TERRIBLE" the girl groaned.
| Think of Ken agonizing about her,
almost mad with grief. Think of
Don accused OF numbering her.
| Think of that masked beast scatter
ing blood and fingerprints about.
! and burning skeletons TO f1N the
| guilt on Don and get him hanged,
while here she is all the while"
| 1t seemed to Pandora that she
! must do something for the two men
she loved. She had done her best.
but she must do more. If Eve were
imprisoned here, the Masquer would
not let her go free until Don was
ruined or dead-perhaps for his own
| protection not even then. She and
! the girl she had hated-but did not
/ hate row-would be got rid of, un-
| less-unless she could think OF some
! way out.
| Was there a way?
| With all Dagon's keenness and d.
plomacy, he failed to learn what had
! become of the late butler at Hidden
Hall Court.
Barring Marianti. who had taken
| Davis place (Marianti, Dagon did
! likely to know the mans address,
unless one of the two old servants
/ who remained: the head gardener
and lodge-keeper. Making friends
with these. the detective learned
| without direct inquiries that neither
had any knowledge of Davis private
life. He was a queer chap" liked
by mono, though perfection as Il
butler. He had kept himself to
himself" and on leaving the Court
! had not mentioned where he was go
! ing.
Dagon had no better luck in the
small village mile away, where he
! tried the postoffice and the inn, and
the town of Ardry-le- Mare was too
far off to offer much hope. The
more difficult became the game.
however. the more firmly Dagon de-
termined to play it to the end. and
by telepnoning Scotland Yard he ar
ranged for an advertisement to ap-
| pear next morning in all the most
| important London papers.
| y firm of solicitors asked for
news of Samuel Davis Uhe Christian
name was recalled by the local
| postmaster), late butler at Hidden
! Hall Court, Essex, who would, by
applying Immediately to them. learn
! something to his financial advantage.
! That would tempt Davis out of his
| hole. thought Dagon. And it did,
| the result of the lad" bringing with
it an electric shock of surprise.
Samuel Davis wired to Messrs. Top
ham from Portree, Skye.
| He was there, he telegraphed,
visiting a relative, and being con-
fined to his room with govt could
not at present undertake the journey
to London. He would, however, be
glad to hear at once what was the
object of the advertisement. Had
money been left him and, if so, how
much?
Dagon had arranged that a COL
league should go to Skye and try to
catch sight of Paolo Magnani on
one of his moving picture excur-
sions. Davis being at Portree, the
two birds could be killed with one
stone--if it were aimed by a sure
hand. The Canadian would have
liked that hand to be his own; but
he could not leave Hidden Hall
Court just then.
Inc eX-butler gave as his address
"Postoffice. Portree." but Dagon's
substitute. John Murdoch, had only
to show his credentials to the post
master of that town to clear his
way Of all difficulty in the matter
of Identification. "a wire to Davis
warned him to expect a letter con-
tanning particulars" and such a let
ter was dispatched at the same time
with the telegram. 1t contained a
check for five pounds. signed by
john Topham,"' and informed Mr..
S. Davis that it came from an
anonymous friend, grateful for a
past kindness. which he perhaps had
forgotten. 1t said also that
further sum would be handed over.
at a personal meeting, when Mr.
Davis could keep an appointment in
London.
Murdoch was invited to sit in the
postmaster's room. and when "a
letter for Samuel Davis" was in
quired for che was promptly told.
This gave him time to slip out into
the public Office and see the legal
looking envelope delivered-after a
slight delay-to a respectfully dress
ed old man. He had little doubt
from the description given him that
II was Davis himself, lin spite of
that attack of govt" which con-
fined him to the house,
This, person could not control
his tmpatience till he got outside.
Tut halted in the middle of the post
ONCE to open the letter. Murdoch
had time. therefore, while pretend-
ing to write out telegram, for a
thorough inspection of the SQUAT
and elderly form.
The man was a curious mixture of
two types. neither agreeable: frog
and fox. He had the figure. short
neck and thrust-up chin of a frog,
and the sly. slant black eyes, pointed
nose and square, whiskered Jaws of
an old dog-fox. He read the letter
eagerly. though with a puzzled air,
sneered at the five-pound check and
finally stuffed envelope and ali into
his pocket. He walked to the shelf
where telegraph forms and pencils
were displayed, but changed his
mind and with a shrug of the
shoulders marched out of the Office.
AT a safe distance Murdoch fol-
lowed, and after a walk of nearly a
mile saw Davis - into a small but
pretty house beyond the limits OF |
the town. 1t did not look in the
least like a house where an ex-
butler would stay. visiting a reia-
tive.
In Portreo again Afrr51oI