Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-06-18

course. He couldn't afford to do
anything else-yet. Sooner or later,
| he would have to explain" to Polly;
but when that. time came, unless he
lad lost a certain facility In ex-
plantations that had never failed him
yet, he should be able to turn even
the fact that he had kept Mrs.
Wickes' death from her to his own
account. And tell the truth, even n
somewhat inverted. at that. Solicit
tude would be the keynote-that,
since Mrs. Wickes was not really
her mother, her visit here need not
be spoiled by i'll news that would
Keep. Solicitude-and all that sort
OF idea. 1t was good thing Mrs.
wickes was dead. Polly wouldn't
want to live in England now. Mrs.
Wickes' death settled that problem,
which, otherwise, he would have
had to find some other way Of
settling.
A minor matter! Very minor!
Why should it even have crossed
his mind? There was first the
money; then, as a corollary, when
that was found, the distressingly
fatal accident that would overtake
poor old Mr.. Marlin--and, woven
into the warp and wool of this, the
twisting of a certain windpipe that
would screech its indiscretions for
the last time to a far different tune,
All. that was more like Shadow
Varne.
He parted the bushes and slipped
in under the yeranda.- This was the
spot where the old mailman had
disappeared from view last night
His fiashlight was switched on now
1t showed a well defined path, If lit
could be called a path, where
through much usage the earth and
gravel had been pressed down close
up against the side Of the house. It
led toward the rear. He followed it.
1t took him around the corner of
the house, and here. under a fight
OF steps that led to the veranda
above. he found himself confronted
with a basement door. Captain
Francis Newcombe smiled. He had
never ranked the task Of probing
the old FOOLS actions as one that
demanded much, ingenuity, or as
presenting any particular difficulty.
1t was simply a question of watch
ing the other without being seen
himself; and with the mans mode
OF exit and entry from and into the
house already known, the rest would
almost automatically take care Of
itself.
He opened the door end stepped
inside. The fiashlight disclosed an
ordinary basement storeroom, and
, at one side. a flight OF stairs.
Captain Francis Newcombe moved
quickly. but without sound now. He
| crossed the basement and crept up
the stairs. Here. at the top. another
hashlight out, he opened this door
cautiously-and again smile
touched his lips. He had rather ex-
| pected it! The door opened on the
lower hail. and almost directly op-
| posite Mr.. Martins room.
He stepped across the hall and
listened again at the old mans door.
There still came from within the
sounds of occupancy; but instead
now of the regular breathing as one
asleep. it was the sound as Of one
| moving softly around within.
Captain Francis Newcombe re-
treated to the stairs. closed the door
behind him, descended the stairs,
| lett the basement. and selected a
| spot among the trees at the edge
Of the lawn where he could COM
mand view of the shrubbery
bordering the veranda. 1t was still
a little earlier than the nour last
| night when, according to Polly, MIR.
Marlin had gone out, and il, in the
! bizarre workings Of warped brain,
| a later hour each night added to
secretness and security, Mr.. Marlin
was not yet to be expected for a liz
tie while. Quite SO! He. Captain
| Francis Newcombe, had formulated
! his own timetable on that basis.
| There was nothing to do now but
wait.
He frowned suddenly. Suppose,
though, Mr.. Marlin did not come 5ut
at all? This might well be one of
the nights when-No! He shook
his head decisively. To begin with,
he had just heard the man moving
around in his room after having
previously been, or pretended that
he had been. asleep; and if Polly 8
report was based on fact, as it un =
doubtedly was, the old maniac, once
started on his period of peregrina-
lions Kept 1t UP until. on the basis
| Of a later hour each night, his final
sortie was made just before day
break-and taking into account the
hour at which the old man had been
out last night, Mr.. Marlin ought at
| present to be in the thick of one of
those periods Of nocturnal activity
That would endure for a number of
In a sort of grim mirth, he laugh
ed softly now to himself. One night,
not number of nights, would be
all tnat was required. 1t did not
entail any distressingly labored
mental effort to understand why the
Old man went Quit was simply a
| question of where he went.
The minutes dragged along. A
quarter of an hour went by; it be-
came half an hour-and then
| Captain Francis Newcombe drew
back silently a little deeper in
| among the trees. Yes, there was the
ola maniac now. dressing gown and
all and cooking his head to and fro
IN an directions as he parted the
bushes in emerging from under the
veranda. A moment later, the old
man scurried across the lawn to a
| spot not far from where he, Cap
| tain Francis Newcombe, was stand
| ing. The woods here surrounding
the house were full Of little paths
and walks, and the grotesque figure
with the Tapping gown now disap-
peared along one of these paths a
few yards away.
Captain Francis Newcombe's lips
| twisted a little ironically as he took
up the chase. The head that kept
cooking itself around SO idiotically
would avail it's owner little in the
shape of protection. Apart fl om it
being too dark to see more than a
few feet in any direction now in the
wooded path, he, Captain Francis
Newcombe, had rot the slightest in
tention of trying to keep the other
in sight, mucn less run any risk of
being seen himself. The sense of
sound was quite suf1icient-entirely