Evening star., 1927-11-23

"And a very. very sad one," said
much Dora-Miss Marlin-has said
to you, or perhaps even Mr.. Marlin
himself, for he is sometimes just like
like anybody else, so l don't
II hardly think it could be a case
Of trespassing on confidence in any
event." Locke interrupted quietly
is, in what might be called the f1nan-
cial world, you know. What I can't
understand. though. IS that, having
lost all his money, place like this
could still be kept up"
thoughtfully.
"Guardy was speaking about the
same thing" she said, "but I don't
think it costs so very much now.
You see, it is almost in way self
supporting-the vegetables and fruit
and fuel and all that. And the serv-
ants all have their little homes and
have lived on the island for years, and
the wages are not very high, and any
way, Dora has fortune in her own
name-from her mother, you know;
and, besides, thank goodness, dear
money, anyway"
mot lost it?" calculated Locke.
why, that was the cause Of his mind
breaking"'
Polly Wickes looked up in confu.
sion.
''Oh, perhaps. shouldn't have said
that" she said nervously. "But-but
after all, don't see why I shouldn't,
for you could not help but know about
it before very long. Indeed, 1
shouldn't be a bit surprised if Mr..
Marlin showed it to you himself, just
as he did to me, for he seems to
have taken a great fancy to you. He
hardly let you out Of his sight this
morning."
''He knows of my father in a busi-
ness way" SAID Locke. II suppose
that's it. DO you mean that he
showed you sum of money here on
this island?"
Yes" said Polly Wickes slowly,
'after l hal been here little while;
very large sum-half a million, he
said"
Good heavens." exclaimed Locke.
That's hardly safe, is it? I know the
an antipathy to all investments, but
posit it somewhere"
That's exactly what guardy said,"
nodded Polly Wickes. But it's quite
useless. Dora has tried, but her
father won't even tell her where he
keeps it,"
Howard Locke rose from his chair,
walked over to the empty fireplace.
and, standing with his back to Polly
Wickes, opened his cigarette case.
Capt. NewcOmbe of course. is quite
au fait with the condition." he OBJ.
served casually.
"Of course" said Polly Wickes in
genuously. II naturally wrote him all
about it,
Naturally" agreed Howard Locke
He stopped over and, striking a
match on the edge of the fireplace,
/ lighted his cigarette. So Capt. Fran.
els Newcombe had known all about il
had he. even before he had left Eng
land?
And yet, Capt. Francis Newcombe
! in the smoking room of the liner on
! the way across had been denselv in
! ignorance. and even alarmed for his
! wards safety at the first i..timation
! that her host was a monomaniac! It
was rather peculiar, More than De
culiar!
! Loche turned, ana, ieaning against
| the mantel over the fireplace. faced
! Polly Wickes. His mind was working
swiftly, piccing together strange and
! apparently irrelevant fragments. that,
! irrelevant as they appeared, seemed
| TO make a most suggestive whole.
! Capt. NeWconlbe had lied that night
on board the liner. Why? Who was
it that had invaded his, Locke's, state.
room, and had searched through his
| belongings? And why? Why was it
that now, for the first time in four
years, Capt. Newcombe should have
come to visit his ward in America? He
had more than Newcombe's word for
that-Polly here had said so herself
| and Miss Marlin had referred TO it in
the most natural way when welcoming
Newcombe that morning. What had
an insane old man who hid away a
half million dollars on little island
in the Florida Keys got to do with the
letter received in London and contain
h,f al