The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-09-30

ton when he had finished. "And yet
I've lived in this world long enough to
be aware that amazing things are al
ways happening in it, infinitely more
amazing than the things men make up
to put in books. But you haven't yet
told me what connection Wilkins and
this housemaid can have with the
crime, except by pointing out the coin
cidence that the girl comes from New
Zealand.
"But the thing I most want you to
do, the thing most earnestly beg you
to do is to suggest how can set about
finding this wild girl, in whose actual
person the crime was committed
beg of you to give over these elaborate
experiments upon people who can't
have an important connection with
the crime and devote this great mind
Of yours to the apprehension of the
real criminal. If we can get the girl.
we shall get hold of her accomplice
fast enough, or, perhaps, should say
her principal"
The doctor smiled "This morning
at the breakfast table, he observed,
you were very confident that the po-
lice would be able to get hold of her
in the course of the day. You said
wild creature like that couldn't remain
at liberty. say it's true she couldn't"
But" objected Ashton, "she has"
The doctor shrugged his shoulders
impatiently. "Why can't you be rea-
sonable?" he asked. "If things i'm
possible. it can't happen. If it's true
that wild creature can't go at large
in this community for twenty-four
hours without being apprehended, and
if it's also true that in twenty-four
hours no such creature has been ap-
pretended. then there is only one log
ical conclusion to come to, namely,
that she has ceased to be a wild crea-
ture, gibbering in an Outlandish lam
guage, and has become much more
!nconspicuous member of society,"
Ashton opened his eyes wide. "Nhat
do you mean?"
Psychology" said the doctor; 'ho-
cus-pocus and any of your other names
for it that you choose to apply.
Didn't you hear me tell Reinhardr at
the hospital that that girl was in a
hypnotic or subjective state? When a
person is in such state, they can
come out of 1t, and when they come.
out. they're likely to be altogether
different from what they were when
they were in that state"
Ashton sprang to his feet. do you
know where she is?" he demanded.
"Or can you describe her so that
and my men can find her?'
IL don't know where she is at this
moment" said the doctor quietly.
"She was in this room bali an hour
ago."
In that moment my chief had his
revenge for all the flippancies, tolerant
contempt, and gOOd-natured sneers
with which Ashton had belabOred the
profession and science which was dear
est to his heart. For once the lawyer
was beyond the pcwer of speech.
The doctor. too. kept silent for
while to let the mOmentous nature of
the astounding fact which he had just
disclosed sink In. Then he began to
explain to the astonished attorney.
II want you TO understand very
clearly, in the first place, that 1t has
been by my own methods, with the ad-
AfffAn oil nf Inf
merited good luck, that I've solved this
mystery. Haryey's testimony at the
inquest was my clew. In my examina-
ton of him, which l conducted with
out asking him a single question, with
out once referring directly to the crime
that was committed at Oak Ridge,
proved him innocent as convincingly
as the strongest alibi would have
proved him innocent. more convincing
ly. In fact, because the real criminal
In this case could prove an alibi. too.
And In my further examination OF him
l discovered Jane Perkins. and with
out learning her exact address, ! as
certalned the neighborhood in which
she lived. She was the woman with
whom the profile on the window shade
In the Morgan house associated itself
In his mind. Only by a very extraor-
binary coincidence could this woman.
with the same sort OF profile. the same
colored hair and the same kind or
cloak. have been any other than the
one whose hands strangled Old Nor
gan.
"The telephone conversatio which
you held In my laboratory with one of
your subordinates settled her identity
almost beyond doubt. The fact that
her name was Jane Perkins and that
she was a perfectly conventional type
Of English ehambermald didn't throw
me on the track for a moment. be-
cause | knew. rs you might have
known. that the strange. wild person
allty Of the girl we found In the hos
pltal was fugitive, and possibly acct
dental.
CTo DE cONTiNUEDI
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