New Britain herald., 1927-11-11

Vance a look of arctic ferocity. You expect me to go into court, suppose. leading your victim by the arm. and say to the judge: Here's the man that shot Alvin Benson. I have no evidence against | him, but I want you to sentence him to death. because my brilliant and sagacious friend, Mir. Philo Vance, the inventor of stuffed perch, says this man has a wicked nature"
 Vance gave an almost imper- ceptible shrus.
 | T sha'n't wither away with grief If you don't even arrest the guilty man. But I thought 1t no more than humane to tell you who he was, If only to stop you from chiv wing all these innocent people,
 "Al right-tell me: and let me get on about my business" I don't believe there was any longer a question in Markham s mind that Vance actually knew who had killed Benson. But 1t was not until considerably later in the morning that he fully understood why Vance had kept him for day upon tenter- hooks.
 When, at last. he did understand 1t, he forgave Vance; bus at the moment he was angered to the limit of his control.
 There are one or two things that must be done before I can re- veal the gentleman's name" Vance told him. First, let me have a peep at those alibis." ! Markham took from his pocket a sheaf of typewriter pages and passed them over.
 Vance adjusted his monocle, and read through them carefully. Then he stepped out of the room; and ] heard him telephoning.
 When he returned he re-read the reports. One in particular he lin- gered over, as if weighing its pos abilities.
 There's chance, v know" he murmured at length, gazing inde- cisively into the fireplace.
 He glanced at the report again. T see here" he said, that Col onel Ostrander, accompanied by a Bronx alderman named Moriarty, attended the Midnight Follies at the Piccadilly theater In Forty seventh street on the night of the thirteenth. arriving there little before 12 and remaining through the performance. which was over about half past two a. m. Are you acquainted with this particular alderman"
 Markham's eyes lifted sharply tc the others face.
 i've met MT. Moriarty. What about him?" I thought I detected note of suppressed excitement in his voice.
 Where do Bronx alderman lol about in the forenoons?" asked Vance.
 At home, I should say. Or pos. sibly at the Samoset Club. . Sometimes they have business al City Hall"
 My word.-such unseemly ac tivity for a politician! . Would you mind ascertaining if Mir. Mori arty is at home or at his club. I it's not too much bother, I'd like tt have a brief word with him."
 Markham gave Vance a pene trating gaze. Then. without 6 word he went to the telephone in the den : "Mr. Moriarty was at hrne, abou to leave for City Hall" he an
 nounced, on returning. Y askei him to drop by here on his Wa, , down town"
 "I do hope he doesn't disappoin us," sighed Vance. But it's wortl trying"
 Are you composing charade7 , : asked Markham: hut there wa
 neither humor nor good mature fl = the question.
 "'Pon my word, old man, Tn l not trying 10 confuse the mai
 issue" said Vance. Exert a littl l of that simple faith with which yo , are 90 gcT'rously supplied,-it - more desirable than Norman blood = y know.
 , "Ill give you the guilty man be fore the mornings over. But q y $ see, I must make sure that you l accept him. These alibis are, l trust, going to prove most prof'tabl ; in paving the way for my coup d
 boutoir. . . An alibi--as I recent ' ly confidcd 10 you-is a tricky an , danr'rous thing. and open to gray
 suspicion. And the absence of a g albi means nothing at all. 9 For instance, see by these re ports that Miss Hoffman has n E albi for the night of the. thirteenth 1 She says she went 10 q motion pic { ture theater and then home. Bu = no one saw her at any time. Sh 9 was prob'bly at Benson's visitin
 mamma until late. Look suspicion