Evening star., 1927-11-04
THE BLACK JOKER
BY ISABEL OSTRANDER.

Jagged on the return journey to the
city.
He found rooms for her in an old.
fashioned hotel and took leave of her,
promising to telephone in the morn
her suite. She was utterly worn out
by the events through which she
had passed; grief for her father
had taken its toll of her and to it
was added now her suspense as to
Philip Mariott's fate and the over
whelming horror of her experience
in the house by the willows. She
slept. but her slumber was troubled
by horrid visions and morning found
her depressed and still shaken.
With two of his ruffians bound
and helpless, and only the third and
the woman left to aid him, Norman
must have been captured by the sail.
ors from the yacht even il he had
killed Philip. first. She had nothing
more to fear from HIM, though May
Carlin might still have to be reckon.
ed with. but Janet felt little concern.
| She had not failed to divine Ranny
| Sawyer's attitude on the previous
night, however; that earnest young
man had made up his mind to pro-
tect her in spite of her wishes in the
matter and she was heartily sick of
espionage. She knew now where
to find Nat If she wanted him but first
she must know what had happened to
Philip.
In lieu of baggage she paid for a
nights lodging in advance and the
sun was not yet high when she left
the hotel. ostensibly to go in person
| to the station for her bags. but in
| stead wandered about the city in a
very fever of impatience.
AT its best speed, the yacht could not
have reached the remote island again
| until the night before; it would not
| make Boston until the afternoon and
night would come before Janet could
hope to learn anything concerning
Philip. At Boston, however, she
| knew there would be message await
ing him from Lucy telling him of her
| own disappearance, and surely it
would bring him post-haste to the
| city. If she could find the house
where he had held her in duress- and
manage to watch it herself unseen
she would know the truth. If he had
| escaped he would come there!
| The Priscilla Gray tea shop! That
had been the name on the establish.
ment opposite and, waiting until dusk
had fallen, lest Lucy's sharp eyes re-
cognize her. Janet found the ad.
| dress in a telephone book and made
her way there. She found it to be a
| modest but very dainty little restau-
| rant presided over by two refined el-
derly women and, ordering tea and
mullins, seated herself at table be.
hind the curtains of the front window.
There across the street was the
house which she had entered with such
joyous anticipation of meeting her
father! There, in one Of those haunt.
ing window boxes filled with
| bloom lay buried the message she had
deciphered, the secret of this whole
mysterious affair which was still in
the main a mystery to her! She could
not remain more than a half.hour
at most, in the tea shop; where could
she hide when darkness had fallen
to keep her vigil through the night?
Then all at once she caught her
lip between her teeth and clasped
her hands tightly beneath the table.
The front door opposite was opening
slowly, and outlined by the glow Of
the light behind her a womans figure
appeared! Was it Lucy? She hesi-
! tated moment in the gloom Of the
vestibule and then emerged and stood
upon the steps, gazing anXiously up
and down. -,-.-
1t was not Lucy but tail woman
with a splendid figure and masses Of
pale-gold hair beneath her hat and
| Janet realized instantly that she had
seen her before. Her features were
almost classically beautiful, hbuts somes
how they should have been aged,
lined, the hair gray and that erect
form bowed. 1t was the woman
who had come to her as the false
Lefty and lured her to the housei
The conviction came to Janet In a
fash, but she knew, too, that some.
time, somewhere, she had encounter
ed the woman as she now was. 1t
was dim, a faint memory, and while
she searched her thoughts for the
elusive recollection the limousine in
which she herself had twice ridden
pulled up at the curb.
The woman turned laughingly to
some one behind her and. with the ges.
ture, Janet knew the truth. She
| was the Mrs. Graham" wfo with
male companion had posed as Amer.
| lean tourists and had picked her up
almost at the convent gates, taking
| her to Marseille in their cart philin