Evening star., 1928-10-28

from his chair. His toC
caught in the fringe Of {
, rug. He half stumbled, but recovered
his balance blindly hardy noticing tht
stant he had flung himself from the
room, his hat forgotten on the table
a and the outer door crashed shut, pro-
PEELED by the backward fling Of his arm
DR.. Cavanaugh's hand paused frac'
ton of a second, his cigar half way tc
his lips. Then the interrupted move
ment was completed, as deliberately as
it had begun. He had not risen to in.
tercept Don, and he made no effort
now to follow him.
"Hm!" The sound was half hum,
half a gentle sigh. 1t was DR.. Cava-
naugh'S equivalent of half dozen ex-
cited calculations He settled his thick
shoulders against the pillows Of the
chaise-longue. But there were no more
smoke rings Instead, he drew from his
inner pocket small leather bound
notebook, propped its lower edge
against his arching middle and pro-
ceeded to make notations In almost
microscopic handwriting. first on one,
then the other, of two pages spread
open before him.
''Hm!" he murmured again, like a
gigantic humble bee. 'On the one
1ldllO, We 1IdNC q yOuIIE 1Ao1A VA
ciplined emotions, subject to gusts of
rage which he has never been taught
to control Unused to delaying his
reaction to any impulse. Caught by
the tremendous vitality and charm of
the dazzling Sheila O'Shay. But the
attraction evidently soon spent. Query:
Why did he marry her?" The query
was underlined in the little notebook
and further marked by a star in the
margin. Corollary: why did she marry
him? Money, probably. But did she
capture him before he had time to get
back his emotional balance, or had she
some means of forcing him to 1t? Not
inferable from present data. Leave that
out confuseS the present problem" DR..
Cavanaugh accordingly drew o line
lightly through the "corollary." He
carefully deposited an inch Of white
cigar ash in the tray, allowing the note
book to mop forward, then adjusted it
at its former angle.
In general, people viii subconscious-
ly choose words that tell the truth,
even when 1t Is not the truth they
mean at the moment. A great little
master of the double entendre, the
subconscious Isl" he unused. Lets see.
Don did not say that he wanted his
wife back-he said that he wanted to
be rescued from the undesirable pub
licity aroused by her disappearance.
That's quite different. His anxiety was
not for her but for the effect on him
self. He resented the interference of
Mrs. Kane, and Of the police. He
didn't care what we found-'so long as
it wasn't Sheila.'
"On the other hand"-Dr. Cava-
naugh'S minute Scratchings were now
n6 on hn - eir - 49,
facing pageS-"hiS own subconSciouS
desire to have his wife out of the way
might have powerfully disturbing
effect when that unexpreSSed wish was
suddenly fulfilled. There is also his ex-
treme dislike. amounting almost to
phobia, Of publicity, by which he feels
that he has been victimized. The i'm
pulse to run away from an intolerable
situation-all the more intolerable if it
were to involve him in a sensational
murder case-may have become over
powering, and SO he ran away, without
even considering the futility Of the
escape, nor its consequences. One
thing Is certain, Don Ellsworth would
not be capable of any carefully devised
plot. Unless We have to do with a
person clever enough to convey the
impression purpoSely, the whole evi-
dence-what there is to it-does not
point TO premeditation, either on the
part OF Mrs. Ellsworth, if she actually
left OF her own will, nor of her murderer.
If she was killed. Ellsworth might con-
ceivabiy act with extreme rashness, fol-
low an instructive immediate course of
Self-protection, and then wake up to
find himself In a mess, utterly helpless
both by temperament and training to
devise any sort of scheme to extricate
himself"
DR.. Cavanaugh snapped the note
book shut, restored 1t to his pocket, and
heaved himself somewhat YEARLY erect.
THAT hair is beginning to be i'm
portant," he said aloud. But it's less
important for me to get 1t than to
find out who is unwilling for me to
have it--and why? That's what Cam
berWeu and his policemen will never
quite appreciate. Which means that
I'll have to go after it myself"
Having bet himself nickel that Don
Ellsworth would not have turned honne-
ward after his explosive exit from the
Office, and verified the prediction by
means of q telephone call, DR.. Cava-
naugh pocketed his winnings, leisurely
shrugged himself into the oyercoat
which always hung In readiness in the
carved Florentine wardrobe that filled
one corner OF the room, and backed his
small, unohtrusive black runabout from
its place In the double garage.
The other side of the garage yawned
empty. Barbara had driven to party
at the house Of friends, and for once
DR.. Cavanaugh was glad Of her absence.
After all, she and Don had been very
good friends not so long ago. He might
yet have to be glad that the friendship
had 1apsed. But meanwhile, though
she often followed his cases with eager
interest, he hoped that he might avoid
giving her an account-or, what was
just as bad, obviously declining to give
her an account-of his progress in this
one.
The maid who answered DR.. Cava-
naugh's ring at the front door of the
Ellsworth house stopped short, her ewes
as round as marbles, at the sound of
MS name. She, at least, was an avid
reader OF the newspapers, and the Won
ders to be expected of the great DIR
Cavanaugh, who was reported to have
been called In consultation on the "Tule |
marsh mystery" had been the theme |
OF delighted flights of imagination In |
the kitchen not an hour ago. EtheVs |
expression was q mixture Of awe and |
fright, as II DR.. Cavanaugh, by black |
magic, was likely to weave a connec-
ton between murder and any one so
unwary as to stand in his vicinity.
DR.. Cavanaugh submitted to this |
fascinated scrutiny with patience. |
Servants to him were human beings |
and he was neither surprised nor Of |
Tended when they dropped the pretense |
OF being machines.
I'd like to see Mrs. Kane" he an
nounced with his usual directness.
tnereby shattering Ethel's previous con-
ception OF the devious ways of crim- |
. .inologists.
The girls face reflected a shocked
"astonishment, not unmixed with malice !
ana sheer delight in a thrilling situa- |