Nogales international., 1928-08-14
CAST
of Principal Characters
in this
Amazing Mystery Story

The day was splendid, as brilliant
as a day on Long Island can be,
and that is brilliant indeed. The
great square house with its mansard
roof and many wings and additions
and the great pillars of the veranda
that gave it certain nobility was
glistening white, for it had just
been painted. The painters, as
matter of fact, were still at work
on the rear of the house. They
were working over time this Satur-
day afternoon, hurrying to finish
the job. John Drane had COM
planned of the, paint pdor, saying it
gave him a headache.
The Drane place, although it had
been given no particular name, was
as good as any in Westcote. Real
estate dealers roughly estimated it
to be worth hundred thousand
dollars and pointed to it as an ex-
ample of how prices in Westcote
had improved; Drane had paid IF
NNNAA NAAOdSdAA0 401 II III 1917 dilu I1dQ
spent some twenty thousand in i'm
proving the place, having the pill
Jared veranda built on and so on,
SO that the whole cost to him had
been only thirty-fve thousand.
This was mentioned as a sample of
the good fortune John Drane had
in all his investments. No one
knew just what he was worth but
lie was reputed to be worth at least
n million dollars, possibly a great
many millions.
On this Saturday afternoon he
sat on his veranda Just as he had
seated himself on his return from
his Office in the city. He sat in one
OF the wicker chairs, wicker stand,
beside him, and on this he had
placed his hat and cane, and he
leaned back in his chair with his
eyes closed in the attitude Of
very tired man. One of the hands
that grasped the arm of his chair
twitched slightly; it was the slender
aristocratic hand of a man of
seventy. Presently Norbert, the
colored houSeman, came through
the door carrying a tray on which
were glass of milk, plate of
crackers, a napkin and several
dainty sandwiches. He moved the
wicker stand little closer to John
Drane's chair, removed the hat and
cane, and placed the tray on the
stand. John Drane opened his
eyes.
"All right, Norbert" he said.
I'll JUS put this hat an cane in
the hall, Mist Drane," the negro
said. II thought how maybe you
might like them sandwiches"
Perhaps! Perhaps" Drane said.
"An' Miss Amy say l should ask
you is you goin' use the car any
more this aft'noon. She say if you
amt maybe she go ridin' awhiles"
Drane dipped a cracker in milk
and ate a little without apparent
appetite.
"I don't feel we'll, Norbert" he
said. II certainly don't feel we'll
Take this stuff away will you? /
can't eat it. I'm not going to use
the car; you may tell Amy she can
have it. There's nobody come?"
"Only Mist Carter" the negro
said. Him and Miss Amy is play
in tennis out back in the tennis
court"
"Alone?
Couple O. young folks"
Eyes When you go out there,
Norbert. tell young Carter / want
to see him. No hurry-tonight or
tomorrow will do; whenever he has
time. And tell Mrs. Vincent to see
that the yellow guest room is ready
for guest. I'm expecting a man
to stay a few days"
eyes, sir" Norbert said, and he
took up the tray and went. He
coughed as he reached the door.
coughed so hard that he had to
pause with the tray resting on
ledge. It was the distressing
cough of a man suffering from
tuberculosis.
"You want to be careful of that
cold of yours" John Drane said,
as if the cough had annoyed Aim.
"How is Mrs. Vincent?"
eyes, I'm bein' careful cf it,"
Norbert said and added, as he
opened the door; mis- Vincent
she's JUS fairly; she amt no more
than fairly. No, sir" o
John Drane's fingers tapped the
arm of his chair nervously. He
frowned as his eyes rested on the
long tree-studded lawn that ran
down to the road This nervous
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