New Britain herald., 1929-05-20

test! You dear old Uncle John. What were you doing all alter noon?"
 Well. I bought a pistol"
 ''Goodncss. Another:"
 Its a pistol I have been trying to get for long while. my dear. It belonged to a man named Peter son who lived in the mining town of Torridity down in Skull Valley"
 "Torridity! Why. that's where MT. Ogden's mine is. Isn't it strange that he won't let Jerry open it up?" chuckled.
 She kissed me again and fled.
 Now that Lucy had spoken of it I recalled that the mine Jerry want ed to operate-some feeling about it had arisen between father and son-was in or near Torridity. The coincidence was interesting. I was getting up to unwrap my purchase when Mrs. Moffit came in.
 Without Mrs. Moffit life would be more Of a labyrinth than it is and l an infant in the middle of il.
 "How's your head. Mir. Peebles?" she inquired solicitously.
 Head ?" I murmured.
 Mrs. Moffit looked disappointed. You had headache when yoa got up this morning, hadn't you? suppose it was that pie last night. was bringing you . powder" Mrs. Moffit has powder for everything.
 "Ah, yes." I said. Well, it's all right now and it wasn't the pie. '" I am very fond of Mrs. Moffit's pies.
 She shook her head disapprov- ingly. "You always say that. Mir. Ogden phoned a while back. Ha said l was to ask you to call him up as soon as you came in. He seemed terrible upset about some- thing. l didn't know you were home until Miss Lucy told me just now"
 crossed to the telephone won- dering what was the matter with Andrew. Instead of taking the in- strument up at once l unwrapped the Peterson revolver and ran my fingers caressingly over the barrel and gold mounted butt. I was on the point of breaking the weapon when the telephone whirred sharp- ly.
 As picked up the instrument my eye fell on the clock on the mantel. It was exactly nine-thirty.
 Hello" I called.
 'Is that you, John? This is An drew" The voice might have been any ones but his. 50 strained and unnatural did it sound.
 What is it, Andrew?'' Il want to see you. Come over right away. You hear me? Right"
 The voice had stopped. Then l heard what might have been a gasp. A queer. strangled sort Of gasp. Silence again. Now came a dull thud and rattle. "Andrew" shouted. What wrong, man."
 Did I hear faint groan? I threw off the shackles that bound me, flung myself through the French window near my desk, and plunged into the maze of shrubbery outside.
 The moon had not let risen, but my feet quickly found the familiar winding path and l raced through the scented gloom toward the Og. den house. Suddenly, l heard the pound of feet on the cinder walk ahead and as I neared the walh /. Jerry Ogden's white flannels flash ] cd past into the drive. Jerry" I called. Jerry! Jerry Instead of replying. he went or like the wind and stopped. dumb. l! founded. He had seemed to dror something as he passed. but the gloom was too deep for me to be sure of this.
 The shadows Of the place sual- lowed him before I could tell whether he had gone on to the garage. which lies on the other side of the house, or down to the avenue, and I stood with | queer coldness tightening about my heart Off again at top speed, did not stop until had climbed over the iron grille which embraces q tiny balcony just big enough to stand on outside the library win- dow. The doors of the window were ajar. but drawn draperies con