New Britain herald., 1930-10-20
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se Synopsis: Suspected of murder ing Dr. Paul Kane with carbon ,samonoxide gas, Jack Winslow, adopt ed son of Arnold Winslow, disap- --pears. Kane had been brought by 2. the elder Winslow to examine Elsa Chase, beautiful crippled girl, loved by Jack. The elder man suspects she is a fraud. G. Thorne, detective, has been engaged to probe Elsa $ past, but now is Investigating the Kane murder. Mrs. Lawrence, A mysterious woman with a secret hold over Elsa, dies suddenly, leav- , ing among her effects bill for treatment at Chicago sanitarium 'o~where Elsa had been a patient, and a clipping bearing the words, "The E. Dancing Silhouette The shadow O. human being. madiy danc- ing, has been seen three times at the WinsloW home at night. but it's source remains a mystery. It develops that Mrs. Lawrence was the divorced wife of Dr. Kane. } Lambert, the Winslow butler, at uacted by a s10,444 reward for : news of Jacks whereabouts, tells Thorne, Jack is on board the canal boat Jenny Wren outside Washington. Thorne hurries away to find the boat.
 Chapter 30
 FOUL PLAY
 Thorne drove his car down the 4 Conduit Road and across the Dis- trict line with small regard for the traffic laws of the sovereign state of . Maryland. He covered the distance to the Lock Tavern Club at fifty k miles an hour.
 eEA- Arriving there he skirted the path about the club property to the Icck house on the abandoned Chesa- peake and Ohio Canal. It took sev- eral valuable minutes to locate the former lock keeper.
 Whereabouts is the Jenny Wren?" He repeated Thorne's ques- ton with provoking slowness Of .. speech. q reckon she's moored far ther up the canal; that is ef ol Sol ain't taken her further up; he was . talkin' bout movin' today"
 (Which road do I take?" broke in = Thorne impatiently. My cars back yonder." pointing toward the tav- efn. The lock keeper chuckled. '"The Conduit Road don't go no ! further. an there ain't no Gher; :. ,leastways not here. You'll have to take the towpath." Thorne started along the towpath. Once beyond view of the lock house, he quick ened his rapid walk into an easy lope. On rounding a bend in the 2 canal, he saw a boat moored to the bank just ahead
 Thorne looked over the stern and the words, in black lettering, were plain; Jenny Wren. Again he hailed. The echo of his voice was his only reply. Going over to the cabin door he rapped, waited-one minute-two minutes, then turned the handle and looked inside. No one was there.
 Considerably perturbed he crossed the cabin, fitted up with homely comforts as both living and dining room. to the inner door Opening that he walked into the ' kitchen: still no one was in sight. ' Glancing hurriedly about he caught sight of another door and swung it open. Apparently it was the sleep Q ing quarters of the owner and his <, wife, for two comfortable hunks lined the walls.
 He was about to turn back and 6 re-enter the kitchen, when a groan , smote his ears. It came from under . pile of bedclothes thrown helter- skelter on top of one of the hunks. , Tossing them off, Thorne saw an ] elderly woman lying, fully dressed, !. in the bunk, bound and gagged. Swiftly he released her, and filling { a, cup with some whiskey from his :, flask, he gave it to her.
 He smiled down at her. "Please tell me what's happened here, and 7 where" he hesitated, Lambert had never mentioned the name of the owner of the Jenny Wren, where li youI
 'r--- "Sol Smith? Oh. he's gone city ward for spell" Mrs Smith raised both her hands to her aching head.
 How did you get in this fiX?"
 At the question the woman's shaken wits returned to her with a rush. "Oh. that nice young man." she moaned, then with complete change of tone, her eyes flashing: See if he's on the boat and use your gun. if you've got on: cause he'll wallop you same as he done me-"
 . Thorne needed no second bidding. He had paused only to revive the woman. Entering the smaller stateroom he found the place in confusion, A suit case lay on the floor, it's contents scattered hither and yon, the bedding from the two hunks was dumped in one corner the mattresses spread in another apparently nothing had been left intact; even the built-in dresser was ransacked and it's contents spread about. The detective sped from there into the null and so over the canal boat, then went once more to the owners stateroom, thorough l.. convinced that he and Mrs. l. Smith were its only living occu-