The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-09-26
CHAPTER XI
Accused!

iCdpCu
into action. was half way to the
shop door before his last word had
left his Ups; he himself was scarcely
less rapid of movement and his hand
was on MY arm as crossed the
| threshold.
where are you going? he ex
claimed.
"Where? Shorts, OF course!" an.
swered. Aren't your"
ITO be !" he said. "But-a mo.
ment. These other two had better
come, as well. And-a word with this
grocer chap"
waited impatiently outside the
shop until the three men joined me-
We had some little difficulty in finding
a taxicab: they were not plentiful in
that dreary quarter; when at last we
had packed ourselves into one | chafed
all the time its driver was running
down to more palatable neighbor-
hood. My three companions had re.
lapsed into silence: each seemed TO be
following some train of thought of his
O"u SpohC, LhuCCu. WILL We
were close tC Shorts hotel: then Man
ners suddenly gave voice to what he
evidently was thinking.
"That poor fellow Bownas must
have come up to London by the same
train that the Elphinstones came in =
he said, in the tone of man who
thinks that he has made a startling
discovery.
"Evidently!" remarked MaythOrne
in his direct manner. "Evidently!-
since he presented himself at their
hotel very soon after they got there.
what meant" said Manners
was this-if he did, as he must have
done, he vas tracking them-or some
one of them"
"That, too, seems evident" rejoined
MaythOrne. Il should say he was
Especially as he followed the three
women when they went out !"
"Why" asked Manners. "Whyi
That's what ticks me!''
Newspaper man, you say he was
he remarked. Reporter. Those chaps
have a trick of poking their noses into
places and things where they've nc
right to be- Poachers,' as it were
I've had more than one game of mine
spoiled by that sort? Get it into their
heads that it's a fine thing to do a
bit of detective work for their papers
Gets 'em credit with the editors.
should say this chaps been going on
line of his own since that murder
and you see what it's brought him to
Murdered, himselfr'
"Anw said Maythorne, with touch
of sarcasm that was lost on our com.
right, COrkerdale But what pity
we didn't get on his line, too! For, il
he was murdered to silence him, you
may bet your life he was on the
right line! But here we are"
The under nall porter hurried down
the steps at Shorts and opened the
door of our cab, glancing knowingly al
MaythOrne.
Game in just as | got back, sir,
he announced in an undertone. "BOtt
of 'em! In a taxi. SO l telephoned
up there o you, at once"
"Goodw answered Maythorne. "Bul
only Mrs. ElphinstoEe and Miss Mer
Gibson? Not the maid?"
mo, sir. Only the lady and hei
daughter. | think Mrs. Elphinstone's
ill, sir. There's doctor gone up"
Maythorne turned to the two police
ho
thing, woman in the uniform of q
professional nurse came hurryins
round the. corner and sped up the
steps into the hotel.
"The doctors evidently telephoneG
| for a nurse" observed Maythorne
"Um we can't very well break in or
| Illness"
ILLNESS or no illness, Mr.. May
thorne," he said, I'm going up
Things are a bit too thick, too seri
Gus. And there's the young lady
She'll know where her mother's beer
and where they've come from. And
where's that other woman, the maid
Well go up, Manners"
Maythorne and followed them. We
went up to the floor on which the
| EIphinstones' suite of rooms was stu
ated. At the door COrkerdale paused
and turned to me. "Mr. Holt knows
| the family" he said in suggestive
| whisper. &c in, Mr.. Holt, and just
see how the land lies! We don't want
to intrude, you know, nor to make any
bother, but we must lave some ex
PLANTATION. Get the young lady tC
yourself and"
He broke off with meaning nod al
the door, and, anxious enough to see
| Sheila and to make sure that she was
safe, tapped at the panels anG
at once; she was standing on one side
of the hearth; Mr.. Elphinstone, in his
| usual semi-Gistressed. semi-perplexet
state, stood at the other; between
them, his hat in his hand, stood tall
professional looking man whom l al
once set down as the doctor we had
Just heard of. He was speaking as
| entered, and with a mere glance a,
: me, he went on:
AFTER good nights rest, quite
all right, think. But will cal
again, Mr.. Elphinstone, In couple OF
hours, and perhaps give Mrs. Elphin
stone a sleeping draught. Keep the
nurse all night-she'll save you lo'
| of trouble"
He turned and made for the door
and as was still close by it, opened
it for him, let him ont. end shut it CT
him, at the same time slipping the
| latch-thOse three outside were no;
coming in lnul 1 was sure of some
thing tuned: Sh2ila was ALREADY
| advancing towards me
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