The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-05-23

p0SSlDl0 6uag - {4Au DS0aA AOtSs1-Asss-
in that wardrobe.
Later said rapidly to Sue, re-
Herring 10 my wish to learn just
what Francis had said. She I'M
tderstood me, but she looked trou-
bled. Mrs Byng passed Q little
ahead OF her at the top OF the
stairs, ana in the rustic OF that
llady's numerous garments Sue
LEANED toward me ana said quickly:
~Soon. It's Important She start
ed to follow Mrs. Byng. looked back
at me, hesitated. and then added
with q kind OF catch In heT breath.
sBe very careful"
Then she ran lightly down the
Stairs, and | watched her shining
bright hair.
/ went down the service stairs
which Led from beyond Marianne's
room. and straight through to the
ground-aoor stOreroorns Of the
north wing.
/ knew that these storerO0ms hao
been searched. not once. but sew
eral times. by the police. ! knew
/ that their only connection with the
lnoor above them was By way Of that
narrow passage and up the service
stairway. r knew chat they were
practically unused and that neither
1.-THE police nor Lorn had connected
them ia any way with the arrange
lafEairs that had taken place in and
near my own room.
IsTHE rooms were large. dark. and
J silent. gave the first few rooms,
(which were bare and empty. only 9
glance and went farther along to
1.-THE room which lay directly under
the White Sailor and under ny own
room. One large room stretched
Ishadowily along what / judged was
| the fun length OF both the upper
lrooms. and here ! managed TO open
La shutter.
The ceilings. unfinished and with
trough beams, were very low. The
lpipes for the furnace which pre-
Isumably supplied the upper floor,
OF the north wing ran openly
Through these roOms. and l looked
with SOME interest ct the spot
where they PASSED into the radia-
TORS Of my own room and to the
White Salon.
But It was among 8 group o bar
lreis in a corner Of the room that !
found what found; something L0rn
would have immediately discovered
had he given my statements any
weight ii his own mind. In Lorn's
mind played an antirely different
Irole than that Of investigator.
Not that the thing found was
discriminating to anyone. But Il
ldid so Car 70 prove : possibility that
was in my mind. For &c vas an
Isldsrdown, new. ltttls-ased elder
down covered with red silk. and Il
lwan wadded up and thrust into the
bottom or one of the barrels which
was then turned upside down.
| For some time stood there hold
ling the thing IN my hands, follow
ing teFse train OF thoushts. Sues
ahductor had been. she thougAf,
slender -lean. Someone had used
Ian eiderdown IN that room very
recently. The odor OF tobacco
lsmoks very late one night had
| fioated up through the hole in the
lceiling where the heating pipes
went through.
i But could that strange sigh we
had heard 50 clearly that very
| morning IN the Waite Salon Just
above have come from such . dis
tanco7 The tobacco smoke had
been not quite tangible: Il might
Ihave been not quite tangible: n
might have been explained by only
] Ia strangely shifting current Of air.
But that sigh had baen wholly tam
. CHILE. Someone near ~ had sighed,
) and there was no one near
II But I dared not linger too long
In that empty. rapidly darkening
storeroOm. had seen. thought
what was to be seen. ! didn't like
the feeling Of the place. with the
dusk Increasing IN its corners and
crawllng steadily nearer me: and
with thu approach az night ths
wind was beginning to whisper and
murmur and wan around the old
| dark building. And there was the
j urgent matter cf Sues token.
ii I made my way back not with
] out Qaaims. Cor during my shorl
/ Iasay IN the cavernoua stureroomi
, twilight had fallen With the com
plata snddenaess Of winter. and ths
] whole plaza vas hollow. hlacl
! atillness with shadows that sesmee
TO move. and mp footsteps echoet
) against TIE Cd walls.
fCspsrseAf. 1sss. Msraoa q. ResFAsrfl
III Dramatically. 10 n ere -, the
II seten ltealf ssanee back lnss the