The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1936-11-21
The Wrong Murderer
By HUGH CLEVELY

| this somewhere" queried Bassett.
81 suppose you won't meet her.
them"
"Your supposition is entirely in.
correct" replied Mahony cheerfully.
eff Lawson is behind this. and is
planning some ambush for me.
should hate to disappoint the poor
fellow. He's had rather a lot of dis.
| appointments lately.
"You fix an appointment for me
with her in some nice. isolated, lone.
ly house; be sure you find some
place where almost anything might
happen without anybody butting in
to disturb the fun and games. and
let Miss Little know where this ap-
pointment is to take place FIVE or
six hours beforehand. so that If
friend Lawson is going to pop up
with some dirty scheme. he'll have
plenty of time to make all his prepa.
rations. When you've fixed every
thing up. let me know. and Ill tell
you what else to do"
Fatty Bassett shifted disparag-
ingly.
81 shouldn't take too many
chances. guv'Dsr." he said. 81 can
see you're laying trap for Lawson.
but don't forget he's get abart four
times me number of men that have.
ard if it comes to free for all in
some lonely place. there's more than
a chance that they may prove too
many for us, even if we do take 'em
by surprise"
They'll be too many for US all
right, if it comes to a fight" an
swered Mahony. But don't worry
about that yet. And another thing.
Not a word about this to Miss Fra
ser. If she knows I've got some big
scheme on. she'll want to be in it.
and don't want to run any risk Of
anything happening to her."
r AWSON waited in some anxiety
IL for Mahony's answer to Elsa s
request for a meeting. His answer
arrived that night. Basseit got into
touch with Elsa by telephone and
told her that Mahony would meet her
at eleven the following night at a
house called THE Hawthorne" stu
ated on patch of waste ground near
the edge of Chaplain Common.
Elsa at once took this news to
Lawson. and again Lawson hid a
smile. Evidently Mahony was taking
the precaution of meeting Elsa in
a fairly remote and lonely place.
That suited his own plans excel
lently.
And the fact that twenty-four
hours had to elapse before the meet
ing also suited him excellently. 1t
gave him plenty of time to recon
hotter the ground quietly and pre-
pare his plans.
"You can leave things entirely to
me, now" he said to Elsa. There's
no need for you to keep this appoint
ment or to involve yourself in this
any further. I'll make all the ar
rangements to have him quietly
seized and put aboard steamer. and
IL let you know as soon as he's
safely out of the country"
Elsa shook her head.
81 want to be there when he's cap
tured." she said. after your men
have taken him want to talk TO him,
and try to convince him that what
we're doing is all for his own good.
| should feel awful If just let him
be captured and taken away with
out putting in an appearance my
self-as though | were afraid to face
him. Besides. want to speak TO him
about Ruth. should like to do some
thing for her. too, if | can"
"My dear girl. you're just being
ridiculous" pointed out Lawson in
the tone of one who gives good ad-
vince. Your presence. when we take
him. would only complicate matters
enormously. For one thing. We may
not be able to take him without a
struggle. and if there is any fighting
| don't want you mixed up in it.
You've done your part in the plan:
the rest of it is a mans job entirely.
and your presence would only him
der matters"
I'm not going to do anything be-
hind Terence Mahony's back that /
won't do to his face" replied Elsa
stubbornly. 1--WE told him I'd meet
him and I'm going to meet him. And
you can make up your mind to that. -
Lawson knew her stubborn ma.
ture: only short time previusly he
had played on it to his own advan.
tage. Obviously it was no good at.
tempting to argue with her now. He
turned away from her for a moment
and stared out of the window. think.
ing hard.
The details of his plan for the fol.
lowing night depended on the situa.
ton of the house. but so far as the
main lines of his plan were con.
cerned. his mind was already firmly
made up. He had no intention of TAX.
ing any chances with Mahony this
time.
copyright 1886. Hugh ClerelyI
Lawson IS forced to a change Of
plan. Monday.