The midland journal., 1946-03-29
CHAPTER XIV

Tope had made me wear a Ife-pre-
server-he started back to finish
mel"
Ledforge, a bitter hurt in his tone,
cried: "Nonsensei I came to help
you. CARL"
There was murder in his eyes"
Eberly insisted, not speaking di-
rectly to the other man at all.
Ledforge whirled toward Tope, fu-
riously. "You put this idea into
his head! Of course he's shocked,
doesn't know what he's saying!"
HE had blackjack on a thong
on his wrist" said Eberly.
Ledforge wore strap watch on
his left wrist. He held it up. Carl
must have seen this" he insisted;
and he said sympathetically: Cen
tlemen, Mr.. Eberly is hysterical.
He has always been afraid of the
water"
Tope, after a moment, spoke.
swell, you see, Mr.. Ledforge," he
explained, almost apologetically,
"there's more to it than just this.
The whole thing started with a man
that left New York last Friday
morning with Mr.. Holdom, in Hol-
dom's car, and with Holdom's chauf-
feur driving. And the next time any
body saw that man, he was dead
under a bed in one of the cabins
at roadside camp up here"
The others-save young Adam
Bruce-were watching Tope. Adam
watched Ledforge. He saw the
mans pupils family dilate, saw his
eyes become fixed in concentrat-
ed attention. Tope paused, and in
the instant of silence, Adam heard
Mr.. Eberly's teeth chattering togeth-
er. And he had an impression of
racing thoughts behind Ledforge's
outward calm. Then the man asked
curtly:
"What of it? What has that to
do with me?"
''Why, Miss Ledforge hasn't seen
him yet" Tope explained. "But-
the dead man looked nightly like
you"
Ledforge cried, in quick horror:
'Looked like me? Dead? Heavens,
man, do you mean Christopher"
"Why, yes, dead" Tope assented
mildly. 81 didn't know his name
was Christopher, but he looked
enough like you to be your twin"
Ledforge nodded gravely. Gentle
men," he said then, "we can't stand
here. Carl is freezing, and Pm cold
myself. Suppose we go down to the
house. I must hear the whole story"
Tope asked: "You know who the
dead man was, them"
Certainly" Ledforge assented.
His eyes clouded with grief. "You
said he looked like my twin broth
er. Well, gentlemen, he was"
At the house, Whitlock and Beal
by Tope's direction stayed outside.
Eberly disappeared with serving
man, to drink hot grog and find
dry clothes. Ledforge asked for Miss
Ledforge; and the servant report
ed:
'She had turn, sir, and is lying
down. Two ladies are with her."
Good" said Ledforge. Don't
disturb her."
Tope suggested: you'll want to
get dry, yourself!"
But Ledforge negatived this.
''There's good fire on the hearth" +"
he pointed out. "I'u be all right.
Come in!"
So they gathered in the big living
room, richly paneled like baronial
hall; and Ledforge said: "Now then:
My brother dead, and some one else
too, you said?"
Mrs. Kell," Tope told him.
But Joe Dane could no longer en-
dure that Tope should dominate the
scene.
"And Kell too, Tope!" he cried.
"Dead as herring! And Holdom
dying, so we'll never get a word
out of him."
Tope saw Ledforge's eyes quicken
in sort of triumph, and the old
man turned to Joe almost roughly.
"Joe," he said, you've a real gift
for talking out of turn. Mr.. Led
forge, here, can lie all he wants to
now. knowing Kell and Holdom can't
contradict him."
Cumberland and Adam were 81
lent, strictly listening; even Joe did
not for while interrupt again. And
Ledforge spoke, a little sadly.
ITS hard to speak openly about
it." he confessed. We've kept it
an absolute secret for so long that
silence is habit now"
And he said earnestly: 'But you
know, every important man needs a
double. Did that ever occur to you?
Imagine now much easier it would
pc for the President, for instance,
4 he were twins. with one twin to
attend to the business Of the Office,
She other 70 handle the social side,