Belt Valley times. [volume], March 06, 1924, Page Page Three, Image 3

About Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977

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By E. PHILLIPS OPPENHEIM
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Copyright by Little. Brow« and Company
-MY CONGRATULATIONS"
SYNOPSIS.—Francis Ledsam dé
tends Oliver Hlldltch. a business
man. In a murder case and suc
ceeds In getting him oft. only to
be told by bis wife that Hlldltch
Is an arch-crlmlnal. Ledsam. din
ing with hla best friend. Andrew
Wllmore. meets Hlldltch and his
wife and is Invited to dine with
them at their home. At dinner with
the Bildliches. Oliver shows Led
sam how he killed his victim and
says his own death the same way
would make hla wife supremely
happy. Returning home, Ledsam
renalvps a phone call from Mar
garet Hlldltch saying Oliver has
been murdered. Ledsam gets the
set Oliver's death.
He admits to
coroner to
down as suicide.
Wllmore that he has developed
s keen Interest In Margaret. He
meets her father. Sir Timothy
Brast. the evil shepherd, who
telle him a crime will be com
mitted before they leave the cafe.
A murder Is committed. Ledsam
determines to solve the mystery.
He meets Margaret
CHAPTER VII—Continued.
"I am not at all sure," she said in
differently. "that it would not be very
much better for you if he did."
"1 cannot admit that," he answered,
smiling. "I think that our paths in life
are too far apart for either of us to in
fluence the other. You don't share bis
tastes, do you 7"
"Which ones?" she asked, after a
moment's alienee.
"Well, boxing for one," he replied.
"They tell me that he is the greatest
living patron of the ring, both here
gnd in America."
"I have never been to a fight in my
life," she confessed. "I hop# that I
never may."
"1 can't go so far as that." he de
clared, "but boxing Isn't altogether one
of my Lobbies. Can't we leave your
father and bis tastes alone for the
present? 1 would rather talk about—
ourselves. Tell me what yon care
about most in life?"
"Nothing," she answered listlessly.
"But that la only a phase," he per
sisted. "You bave had terrible trials.
I know, and they must have affected
your outlook on life, but you are still
young, and while one is young life is
always worth having."
"I thought so once," she assented.
"1 don't now."
"But there must be—there will be
compensations," he assured her. "I
know that Just now you are suffering
from the reaction—after all you have
gone through. The memory of ' that
will pass."
"The memory of what I have gone
through will never pass," she an
swered.--—.
There was a moment's Intense
lence, a silence pregnant with remi
niscent drama.
"Please look at me," be begged,
little abruptly.
She turned her bead in some sur
prise. Francis was almost handsome
in the clear spring sunlight, his face
alight with animation, bis deep-set
gray eyes full of amused yet anxious
*
{
h
w
'C
%
i
f
*?n Your Way You Have Been Kind
to Me," She Admitted.
Even as she appreciated
solicitude,
these things and became dimly con
aclons oMiii eager Interest, her per
turbation seemed to grow.
"Well?" she ventured.
"Do I look like a person who knew
what be was talking shoot?" be asked.
"On the whole. I should say that you
did." the admitted.
"Very well, then," be went on cheer
fully. "believe am when I aay that the
shadow which dep r e s se s you ell the
time now will pass 1 aay this con
•dently," he added, hla voice soften
ing. "because I hope to be allowed to
kelp Haven't yon gu es s ed that I am
very glad indeed t* eaa you again 7"
They tad pen ta C through Lane
down# peerage and were In the quiet
"But yon must not talk to me like
that !" she expostulated.
"Why not?" he demanded. "We have
met under strange and untoward cir
cumstances. but are you so very dif
ferent from other women? Will you
not accept my friendship?"
It Is Impossible," she replied.
'May I be allowed to call on you?"
he went on doggedly.
■ "I do not receive visitor»," she an
swered.
"1 am sorry," be said, "but I cannot
accept my dismissal like this. 1 shall
appeal to your father. However much
be may dislike me, be has at least
#ommon sense."
She looked at him with a touch of
the old horror in her coldly question
ing eyes. y
"In your way yon have been kind to
me." she admitted. "Let me In return
give you a word of advice. Let me beg
you to have nothing whatever to do
with my father. In friendship or In
enmity. Either might be equally dis
astrous. Either, in the long run, is
likely to cost you dear."
*Tf that is your opinion of your fa
ther, why do you live with him?" he
asked.
She had become entirely callous
again. Her smile, with its mocking
quality, reminded him for a moment of
the roan whom they were discussing.
"Because I am a luxury and com
fort-loving parasite," she answered de
liberately, "because my father gladly
pays my accounts at Lucille and
Worth and Reviile, because 1 have
never learned to do without things.
And please remember this. My father,
so far as 1 am concerned, has no
faults. He Is a generous and courte
ous companion. Nevertheless, No. *0
b, Curzon street is no place for people
who desire to lead normal lives."
And with that she was gone. Her
gesture of dismissal was so complete
and final that be bad no courage for
further argument. He had lost her ol-_
most as soon as he bad found her.
CHAPTER VIII
Four men were discussing tbe ver
dict at the adjourned inquest upon
Victor Bidlake, at Soto's American
bar about a fortnight later. They were
Robert Fairfax, a young actor in mu
sical comedy, Peter Jacks, a cinema
producer, Gerald Morse, a dress de
signer. and Sidney Voss, a musical
composer and librettist, all habitues
of tbe place and members of tbe little
circle toward which the dead man bad
seemed, during the last few weeks of
his life, to have become attracted. At
the table a short distance away, Fran
cis Ledsam was seated with a cocktail
and a dish of almonds before him. He
seemed to be studying an evening pa
per and to be taking but the scantiest
notice of the conversation at the bar.
"It Just shows," Peter Jacks de
clared. "that crime la the easiest game
th Tfte world. Given a reasonable
amount of intelligence, and a murder
er's business is about as simple aa a
sandwlchman's."
'The police," Gerald Morse, a pale
faced anemic-looking youth, declared,
"rely upon two things, circumstantial
evidence and motive. In the present
case there Is no circumstantial evi
dence, and as to motive, poor old Vic
tor was too big a fool to have an
enemy in the world."
Sidney Voss, who was up for the
Sheridan club and had once been there,
glanced respectfully across at Francis.
"You ought to know something about
crime and criminals, Mr. Ledsam," he
said. "Have you any theory about the
affair?"
Francis set down the glass from
which be had been drinking, and, fold
ing up the evening paper, laid It by
the side of him.
"As a matter of fact," he answered
calmly, "I have."
The few words, simply spoken, yet
in their way charged with menace,
thrilled through the Uttie room. Fair
fax swung round upon bis stool, a tali,
aggressive-looking youth whose good
looks were half eaten up with dissi
pation. His eyes were nnnstnraliy
bright, tbe cloudy remains in his glaM
indicated absinthe.
"Listen yon fellows!" he exclaimed.
"Mr. Francis Ledsam, the great crim
inal barrister. Is going to solve the
mystery of poor old Victor's death for
us!"
The three other young men all
turned around from the bar. Their
eyes and whole attention seemed rivet
ed upon Francis. No one seemed to
notice the newcomer who passed quiet
ly to a chair in tbe background, al
though be was a person of some note
and interest to all of them. Imper
turbable and Immaculate as ever, Sir
Timothy Brast smiled amiably upon
tbe little gathering, summoned a wait
er and ordered a dry martini.
T can scarcely promise to do that,"
Francis said slowly, bis eyes resting
for a second or two upon each of tbe
foor faces. "Exact solutions are a lit
tle out of my line. I think I can prom
ise to give you a shock, though. If
you're strong enough to stand IL"
Thera was another of thooe curious
ly charged silence*. Tbe bartender
peoeed with the cocktail-shaker Mill
began to heal aerv
ously upon the counter with bis |
knuckles.
-We can stand anything bnt ras- 1
pense," he declared. "Get on with |
your shock-giving."
"I believe that the person responai-1
ble for the death of Victor Bidlake la
in this room at the present moment," J
Francis declared. 1
Again the silence, curious, tense and
dramatic. Little Jimmy, the bartender,
who hfed leaned forward to listen.
stood with his month slightly open and
the cocktail-shaker which was In hla
hand leaking drops upon the counter,
The first conscious impulse of every
body seemed to be to «glance auspl
clously around the room. The four
young men at the bar, Jimmy and one
waiter, Francis and Sir Timothy Brast.
were Its only occupants.
"I say, you know, that's a bit thick.
Isn't ItT" Sidney Voss stammered at I
last. "I wasn't In the place at all, 11
was in Manchester, but it's a bit rough |
on these other chaps, Victor's pals."
"I was dining at the Cafe Royal»" I
Jacks declared, loudly.
Morse drew a little breath.
"Every one knows that I was at
Brighton," he muttered.
"I went home directly the bar here
closed," Jimmy said. In a still dased
tone. "I heard nothing about it till
the next morning."
"Alibis by the bushel." Fairfax
laughed harshly. "As for me. I was
doing my show—every one knows that.
I was never in the place at ail."
"The murder was not committed in
the place," Francis commented calmly.
Fairfax slid off his stool. A spot of
color blazed In his pale cheeks, the
glass which he was holding snapped
in his fingers. He seemed suddenly
possessed. -
"1 say, what the h—I are you get
ting at?" he cried. "Are you accusing
me—or any of us—Victor's pals?"
"I accuse no one," Francis replied,
unperturbed. "You Invited a state
ment from me and I made It."
Sir Timothy Brast rose from his
place and made hi* way to the end
of the counter, next to Fairfax and
nearest Francis. He addressed the
former. There was an inscrutable l
smile upon his lips, his manner was
reassuring.
"Young gentleman." he begged. I
"pray do not disturb yourself. I will
answer for It that neither you nor any
of your friends are the objects of Mr.
Ledsam's suspicion. Without a doubt,
it la I to whom bis somewhat bold |
statement refers.'
They all stared at him, Immersed In
.
another crisis, bereft of speech. He
tapped a cigarette upon the counter
and lit it Fairfax, whose glass had
Just been refilled by toe bartender, was
still ghastly pale, shaking with nerv
ousnesa and breathing hoarsely.
Francis, tense and alert in his chair,
watched the speaker, but said noth
Ton see," Sir Timothy continued,
addressing himself to the four young
men at the bar, "I happen to have
two special aversions In life. One
is sweet champagne and the other am
ateur detectlves-their «tories, their
method« and everything about them.
I chanced to sit upstairs In the res
taurant, within hearing of Mr. Ledsam
and hta friend Mr. Wllmore, the novel
1st, the other night, and I heard Mr.
Ledsam, very mnch to my chagrin,
announce his Intention of abandoning
a career in which he has. If he will
allow me to aay «o.''-wlth a courte
ous bow to Francis—"attained con
slderabie distinction, to indulge in the
moth-eaten, flamboyant and melodra
mstic antics of the lesser Sherlock
Holmes. I fear that I could not resist
the opportunity of joking him about
bia new avocation."
j ___, . . ,,
i i ok i ^ "ET? 1 ?. to S'
^
ed Into the room and sobsided Into
a chair near Francis.
._,_,. . „
T moved my place, therefore." Sir
Timothy continued "and I whispered
D „ Mr , h "'
S** TtJZJSnt
planning to be the giant crime-detect
or of the world, I was by ambition the
archcriminal—or words to that effect.
And to give emphasis to my words,
I wound up by prophesying a crime
in the immediate vicinity of the place
wlthln a few hours."
"A somewhat significant prophecy.
under the circumstances" Francis re
marked. reaching out for a dish of
Mlted almond, and drawing them to
wards him
Sir Timothy shrugged his shoulders
deprecatlngly.
T will confess," he admitted, "that
I bad not in my mind an affair of
sucb dimensions. My harmless re
mark, however, has produced eatac'ys
mlc effects. The conversation to which
I refer took place on the night of
young Bidlake'. monier, and Mr. Led
sam. with my somewhat. I ranfess,
bombastic words in hta memory, has
pitched upon me as the bloodthirsty
murderer ''
"Hold on for a moment. Mr." Peter
Jacks begged, wiping tbe perspiration
from his forehead. "We've got to
have another drif k «Mc k. Poor old
Bobby here looks a nocked all of s
heap, and .Pm Had of jumpy myself
TouU join «a. at tT
"I thank you," was the courteous
reply. T do set as • rate indulge to
ing.
the extent of more than one cocktail
exceptional case. To continue, then."
he went on, after the glasses had been
weeks, experienced the ceaseless and
lynx-eyed watch of Mr. Ledsam and
presumably his myrmidons. I do not
know whether you are ail acquainted
with my name, but in case you are
not. let me Introduce myself. I am
Sir Timothy Brast, chairman, as 1
dare soy you know, of the United
Transvaal Gold Mines, chairman, also
of two of the principal hospitals In
.London, vice president of the Society
"for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ani
mais, a patron of sport In many forms,
a traveler In many countries, and a re
clplent of the honor of knighthood from
his majesty. In recognition of my aerv
1res for various philanthropic works.
These facts, however, have availed me
nothing now that the bungling amateur
investigator Into crime has pointed the
aervants and neighbors have alike been
but 1 will recognise the present as an
filled, "1 have, during the last few
finger of suspicion towards me My
II
! re
t.
-
l
j j
At
-| Truat That I Have Succeeded In
Setting Thsss Young Gentlemen's
Mind* at Ease."
Plagued to death with cunning ques
Uo,w «• *o "7 Me and habits. 1 have
been watched in the streets afid
watched in my harmless amusements.
My simple life faasbeen peered into from
every perspective and direction. In
short, I am suspect. Mr. Ledsam's ter
,
rtf y' n « «tateraent a few minutes ago
WM directed towards me and me only."
T» 1 *™ w * re "urmurs of sympathy
f™" 1 the four 7° un * «"«• who «« h ,n
h,a own . faab,on ap Pl ared dertv *
consolation from 81r Timothy's frank
I " d aomewhat_ caustic statement. Fran
^ w, '° had listened unmoved to this
words, «lanced towards the door
** b,I | d whlch dark 5 * urea " eemed t0 •»
.
I. Thata " h ™V° "*• 8,r
T, £ oth * 7 ; he P 0 '"* 1 *'
Tor the present, yes," was the
« uarde d reply. I trust that I have
" M *** ded ■*«"»* th "* y° un « « en '
U *®t n * " lnd " _
"There Is one of them," Francis said
m ' nd " ot * V * D
ao « t ' ,ln « w j orda /°| ,ld ll * ht * n ' . ,
«hoplend had1 riaen unobtrusively to
H * f bl> band " ud< K ny ° n
Ymlrfu's shoulder and wWspMed in hi.
ear - Falr *«* ««er hi. first start
f**"* 1 f 00 * * n °"« h ' He . Btretc **i out
band towards the glass which as
b * had " ot touched, covered it with
"• fln « er * tor *and drained
It» contents. The gently sarcastic
«mile left Sir Timothy's lips. His eye
^s ™t a frown, hi. eye.
* * ■ , . ... .
"What Is the meaning of this?" be
._ . .
pollcen)an In pIaln clothea bad ad .
from the door. The manager
ID the background. Shoplend
..
I ,
11 means, he announced, that 1
?™* J nat Basted Mr. Robert Fairfax
M™® " a charge of wlllfu murder.
There hi a way »» through the kltch
IT' Take his other arm Holmes.
No ^' ««»»*"*"• « Pl
»«• were a few bewildered ex
clamaflons-then a dramatic hush.
S'«**« "ad fallen forward onhls stool,
He seemed to have relapsed into a
comatose state. Every scrap of color
was drained from his sallow cheeks,
bt * *7** were covered with a film and
b * waa breathing heavily. The detec
tlve snatched up the glass from which
**• 7 oung man had been drinking, and
■ Inelt •*
"I Mm drop a tablet in Jus
n.n. hf nJI
**• tb * dl « e,tIoD P ,,U he uaea
sometime*
Bbopland and the poi ceman placed
their bands underneath the armpits of
theonconscious rasn _
"»«'• «one. sir. 'be former whls
***& *° Francis. Well tiy and get
him to th* station If we can.
•
0
0
0
0
0
0
The greatest tragedies in tbe world,
provided they happen to other people,
have singularly little effect upon the
«Menais of our own Uvea There was
~
certainly not a soul In Soto's that night
who did not know that Bobby Fairfax
bad been arrested in the bar below for
the murder of Victor Bidlake, had
taken poison and died on the way to
the police station. Yet the same num
ber of dinners were ordered and
eaten, the same quantity of wlno
drunk. The management considered
that they had shown marvelous deli
cacy of feeling by restraining the or
chestra from their usual musical gyro
nasties until after the service of din
ner. Conversation. In consequence*
busted louder than ever. One specula
tlon In particular absorbed the atten
tlon of every single person in the room
—why had Bobby Fairfax, at the
smith of a very successful career,
risked the gallows and actually ac
cepted death for the soke of killing
Victor Bidlake, a young man with
whom, so far as anybody knew, he
had no cause of quarrel whatever?
There were many theories, many peo
ple who knew the real facts and
whispered them into a neighbor's ear,
only to have them contradicted a few
moments later. Yet. curiously enough,
the two men who knew most about it
were the two most silent men in the
room, for each was dining alone.
Francis, who had remained only In the
hope that something of the sort might
happen, was conaojous of a queer
sense of excitement when, with the I
service of coffee, Sir llmothy, glass I
In hand, moved up from a table lower
down and with à word of apology took
the vacant place by his aide. It was
what he had desired, and yet he felt |
a thrill almost of fear at Sir Timothy's
murmured words. He felt that he was
in the company of one who, if not nn
enemy, at any rats bad no friendly
feeling towards him.
"My congratulations, Mr. Ledsam,"
Sir Timothy said quietly. "You ap
pear to have started your career with
a success."
"Only a partial one," Frnncia ac
knowledged, "and as a matter of fact I
deny that I have started In any new |
career. It was easy enough to make j
use of a fluke and direct the intelli
gence of others toward* the right per
son. but when the real significance of
the thing still eludes you, one can
scarcely claim a triumph."
Sir Timothy gently knocked the ash
from the very fine cigar which he was
smoking.
"Still, your groundwork was good,"
he observed.
Francis shrugged his shoulders.
"That," he admitted, "was due to
chance." _——
—"Shall we exchan»* note«?" Sir Tim
othy suggested gently. "It might be
interesting."
"As you will," Francis assented,
"There Is no particular secret In the
way I stumbled upon the truth. I was I
dining here that night, a* yon know,
with Andrew Wllmore, and while he
was ordering the dinner and talking j
to some frtenda, I went down to the
American bar to have a cocktail. Miss
Daisy Hyslop and Fairfax were Mat
ed there alone and talking confidential
ly. Fairfax was Insisting that Mias J
Hyslop should do something which j
puzzled her. She conMnted reluctant- I
ly, nnd Fairfax then hurried off to the J
theater. * Later on. Misa HySlop and
the unfortunate young man occupied
table close to ours, and I happened
to notice that she made a point of lenv-1
Ing the restaurant at « particular time.
While they were welting in the vest!
bule she grew very impatient. I was}
standing behind them and I saw her
glance at the clock Just before she in
sisted upon her companion's going out
himself to look for a taxicab. Ergo,
one inquires at Fairfax's theater. For
that exact three-quarters of an hour
he is off the stage. At that point my
Interest in the matter ceases. Scotland
Yard was quite capable of the regt,"
•'Disappointing." Sir Timothy mur
mured. "I thought at first that yon
were over-modest. I find that I was
mistaken. It was chance alone which
set you on the right track."
"Well, there is my story, at any
rate," Francia declared. "With how
much of your knowledge of the affair
are you going to indulge me?*'
Sir Timothy slowly revolved Us
brandy glass.
"Well," he said, "I will tell yon this.
The two young men concerned, Bid
lake and Fairfax, were both guests of
mine recently at my country housa
They had discovered for one another s
very fierce and reasonable antipathy.
With that recurrence to primitivism
with which I have always been a
hearty sympathizer, they agreed. In
stead of going round their little world
making sneering remarks about each
other, to fight it out."
"At your suggestion, I presume7"
Francis Interposed.
"Precisely," Sir Timothy assented.
"I recommended that courM. and I
offered them facilities for bringing the
matter to a crisis. The fight. Indeed,
was to have come off the day after the
unfortunate episode which anticipated
✓
ft."
"Do yhu mean to tell me that you
knew—" Francis began.
Sir Timothy checked him quietly bnt
effectively.
"Will you dins with me at
Hatch End tonightf
(TO BB CONTIMUBD.)
First U. 8. Magazine.
A publication called tbe American
Magazine, was issued in colonial times
by Andrew Bradford, a printer, and a
business rival of Franklin. It was
edited by John Webbe. Tbe first num
ber appeared In Philadelphia. Feb
ruary 1A 1714. Franklin's periodical,
the General Magasine, appeared three
days later,
short lived, the American Magasine
lasting only twe niuabara and Fntafc
Uns for atx. . '
Both publications were
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