Water Valley progress., November 26, 1910, Image 7

About Water Valley progress. (Water Valley, Miss.) 1882-1918

Image provided by: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

                
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(Copyright, by Bobbs-Morrill Co.)
9
SYNOPSIS.
I ..a ..rent e Blakeley, lawyer, goes to
Pitts.u;rg with the forged note-3 In the
Bronson ease to get the deposition of
John Gilmore, millionaire. In the latter’s
house he is attracted by the picture of
1 girl whom Gilmore explains is his
granddaughter. Alison West. He says
her father is a rascal and a friend of
the forger. A lady requests Blakeley to
buy -her a Pullman ticket. Ho gives her
lower eleven and retains lower ton. He
duds n man in a drunken stupor in lower
fen and goes to bed in lower nine. lie
iwakens in lower seven and finds that
his bog and clothes are missing. The
man In lower ten is found murdered. His
name, it develops, is Simon Harrington.
The man who disappeared with Blake
h y’s clothes Is suspected. Blakeley be
comes interested in a girl in blue. Cir
cumstantial evidence places Blakeley tin
!» r suspicion of murder. The train is
wrecked. Blakeley Is rescued from the
burning car by the girl in blue. His arm
is broken. Together they go to the Car
ter rnrm for breakfast. The girl proves
lo bo Alison West, his partner’s sweet
heart. Alison’s peculiar actions mystify
the lawyer. She drops her gold hag and
Blakeley, unnoticed, puts It In his pocket,
lb returns home and learns from his
landlady of strange happenings.
CHAPTER XI—Continued.
"Ik she talking still? or again?” he
asked, just before the door closed.
There was a second’s Indecision with
the knob, then, judging discretion the
belter part, Mrs Klopton went away.
’Now. then," McKnight said, set
tling himself in a chair beside the
bed, "spit it out. Not the wreck—I
know all I want about that. But the
theft I can tell you beforehand that
it was a woman."
'i had crawled painfully out of bed.
and was in the act of pouring the egg
nog down the pipe of the washstand.
1 paused, with the glass in the air.
A woman!" I repeated, startled.
"What makes you think that?"
"You don’t know the first principles
o: a good detective yam," he said
scornfully. "Of course, it was the
woman in the empty house next door.
You said it was brass pipes, you will
rc.memh.er. Well—on with the dance;
let joy be unconfined.”
Ho—-1 told the story; 1 had told it so
many times that day that I did It au
tomatically. And I told about the girl
with the bronze hair, and my suspic
ions. But 1 did not mention Alison
West. McKnight listened to the end
without interruption. When I had
finisht d he drew a long breath.
’Well!" he said. “That’s something
of a mess, isn’t it? If you can only
prove your mild and childlike dispo
sitmn, they couldn't bold you for the
murder—which Is a regular ten-twent
t.hirt crime, anyhow. But the notes—
that's different. They are not burned,
anyhow Your man wasn't on the
train—therefore, he wasn't in the
wreck If he didn’t know what lie was
taking, us yon seem to think, ho prob
ably reads the papers, and unless he
is a fathead, he’s awake by this time
to what he’s got. He'll try to sell
them to Bronson, probnhly.”
Ur to us, I put in.
Wo said nothing for a few minutes.
McKnigbt smoked a cigarette and
stared at a photograph of Candida
over the mantel. Candida'is the best
pony for a heavy mount in seven
states
”1 didn’t go to Richmond,” lie ob
served finally. The remark followed
my own thoughts so closely that I
started. “Miss West is not home yet
from, Seal Harbor.”
Receiving no response, he lapsed
again into thoughtful silence. Mrs.
Klopton came in just as the clock
struck oue, and made preparation for
the night by putting a large gaudy
comfortable into an arm chair in the
dressiug room, with a smaller, stilt
backed chair for her feet. She was
wonderfully attired in a dressing gown
tiiat was reminiscent, in parts, of all
the ones she had given me for a half
dozen Christmases, and she had a pur
ple veil wrapped around her head, to
hide heaven knows what deficiency.
She examined the empty egg-nog
glass inquired wlmt the evening paper
had said about the weather, and then
stalked into the dressing room, and I
preparmed, with much ostentatious I
creaking, to sit up all night.
We fell silent again, while Me
Knight traced a rough outline of tho
berths on the white tnbleeover, tad'
puzzled it out slowly. It was some
thing like this:
iz io * a
My~' _
II 9 7
“You think he changed the tags on
seven and nine, so that when you
went back to bed you thought you
were crawling into nine, when it was
really seven, eh?"
'Probably—yes."
"Then toward morning, when every
body v.as asleep, your theory is that
h? changed the numbers again and
left the train."
I can't think of any thing else," I
replied wearily.
"Jove, what a game of bridge that
fellow would play! It was like finess
ing an eight-spot and winning out.
They would scarcely have doubted
you had the tags been reversed in
the morning. lie certainly left you in
a bad way. Not n jury in the country
would stand out against the stains,
tiie stiletto, and the murdered man's
pocket book in your possession."
"Then you think Sullivan did it?" 1
asked.
Of course," said McKnight con
fidently "Unless you did it in your
sleep. I.ook at the stains on his pil
low. and the dirk stuck into it. And
dip.n't he have the man Harrington's
pocket-book?"
"Hut wily did lie go off without the
money?" 1 persisted. “And where
docs the bronze-haired girl come in?"
"Search me." McKnight retorted flip
pantly "Inflammation of the imagi
nation on your part.”
"Titer, there is the piece of tele
gram. It said lower ten, car seven.
It's extremely likely that site itad it.
That telegram was about me, Richey.”
"I'm getting a headache," he said,
putting out his cigarette against the
sole ot his shoe. "All I’m certain of
just now is that if there hadn't been
a wreck, by this time you'd be sitting
in an eight by ten cell, and feeling like
the rhyme for it."
he picked up his hat. “this fellow Sul
livan is a fugitive, and lie's a lot more
likely to make advances to Bronson
than to us. We could have the case
continued, release Bronson on bail
and set a watch on him.”
'Not my watch," McKnight protest
ed “It's a family heirloom."
"You'd bette; go home,” I said firm
ly "Go home and go to bed.- You’re
sleepy. You can have Sullivan's red
necktie to dream over if you think it
will help any."
Mrs Klopton s voice came drowsily
from the next room, punctuated by a
yawn. "Oh, I forgot to till you,” she
called with the suspicious lisp which
characterizes her at night, "somebody
called up about noon, Mr. Lawrence.
It was long distance, and he said he
would call again. The name was"—
she yawned—“Sullivan.”
CHAPTER XII.
The Gold Bag.
i have always smiled at those cases
of spontaneous combustion which, like
fusing the component parts of a seid
litz powder, unite two people in a bub
bling ephermeral ecstasy. But sure
sureiy there is possible, with but a
single meeting, an attraction so great,
a community of mind and interest so
strong, that between that first, meet
ing and the next the bond may grow
into something stronger. This is es
pecially true, I fancy, of people with
temperament, the modern substitute
for imagination. It is a nice ques
tion whether lovers begin to love
when they are together, or when they
are apart.
Not that I followed any such line
of reasoning at the time. I would not
even admit my folly to myself. But
during the restless hours of that first
night after the accident, when my
back ached with lying on it, and any
other position was torture, I found my
thoughts constantly going back to Ali
son West I dropped into a doze, to
dream of touching her fingers again
to comfort her, and aw'oke to find l
had patted a teaspoonful of medicine
out of Mrs. Klopton's indignant hand.
What was it McKnight had said about
making an egregious ass of myself?
And that brought me back to Richey,
ar.d I fancy I groaned. There is no
use expatiating on the friendship be
tween two men who have gone to
gether through college, have quar
reled and made it up, fussed together
over polities and debated creeds for
years; men don’t need to be told, and
women cannot understand. Neverthe
less, I groaned. If it had been any
one but Rich!
Some things were mine, however,
and I would hold them: The halcyon
breakfast, the queer hat, the pebble in
lier small shoe, the gold bag with the
broken chain—the bag! Why, it was
in my pocket at that moment.
I got up painfully and found my
coat. Yes, there was the purse, bul
ging with an opulent suggestion of
wealth inside. 1 went hack to bed
again, somewhat dizzy, between effort
and the touch of the trinket, so lately
hers. 1 held it up by its broken chain
and gloated over it. By careful atten
tion to orders, 1 ought to be out in n
day or so. Then-^^Pmd return It to
her. I really oughWo do that; it was
valuable, and I wcttdn't care to trust
it to the mail. 1 ■ould run down to
Richmond, and s I; her once—there
was no disloyalty |> Rich in that.
I had no Inten Ihn o! opening the
little bag. I put ilundrr my pillow—
which was my UiJs°n foi refusing to
have the linen sips"charged, to Mrs.
Klonton's dismay. And sometimes dur
ing the morning, while I lay under a
virgin field of whfee, ornamented with
strange flowers, ify cigarettes hidden
beyond discovery? and Hclence and
Health on a table . my elbow, as if
by the merest acHclent, I slip my hand
under my pillow and touch it rev
erently.
McKnlght came in about 11. I heard
his car at the curb, followed almost
immediately by Ms slant at the front
doer, and his usual clamor on the
stairs. He had a bottle under his
arm, tightly surmising that I had been
forbidden stimulant, and a large box
of cigarettes in his pocket, suspecting
my deprivation.
‘Well," he said cheerfully "How
dud you slee p after keeping me up half
the night?"
1 slipped my hand around; the purse
was well covered
"Have it now, er wait till ! get the
. cork out?" he rattled ort.
“1 don't want anything," 1 protested.
"' wish you wouldn't he so darned
cheerful, Richey" lie stopped whit
tling to stare at me.
"‘1 am saddest when I sing! ” he
quoted unctuously. "It's pure reac
tion. i.oilie. Yesterday tlie sky was
low; ; was digging for my best friend.
To-day—he lies before me, his peevish
f “'""Tl
__ .
I Knew That Bit of Chain.
self. ypstoVn-v i thought the notes
were burned; to-day—I look forward
to a good cross-country chase, and
with luck we will draw." His voice
changed suddenly. "Yesterday—she
was in Seal Harbor. To-day—she is
hr re."
"Here in Washington?" I asked, as
naturally as I could.
"Yes. Going to stay a week or two."
"Oh. I had a little hen and she had a
wooden leg
And nearly every morning she used
to lay an egg—"
“Will you stop that racket, Rich!
It's the real thing this time, I sup
pose?’
“Well," ho said judicially, "since
you drag it from me, 1 think perhaps
it is. You—you're such a confirmed
j woman-hater that 1 hardly knew how
you would take it."
"Nothing of the sort.” I denied testi
ly. "Because a man reaches the age
of 30 without making maudlin love to
every—"
"I'trn < « L-1 • n f n Imiut oonnti>i' efilno *'
he went on reflectively, without listen
ing to me, "and yesterday I ran over
a sheep; nearly went into the ditch
But there's a Providence that watches
over fools and lovers, and just now I
know darned well that I'm one, and l
have a sneaking idea I'm both."
"You are both,” I said with disgust
"If you can be rational for one mo
ment, 1 wish you would tell me why
that man Sullivan called me over the
telephone yesterday morning.”
“Probably hadn't yet discovered the
Bronson notes—providing you hold to
your theory that the theft was in
cidental to the murder. May have
wanted Ills own clothes again, or to
! thank you for yours. Search me; I
can't think of anything else." The
doctor came In just then.
“Pretty good shape,” he said. "How
did you sleep?"
"Oh. occasionally," I replied. "I
would like to sit up, doctor.”
"Nonsense. Take a rest while you
have an excuse for it. 1 wish to thun
der 1 c iM > In bed for a day or
so. I was u.i 11 night."
"Hat a | ink,' McKnight said,
pushing over i -e bottle.
“Twins!" I e doctor grinned.
“Have two < inks."
But the im t| al nun refused.
"I wouliln t | ea wear a champagne
colored i uct'-io during business
hours," he ex dallied. "By the way,
1 had anothei cast from your acci
dent. Mr. Bias ley, last yesterday aft
ernoon. I'nd< i the tongue, please.'
Ho stuck a the mometer in my mouth.
1 had a 3udd u terrible vision of the
amateur detclilve coming to light,
notebook, cblf.rful impertinence and
I
Incriminating data. “A small mant*
I demanded, "gray hair—”
"Keep your mouth closed.” the doc
tor said peremptorily. “No A wom
an. with a fractured skull. Beautiful
case. Van Kirk was up to his eyes
and sent for me. Hemorrhage, right
sided paralysis, irregular pit pi Is—all
the trimmings. Worked for two
hours ”
"Did she recover?” McKnight put in.
He was examining the doctor with a
new awe.
"She lifted her right arm before I
left." the doctor finished cheerily, "so
the operation was a success, even if
she should die."
"Good heavens," McKnight broke
in "and l thought you were just an
ordinary mortal, like the rest of us!
Let me touch you for luck. Was she
pretty?"
"Yes. and young Had a wealth of
bronze-colored hair. Upon my soul.
1 hated to cut it."
McKnight and 1 exchanged glances.
“Do you know tier name, doctor?" 1
asked
No. The nurses said her clothes
came from a Pittsburg tailor.”
'She is not conscious, I suppose?"
"No; she may be to-morrow—or In
a week."
He looked at the thermometer,
murmured something about liquid diet,
avoiding my eye—Mrs. Klopton was
broiling a chop at the time—and tool;
his departure, humming cheerfully as
he went downstairs McKnight looked
after him wistfully.
“Jove, I wish I had Ids constitu
tion," lie exclaimed. "Neither nerves
nor heart! What a chauffeur lie would
make!” *
But I was serious.
“I have an idea,” 1 said grimly,
“that this small matter of the murder
is going to come up again, and that
your uncle will be in the deuce of a
fix if it does. If that woman is going
to die somebody ought to be around
to take her deposition. She knows a
lot. if she didn’t do it herself. I wish
you would go down to the telephone
and get the hospital. Find cut her
name, and if she i3 conscious."
McKnight went under protest. “I
haven’t much time," he said, looking
at tils watch. "I'm to meet Mrs. West
and Alison at one 1 want you to
know them, Lollie. You would kke
the mother."
"Why not the daughter?" 1 in
quired. 1 touched the little gold hag
under the pillow.
“Well,” he said judicially, "you’ve
always declared against the immaturi
ty and romantic nonsense of very
young women—’’
"1 never said anything of the sort,"
I retorted furiously.
" ‘There Is more satisfaction to be
had out of a good saddle horse!”’ he
quoted me. “ ’More excitement out
of a polo pony, and as for the eternal
matrimonial chase, give me instead a
good stubble, a fox, some decent dogs
and a hunter, and 1 11 show you the
real ioys of the chase!’"
"For heaven’s sake, go down to the
telephone, you make my head ache,”
1 said savagely.
1 hardly know what prompted me
to take out the gold purse and look
at it. It was an imbecile thing to do
—cal! it impulse, sentimentality,
what you wish. I brought it out, one
eye on the door, for Mrs. Klopton has
a ready eye and a noiseless shoe. But
the house was quiet. Downstairs Mc
Knight was flirting with the telephone
central and there was an odor of
boneset tea in the air. I think Mrs.
Klopton was fascinated out of her
theories by the "boneset” in connec
tion with the fractured arm.
Anyhow, I held up the bag and look
ed at It. It must have been un
fastened, for the next instant there
was an avalanche on the snowfield of
the counterpane—some money, a wisp
of a handkerchief, a tiny booklet with
thin leaves, covered with a powdery
substance—and a necklace. I drew
myself up slowly and stared at the
necklace.
.. .h..t.Knrln of.
fairs that women are wearing now', a
heavy pendant of gold chains and
carved cameos, swung from a thin
neck chain of the same metal. The
necklace was broken: In three places
the links were pulled apart and the
cameos swung loose and partly de
tached. Rut it was the supporting
chain that held my eye and fascinated
with its sinister suggestion. Three
inches of it had been snapped off, and
as well as 1 knew anything on earth. I
knew that the bit of chain that the
amateur detective had found, blood
stain and all, belonged just there.
(TO BE CONTINUED.)
Bigger Boys.
A compilation of "freshmen physical
statistics” made by the medical exam
iner of the Yale gymnasium shows in
almost every particular a gain In tha
class of 1913 as compared with the
class of 1912. In some instances the
gain Is not large, and occasionally no
gain is noted. Yet on the whole lire
difference is notable. A more striking
difference is found in the comparison
of the average freshman with the av
erage college man, the freshman phys
ically being considerably the superior.
Evidently this is duo largely to the
constantly growing attention given m
athletics in the preparatory schools.
NATURE’S SIGNALS.
The first indication of kidney dis
order is often backache. Then comes
pain in the hips and sides, lameness.
soreness and
uuuaiy wim
bles. These are
the warnings—
nature's signals
for help. Doan's
Kidney Pills
should be used
at the first sign.
Ira Clark,
North Main St.,
Savanna, 111.,
says: *1 was
confined to bed
with kidney
trouble and nev
er expected to be up again. A doctor
Bald I had acute Inflammation of the
bladder, but ho could not help me.
How grateful was I for the prompt
relief Doan’s Kidney Pills gave me!
Continued, use removed every sign of
kidney trouble.”
Remember the name—Doan's.
For salo by all denlers. 50 cents a
box. Foster-Milburn Co., Buffalo, N. Y.
Contrary Issues.
"So Binks has had his income cut
down?"
“Yes: that Is why he is so much
out up.”
TRY MURINfc EYE REMEDY
for Red; Weak, Weary, Watery Eyes
andGranulatedEyelids. Murine Doesn’t
Smart—Soothes Eye Pain. Druggists
Sell Murine Eye Remedy, Liquid. 25c,
50c, $1.00. Murine Eye Salve in
Aseptic Tubes, 25c, $1.00. Eye Booka
and Eye Advice Free by Mall.
Murine Eye Remedy Co., Chicago.
An %ndless Job.
"I'll bet I could keep a fairy god
mother busy."
“As to how?"
“I’d have her look after my touring
oar.”
Cheering Up the Guide.
‘‘Remember, Henry,” said the hunt
er who had arranged with the guide,
“we’re not hiring you—you’re simply
ono of our party.”
"What's on jour mind?” lnqulre'd the
guide.
“Woll, you see, in case anything hap
pens wo don’t, want to be troubled
with this new employers’ liability
law,” admitted the cautious hunter.—
Puck.
One of the Best Rest Cures.
Is a good story.
To many women It is as good as a
trip away from home.
WjOU jo tired 'lisiiii arl|i i'0'ir
flerves are on edge, try going off by
yourself and losing yourself in some
! good stoiy. You will, in nine cases
' cut of ten, come back rested and ln
| Vigorated.
One woman who has passed serene
ly through many years of hard work
and worry that go with the managing
of a house and bringing up of a large
j family of children, said that she con
' sidered It the duty cif every busy
housekeeper to read a certain amount
of “trash," light fiction, for the rest
and change to the mind that It would
give.
1 Try it, you who lead a strenuous
life, and who sometimes grow exceed
ingly weary of the same.
—
THE FIRST TASTE
Learned to Drink Coffee When a Baby.
If parents realized the fact that cof
fee contains 4 drug—caffeine—which is
especially harmful to children, they
| would doubtless hesitate before giving
the babies coffee to drink.
“When I was a child in my moth
er’s arms and first began to nibble
things at the table, mother used to
j give me sips of coffee. As my parents
j used coffee exclusively at meals I
J never knew there was anything to
| drink but coffee and water,
j "And so I contracted the coffee
habit early. I remember when quite
i young the continual use of coffee so
1 affected my parents that they tried
roasting wheat and barley, then
ground It in the coffee-mill, as a sub
stitute for coffee.
“But it did not taste right and they
went back to coffee again. That was
long before Postum was ever heard
of. I continued to use coffee until 1
j was 27, and when I got Into ofP.ce
| work, I began to have nervoud spells.
Especially after breakfast I was so
j nervou^I could scarcely attend to my
correspondence.
“At night, after having coffee for
supper, I could hardly sleep, and on
rising in the mornirg would feel weak
and nervous.
“A friend persuaded me to try
Po3tum. My wife and I did not like
It at first, but later when boiled good
and strong it was fine. Now we would
not give up Postum for the best coffee
we ever tasted.
“I can now get good sleep, am free
from nervousness and headaches. I
recommend Postum to all coffee drink
ers.”
Read “The Road to Wellvllle,” In
pkgs.
"There’s a Reason.”
Ever read the above letterf A new
, aae appears from time to time. They
are genuine, true, and full of humus
1 luterest*