32 CALIBER

by

Donald McGibeny

_Frontispiece by_

HUGH MACKEY

[Transcriber's note: frontispiece missing from book]

INDIANAPOLIS

THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY

PUBLISHERS

COPYRIGHT 1920

THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

 I BRING JIM HERE II TWO MEN AND A WOMAN III I COULD KILL HIM IV THE WORST HAPPENS V ACCIDENT OR MURDER VI A CLUE AND A VERDICT VII I TURN DETECTIVE VIII IT LOOKS BAD FOR HELEN IX LOOK OUT, JIM X I ACCUSE ZALNITCH XI A DOUBLE INDICTMENT XII WHO AM I XIII WE PLAN THE DEFENSE XIV BULLET PROOF XV THE ANSWER XVI THE MECHANICIAN XVII RED CAPITULATES XVIII I LISTEN TO MY FOREBEARS

32 CALIBER

CHAPTER ONE

BRING JIM HERE

I was in the locker-room of the country-club, getting dressed after thebest afternoon of golf I had ever had. I had just beaten Paisley"one-up" in eighteen holes of the hardest kind of sledding. 

If you knew Paisley you'd understand just why I was so glad to beathim. He is a most insufferably conceited ass about his golf, for a manwho plays as badly as he does; in addition to which he usually beatsme. It's not that Paisley plays a better game, but he has a way ofmaking me pull my drive or over-approach just by his confounded mannerof looking at me when I am getting ready to play. 

We usually trot along about even until we come to the seventh hole--infact, I'm usually ahead at the seventh--and then conversation does mein. You see, the seventh hole can be played two ways. There's a smallclay bank that abuts the green and you can either play around or overit to the hole, which lies directly behind. The real golfers play overwith a good mashie shot that lands them dead on the green, but dubs, like Paisley, play around with two easy mid-iron shots. When we get tothe place where the choice must be made, Paisley suggests that I goaround, which makes me grip my mashie firmly, recall all the things Ihave read in the little book about how to play a mashie shot, and letdrive with all my force, which usually lands me somewhere near the topof the clay bank, where it would take a mountain goat to play the nextshot. After that, Paisley and I exchange a few hectic observations andmy temperature and score mount to the highest known altitude. 

Of course, every now and then, I forget my stance and Paisley longenough to send the ball in a beautiful parabola right on to the green, and when I do--oh, brother!--the things I say to Paisley put him insuch a frame of mind that I could play the rest of the course with apaddle and a basket-ball and still beat him. This particular afternoonhe had tried to play the seventh hole as it should be played, andthough we had both foozled, I had won the hole and romped triumphantlyhome with the side of pig. 

I was gaily humming to myself as I put on my clothes when JamesFelderson came in. His face was drawn and his mouth was set in a waythat was utterly foreign to Jim, whose smile has done more to keeppeace in committee meetings and to placate irate members than all otherharmonizing agencies in the club put together. There was somethingunnatural, too, about his eyes, as though he had been drinking. 

"Have you seen Helen?" he demanded in a thick voice. 

"No. Not to-day, " I answered. "What's the matter, Jim? Anythingwrong?"

Felderson has been my law partner ever since he married my sisterHelen. I had left him at the office just before lunch and he hadseemed then as cheerful and unperturbed as usual. 

"Helen has gone with Frank Woods!" he burst out, his voice breaking ashe spoke. 

It took a second for me to grasp the meaning of what he said, then Igrabbed him by the shoulder. 

"Jim, Jim, what are you saying?"

My sister--left her husband--run off with another man! I had read ofsuch things in stories, but never had I believed that real people, inreal life and of real social position, ever so disgraced themselves. Every one knew that Frank Woods had been seeing a lot of Helen, andseveral close friends had asked me if Jim knew the man's reputation. Ihad even spoken to Helen, only to be laughed at, and assured that itwas the idle gossip of scandal-mongers. That she should have left Jim, darling old Jim, for Frank Woods, or any other man, was unthinkable. Jim sank on a bench and turned a face to me that had grown utterlyhaggard. 

"It's true, Bupps! I found this on the table when I went home tolunch. "

He held out a crumpled note written in Helen's rather mannish back-hand. 

"Jim, "It is now ten-thirty. Frank is coming for me at eleven. He has mademe realize that, loving him the way I do, I would be doing you ahorrible injustice to keep up the wretched pretense of being your wife. 

"Had you left any other way open, I would have taken it, but yourefused a divorce. I hate to hurt you the way I must, but try tounderstand and forgive me. 

"Helen. "

I turned toward Jim. His chin was sunk in his hands. Two men came infrom the tennis-courts and nodded as they went by. 

"What have you done?" I asked. 

He raised his head, and on his face was written incalculable misery. 

"Nothing!" he answered, dropping his hands hopelessly. "What can I do, except let them go and get a divorce as soon as possible? It's myfault. After we--quarreled the other night, she asked me to divorceher, and I refused. God, Bupps! If you only knew how much I love herand how hard I've tried to make her love me. And she did love me tillWoods came along. "

I hurried up my dressing, turning over in my mind the details of Jim'smarried life. In the light of the latest developments, I realized thepainful fact that I was partly to blame myself. Helen hadn't reallyloved Jim when she married him. Oh, she'd loved him in the same wayshe'd loved a lot of other men whom she'd been more or less engaged toat one time or another. She had married Jim, because it had been thething to do that year, to get married; and she realized that Jim lovedher more and could give her more than any of the others. Where I camein was that I had urged her to marry Jim because he was the best man inthe world and because I wanted him for my brother-in-law. 

I remembered now how cold Helen had been, even during their engagement, trumping up almost any excuse to keep from spending an evening alonewith the man who was to be her husband. It had made me so hot that Ihad reproached her even in Jim's presence. My words didn't seem toaffect Helen any, but they did affect Jim a lot. He had taken me for along ride in his car and filled me full of moonshine about how he wasunworthy of her and how he would win her love after they were married. I was in such sympathy with him that I tried to believe it true, although I knew Helen as only a younger brother can know a sister. Iknew that she had been pampered and petted ever since she was a child;that she had never shown much affection for father and mother, who wereher slaves, while toward me, who had insulted and made fun of her, shewas almost effusive. With this in mind, I had urged Jim to neglecther, to "treat her rough, " but when a man is head-over-heels in lovewith a girl, what's the good of advice? To tell him to mistreat herwas like telling a Mohammedan to spit in the face of the prophet. 

They had been married a little over a year when Frank Woods came toEastbrook on war business for the French Government. He had been inPapa Joffre's Army during part of the mêlée, wore the _Croix de Guerre_with several palms, and could hold a company of people enthralled withstories of his experiences. Whether he had a right to the decorations, or even the uniform, no one was quite sure, but it set off every goodpoint of his massive, well-built frame. He would stand in front of thefire and tell of air-scraps in such a way that, while he nevermentioned the hero by name, it was easy to guess that "hero" and FrankWoods were synonymous. He could dance, ride, play any game and shootbetter than the best of us, and when he sat at the piano and sang, every man looked at his wife or his fiancée and wondered where thelightning was going to strike. For although he was a very proper youngbachelor for months, showing no unseemly interest in women, we all ofus, I think, secretly felt that he was setting the stage for a "grandcoup. "

If he had singled out Helen from the first, he couldn't have played hisgame better, for his seeming indifference to her loveliness piqued heralmost to madness. During the early months of our entrance in the warhe was called back to France, and every man in Eastbrook breathed asigh of relief. There wasn't one of us who could say why we thoughthim a cad, but just the same, I doubt if there was a father inEastbrook who would willingly have given his daughter to him. He wastoo much of the ideal lover to make a good husband. There wassomething about him, too, that made no man want to claim him as aparticular friend, but perhaps it was because we were all jealous. 

While most of the younger men of the town were in France, or, like Jimand myself, in a training-camp, Frank Woods came back, and this timethere was no mistaking whom he had picked out for his attentions. Until the war was over and Jim home, it was not noticeable, for he wasmost meticulous in his behavior, but with Jim busy trying to straightenout our tangled practise, Woods lost no time in taking advantage of hisopportunities. And there had been opportunities enough, heaven knows, with Jim surrounded by clients, yet trying in his clumsy, lovable wayto remonstrate with Helen for seeing so much of Woods. My interferencehad only increased his opportunities, for the evening I told her whatpeople were saying, she quarreled with Jim, and as a result he threwhimself into his work with an energy in which enthusiasm had no part. 

All the time these thoughts were running through my head--and they ranmuch faster than I can set them down--I had been throwing my clotheson, knowing something had to be done, yet what that something was Icouldn't for the life of me figure out. 

"Come on, Jim!" I said, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him fromhis dejected position. 

"Where to?" he responded wearily. 

"First of all, we're going to shut this thing up. _The Sun_ would likenothing better than to spread it thick all over the front page of theirfilthy sheet. "

"You're right, old boy! I'd forgotten about the newspapers. It wouldbe horrible for Helen to have her name dragged through the mud. "

"I wasn't thinking of Helen, " I responded testily, "but a lot of cheapnotoriety won't help our law practise any. "

All the spirit seemed to have seeped out of his system, so I pushed himinto my car, preferring to take the wheel rather than have him drive. I can always think better when I have a steering wheel in my hands, andknowing with what speed Jim drove ordinarily, I didn't care to trust myprecious body to him in his overwrought condition. 

We were just backing into the drive when one of the servants camerunning from the club. 

"Oh, Mr. Thompson!" he called. 

I stopped the car and waited for him to come up. 

"What is it?"

"You're wanted on the telephone. "

I jumped from the car and started for the club. There were the usualgroups of tea-drinkers and bridge-players scattered about on the broadveranda, and it seemed to me, as I ran up the steps, that they allstopped talking and looked at me, I thought, with curiosity, if notwith pity. There would be no use shutting up the newspapers if thatbunch of gossips were in possession of the scandal. 

I hurried to the telephone and slammed the door to the booth, expectingto hear the voice of some reporter demand if there was any truth to therumor that Mrs. James Felderson had run off with Frank Woods. To mybuzzing brain it seemed that the whole world must have heard the news. 

"Hello, " I called. 

"Is that you, Warren?" It was Helen's voice. 

"Helen!" I yelled. "For God's sake, where are you?"

"I am at the house. Listen, Warren! Have you seen Jim?"

Her voice sounded faint and strangely uncontrolled. 

"Yes--yes, " I shouted. "He's here with me now. "

"Then bring him here quickly, Warren! Please hurry. "

"But, Helen----"

"Don't ask me any questions, please. " There was a catch in the voiceon the other end of the wire. "I c-can't answer any questions now, butbring Jim, and hurry!"

The receiver clicked and I dashed out of the booth, a thousandquestions pounding in my brain. Why was Helen at the house? Had FrankWoods failed to keep his appointment, thinking better of eloping withanother man's wife; or, had Helen come to her senses, seen through thethin veneer that covered the cad and the libertine in Frank Woods andreturned to her husband for good? Over and above these questions andconjectures and hopes, there was thanksgiving in my heart that theirremediable step had not been taken; that something had intervened tokeep scandal and disgrace away from Jim. 

There must have been something in my face that told Jim I had beentalking to Helen, for he moved into the driver's seat and greeted mewith the single question: "Where is she?"

"Home!" I panted, "and drive like the devil!"

I might have saved myself the trouble of the last, for even before Igot into the car there was a roar of exhaust and the crunch of grindinggears and we were off down the smooth drive with a speed that quicklybrought tears to my eyes and put the fear of God in my heart. 

How we ever escaped a smash-up after we got into the city I can't tellto this day, for Jim never once slackened speed. He sat there withjaws set, pumping gas and still more gas into the little car. Thrice Isaw death loom up ahead of us, as vehicles approached fromside-streets, but with a swerve and a sickening skid, we missed themsomehow. Once a street-car and a wagon seemed completely to block theroad ahead, but Jim steered for the slender opening and when I openedmy eyes we had skinned through, leaving a corpulent and cursing driverfar behind. After that I forgot my wretched fear and the blood surgedthrough my veins at the delicious feel of the air as it whipped mycheeks. We turned at last into the long approach to Jim's house and itwas then that my heart sank. 

Frank Woods' car was standing before the door. 

CHAPTER TWO

TWO MEN AND A WOMAN

Had Helen been alone, I would have dropped Jim and gone on, knowingthat what they had to say to each other was not for outside ears, butwhen I saw Frank Woods' car there, I felt that a cool head might beneeded. There was an ominous set to Jim's shoulders as he walkedtoward the steps, a sort of drawing in of the head, as though all themuscles in his big frame were tensed. He hesitated a fraction of asecond at the door, either to let me catch up with him or because ofdistaste for the prospective meeting, and we entered the cool dark halltogether. 

Helen was standing at the entrance to the big living-room, her tallfigure erect, her head proudly poised, one graceful arm upraised, withthe hand buried in the velvet hangings. She had on a graytraveling-suit, the coat of which lay tossed over the back of a near-bychair. A large patent-leather traveling-case lay beside it. I hadexpected, from the urgency of the message and the sound of her voiceover the telephone, to find Helen agitated, but, except for slighttraces of recent tears and a high color, she looked as cool andcollected as though she had invited us to tea. Jim, on the other hand, was trembling, his face a pasty white, with great beads of perspirationstanding on his forehead. 

She motioned us to enter, and I led the way, gripping Jim's hand inpassing. Woods was standing by the window, his back to us, and hiswhole pose so artificial, so expressive of disdain, that I felt theshort hair rising along the back of my neck in antagonism. When heheard us, Woods turned with contemptuous deliberation, but when hecaught sight of the dumb misery on Jim's face, his own turned a dullcrimson. Helen crossed the room and seated herself on the divan, backof which Woods was standing. The whole performance--the place shechose near him, the look she flashed at him as she sat down, showed socompletely which of the men she loved, that my heart sank and I losthope of ever bringing her back to Jim. It was Helen who first spoke. 

"You received the note I left this morning?"

Jim moistened his lips once and said, "Yes. " The word was barelyaudible. 

"Then there is no need to tell you I have made up my mind to go withFrank. "

Her tone was coldly final. Woods had turned and was again gazing outof the window. Jim looked at Helen with the eyes of a hound-dog. Myheart ached for him, but there was nothing I could do. 

"Why did you come back?" Jim almost whispered, keeping his eyesdirectly on her face. 

"Because I didn't want a scandal. " She glanced down at her lap whereshe was opening and closing a beaded vanity bag. Evidently she wasfinding the interview harder than she had expected. 

"I felt--I hoped that if I could show you definitely and finally that Idon't love you, that I am devoted to Frank, your pride, if nothingelse, would induce you to give me the divorce for which I asked. Thatis the reason we decided to come back--so you might make it possiblefor us to marry without a scandal. "

The gross selfishness of the woman--I could hardly think of her as mysister--her cold cruelty, yes, even her damnable beauty, seemed to goto my head and something snapped inside. I couldn't bear the sight ofJim standing there helpless, while these two turned the knife. 

"That was very considerate of you, " I sneered. 

"You keep out of this, Warren!"

"I'm damned if I do, " I retorted. "I at least have a brother's rightto tell you that a man who will sneak into another's home to make loveto his wife, behind his back, and then----"

Woods turned quickly. "That's a lie, and you know it. "

Jim put his hand on my shoulder. He knew I was ready to fight. 

"Don't, Bupps!"

Suddenly he seemed to straighten into life. From the way he set hisjaw, I knew that the old courage, which had won so many cases in thecourt-room, was back on the job. 

"You were quite right, Helen. While I imagine your reason for notwanting a scandal was largely selfish, yet I think that considerationfor my position was partly responsible for your return, and for that Ithank you. When you asked for a divorce the other night, I didn'trealize that your love for me was so entirely dead, or that you hadfallen so completely under this man's influence. Under thecircumstances, I shall give you a divorce, if only to keep you fromtaking matters into your own hands. But I shall not do it until I havesatisfied myself that your new love is real, that the man is worthy ofit. If there is anything in Woods' life that does not bear lookinginto, I'll find it out; if he has done anything in the past that islikely to hurt you in the future, I shall know it, and you shall knowit, too, before you take this irrevocable step. "

Woods flushed for a moment when Jim spoke of digging into his past, buthe laughed easily and said:

"You're getting a bit melodramatic, aren't you?"

"Better melodrama than tragedy, " Jim responded bitterly. 

"Helen has told you she doesn't love you, and that she does love me. This morning she was ready to face the scandal of leaving her husband;to go to live with me, to live openly with me, unmarried, until youcould get a divorce. That rather answers your first point, doesn't it?"

"It makes me think no better of you, that you should have agreed tosuch a sacrifice. "

"I never expected to win the husband's love at the same time I won hiswife's, " Woods responded evenly. 

Never have I seen murder shine out of a man's eyes as it did out ofJim's at that moment. Each man measured the other across the narrowspace, and I longed that the laws of civilization might be swept asideso that the two might tear at each other's throats, for the woman theyloved. Both men were powerful, and neither feared the other. 

"As to looking up my past, " Woods continued, "one might think you werethe father of the lady and I a youthful suitor. While I recognize noright of yours to meddle in my affairs, the fact that I was sent toAmerica as the duly accredited agent of the French Government shouldhave some weight. They are not accustomed over there to hiring thugsand cutthroats to carry on their business. "

"This is all beside the point, " Helen broke in. "May I ask, Jim, whereI am going to stay and what I am going to do while you areinvestigating Frank's past?"

"You are going to stay here. "

"Here? But where will you stay?"

"I am going to stay here with you. "

Woods came around the divan. "Look here, Felderson! Can't you seeHelen doesn't love you, that you've lost--?"

"Keep back!" warned Jim huskily. 

"She can't stay here with you. She's no more your wife than if she hadnever married you. Do you think I'll allow her to stay in this house, forced to endure your attentions--?"

"Who are you to say what you will or won't allow?" Jim roared, his eyesblazing. "You came into my house as my guest and stole my mostprecious possession. Get out before I kill you!"

Woods' face was white. For one minute I felt sure the two men wouldsettle matters then and there. Suddenly he turned and said: "Come, Helen!"

"She stays here!" Jim cried. 

Helen had arisen from the divan when the two men came together. Nowshe stepped forward. 

"I'm going with Frank. We came back here more for your sake than ourown. We tried to give you a chance to do the decent thing, but I mighthave known you wouldn't. With all your protestations of love for me, when I ask you to do the one thing that would show that love, the onething that would make me happy, you not only refuse, but you insult theman who means everything in the world to me. If I had ever loved youin my life, what you have just said would have made me hate you. As Inever loved you, I despise and loathe you now. "

She started to pass him, but he grabbed her by the shoulders. His facewas white and drawn and his eyes were the eyes of a madman. He liftedher up bodily and almost threw her on the divan, crying, "By God! Youstay here!"

Jim turned just as Woods rushed and with a mighty swing to the side ofthe head, sent him crashing into the corner. Dazed as he was, he halfstruggled to his feet, and when I saw him reach beneath his coat, Isprang on him and wrenched the revolver from his hand. 

Disheveled and half-stupefied, he rose and glared at us like an angrybull. Slowly he straightened his tie and brushed back his hair. Heglanced over at Helen, who was sobbing on the sofa. 

"Two of you--eh? A frame-up. " All the hatred in the world gleamed inhis eyes, as he looked at Jim. "If you don't let Helen come to me, Felderson, I'll kill you; so help me God, I'll kill you!" Then hepicked up his coat and hat and walked out of the room. 

Jim went slowly to the door and into the hall. He looked tired andold. I heard the outer door slam behind Frank Woods and a motor start. Then I went out to Jim. 

CHAPTER THREE

I COULD KILL HIM

I was on my way back to Jim's after having gone home to change myclothes. Jim had asked me to stay with him that evening and, to tellthe truth, I was glad to do it, partly because of the threat Woods hadmade and partly because of the way Helen looked at Jim when she passedus in the hall on the way to her bedroom. Being a lawyer, I havenaturally made a pretty close study of character, and if I ever sawvindictiveness on the face of any human, it was on Helen's at thatmoment. 

I said nothing about the affair to mother while I was home, for she hasbeen very frail ever since my father's death and I thought there was nouse in needlessly upsetting her. There would be plenty of time todiscuss the matter after Helen left Jim. 

Again and again I recalled the struggle of the afternoon and again andagain, Helen's face, distorted with anger, reappeared. Finally Idecided to drive the car over to Mary Pendleton's and ask her to comespend the night with Helen. In her overwrought, hysterical condition, Helen was capable of doing almost anything. 

Mary has been like a second sister to me. She really cares nothing forme, except in a sisterly way, but we have been together, so much so andso long that Eastbrook gossips have given up speculating whether we areengaged. I'd marry her in a minute, or even less, if she would haveme, but Mary insists on treating me like a kid; calls my crude attemptsat love-making "silly tosh and flub-dub, " which makes the going ratherdifficult. She was bridesmaid to Helen and is the one person, besidesmyself, who can influence her in the least, so I felt that her presencewould add ballast to our wildly tossing domestic craft. Needless tosay, my own lack of self-control during the afternoon had been asunexpected as it was disappointing, but when it comes to anything thatconcerns Jim, I'm not responsible. 

I rang the bell and Mary, herself, came to the door, looking radiant asusual. 

"Hello, Buppkins!" She greeted me with that detestable nick-name shehas used since I wore rompers. "Aren't you trying for a record orsomething? This is twice you've called on me this month. "

"Mary, I'm in trouble. "

"Is the poor 'ittle boy in trouble and come to Auntie Mary to tell herall about it?" she sing-songed, making a little moue, as though she wastalking to her pet cat. 

"Cut it, Mary!" I said. "I'm really in trouble. "

"What is it, Bupps?"

"Helen ran off with Frank Woods to-day. "

"Heavens, Bupps!"--she was serious enough now. --"Where did they go?"

"They went, but they came back. Helen's home with Jim. They tried toforce him to give Helen a divorce. There was an awful fight and Woodsswore that he would kill Jim unless he let Helen go. But put on yourhat and coat and get your things. Helen needs you with her. I'll tellyou the rest on the way over. "

"I'll be with you in a second, " she called, running up-stairs. 

When Mary was snuggled down beside me in the car--and she does snugglethe best of any girl I ever knew--I told her everything, not forgettingthe part where I wrenched the gun away from Woods. 

"Goodness, Bupps! I bet you were scared, " she commented, her eyestwinkling. 

"Frankly, I didn't know what I was doing, or I would never have had thenerve, " I laughed. "But, lord! I feel sorry for Jim. "

Mary's face clouded over. 

"So do I, Bupps, but any one could have seen it coming. Jim was toogood to her. As much as I like Helen, I will say that the only kind ofhusband she deserves is a brute who would beat her. That's the onlykind she can love. I was with her the night before her wedding, andshe confessed then that if Jim were only cruel or indifferent to her, just once, she thought she could love him to death. The only reasonHelen cares for you and me, was because we never paid any particularattention to her when she acted up and pouted. That is why she is madabout Frank Woods. When he came to Eastbrook, he treated her as thoughshe didn't exist. "

"And if Jim were cruel to her now, do you think she would go back tohim?" I asked. 

Mary shook her head. "No, it's different now. If Jim were cruel toher, she would probably hate him all the more for it. "

"Proving the incomprehensibility of woman, " I jeered. 

"Proving the flumdability of flapdoodle, " Mary responded. "If you menonly put one little thought into giving a woman what she wants, insteadof giving her what you think she ought to want; if you kept asup-to-date in your love-making as you do in your law practise, womenwouldn't be the incomprehensible riddle you always make them out to be. "

"Well, why don't you tell us what you want?" I asked. 

"Silly! That would spoil it all, don't you see? Besides we aren'tsure just what we want ourselves. "

My spirits, which had risen considerably during our conversation, dropped with a slump when Jim's big house loomed up ahead. Already, something of the unhappiness within seemed to have added a more sombertouch to the outside. Have you noticed how you can tell from the faceof a house what kind of life the inhabitants lead? Happiness ormisery, health or sickness, riches or poverty all show as though thewalls were saturated from the admixture of life within. 

I sent Mary up-stairs to see Helen, while I went into the drawing-roomin search of Jim, but there was no one there except Wicks, the butler, who was lighting a fire, for, though it was only the last of September, the nights were chilly. I snatched up the evening paper to see if byany chance a hint of the scandal had crept into print. I felt surethat, as matters stood, they would not dare to put in anythingdefinite, but _The Sun_ has a nasty way of writing all around ascandal, so that, while the persons involved are readily recognized, they are quite helpless as far as redress is concerned. 

I noticed that Wicks had taken an infernally long time to start thefire. Although it was burning merrily, he still puttered about, brushing up the chips and rearranging the blower and tongs. When Wickshangs about he usually has a question on his mind that he wantsanswered, and he takes that means of letting you know it. I decidednot to notice him but to force him to come out in the open and ask, foronce, a straightforward question. From the fire, he moved to the tableand straightened the magazines and books, glancing now and then in mydirection, trying to catch my eye, but I buried myself more deeply thanever in the paper. When he finally stepped back of my chair, humannature could stand his puttering no longer, so I laid down _The Sun_, and turned to him. 

"Well, Wicks, what do you want?" I snapped. 

Wicks looked at me with the expression of a small boy caughtsticky-handed in the jam-closet. 

"Nothing, sir!--that is--er--nothing. " He turned and started from theroom. 

"Come here, Wicks!" I called. "I know when you hang around a roomunnecessarily, as you have been doing for the last ten minutes, thatyou have something on your mind. Now, out with it. "

"I was merely going to arsk, sir, hif I 'ad better begin lookin' arfteranother place, sir?"

That was an extraordinary question. Wicks had been with the Feldersonsever since they were married. 

"What put that idea into your head, Wicks?"

He was far more confused than I had ever seen him. 

"Meanin' no disrespect, sir, and I don't mean to be hinquisitive aboutwhat doesn't concern me, but I couldn't 'elp 'earin' a bit of what tookplace this arfternoon, sir. "

Good lord! I'd forgotten there might have been other witnesses to thescene of the afternoon besides myself. 

"Do the other servants know about this, Wicks?"

"Hi think they do, sir, seein' as 'ow Mrs. Felderson 'as been actin'and talkin' so queer. "

"What do you mean?" I demanded. 

Wicks struggled for composure. The subject was evidently mostdistasteful to his conservative and conventional British nature. 

"Hit was Annie, Mrs. Felderson's maid, sir, that hupset the servants. W'en she came down from hup-stairs, she said as 'ow Mrs. Felderson wasa ragin' and a rampagin' around 'er room, sayin' that if Mr. Feldersondidn't give 'er a divorce, she would do violence to 'im, sir. "

"Did Annie hear her say that?" I questioned. 

"She says so, sir. "

The whole thing was so monstrous that I gasped. For this awfuldime-novel muck to be tumbled into the middle of my family was toosickening. My sister, running away from her husband with another manand now threatening, in the hearing of the servants, to kill him, unless he gave her a divorce, disgusted me with its cheap vulgarity. Ihid, as best I could, the tempest that was brewing inside me. 

"Wicks, Mrs. Felderson is not well. Tell the servants that she isgreatly depressed over an accident that happened to a friend. At thepresent time, she is so upset over that, she really doesn't know whatshe is saying. Quiet them in some way, Wicks! And tell Annie to staywith Mrs. Felderson!"

"Very good, sir. " He started to leave. 

"And, Wicks--"

"Yes, sir. "

"There is no need of your looking for another place. "

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir!"

Wicks departed and I was left to my gloomy thoughts. Helen must bebrought to her senses. Mary and I must work, either to bring her backto Jim, or, if that prove hopeless, to see that the divorce was hurriedas much as possible. The very thought of having Mary along with me, with her inexhaustible fund of God-given humor and common sense, gaveme a vast amount of comfort and confidence. 

At this point, Jim came in. He had had a bath and a shave and had puton a dinner-coat, looking a lot more fit to grapple with his troublesthan he had the last time I had seen him. Only in his eyes did he showthe shock he'd received that day. 

"Communing with yourself in the dark, Bupps?"--his voice was naturaland easy. 

"Yes, " I sighed, "I've been trying to see a way out of this mess. "

Jim lit a cigarette and threw himself into a chair. For a few momentshe puffed in silence, taking deep inhalations and blowing the smokeagainst the lighted tip, so that it showed all the rugged, strength ofhis superb head. 

"What would you say, Bupps, if I told you everything would come out allright?"

"And Helen stay with you?" I asked incredulously. 

"And Helen stay with me, " he repeated calmly. 

"Of her own free will?"

"Of her own free will, " he answered. 

"I should say that the events of the day had addled your brain and thatyou are a damned inconsiderate brother-in-law to try to make a fool ofme. "

"I mean it, Bupps, " he said quietly. 

"What do you mean?" I demanded. 

"That everything will come out all right, " he smiled. 

"But how, man?" His complacency almost drove me wild. 

"Bupps, have you noticed how much money Woods has been spending aroundhere--his extravagant way of living? Where do you think that moneycomes from?"

"His contracts with the French Government, " I replied. 

"But I happen to know he didn't land those contracts. That's thereason he beat it so suddenly when we got into the war. " He tossed hiscigarette into the fire. 

"His salary from the French, then. They must have paid him some kindof salary. "

"Have you never heard what ridiculously small salaries the FrenchGovernment pays its officers?"

It was true that Woods could never have lived as he did on ten timesthe salary of a French captain. 

"His own private fortune then, " I suggested. 

"Ah! There's the point! If he has a private fortune, then my wholecase falls to pieces. That's what I've got to find out. Woods hasbeen playing for a big stake, and I think he has been playing withother people's money. Did you notice how he flushed this afternoonwhen I suggested looking into his private affairs? It was the veriestaccident--I was stalling for time--but when I saw him color up I knewI'd touched a sore spot. No, Bupps, I don't think Woods has a privatefortune. "

"But even if you show him up as worthless, will Helen come back to you, Jim?"

The color came to his face and he laughed with a queer twist to hismouth. 

"Am I as horrible as all that, Bupps?"

His words brought a lump to my throat. I went over to him and almosthugged him. 

"Jim, you're such a peach--dammit all--"

I heard a light step behind me. 

"Oh, Bupps!" laughed Mary, "if you'd only make love to me in thatardent fashion, I'd drag you to the altar by your few remaining hairs. "

I stood up, blushing in spite of myself. She can always make me feelthat whatever I am doing is either stupid or foolish. 

"Dinner is served, and I'm starving. Come on, people!" she announced, leading the way to the dining-room. 

"Where's Helen?" I asked. 

"She's not coming down. She has a slight headache, " Mary answered, giving me a warning look. "I am delegated to be lady of the manor thisevening. " She looked so adorable as she curtsied to us that I felt analmost uncontrollable impulse to grab her in my arms and smother herwith kisses, but remembering what she had done to me once when Iyielded to impulse, I refrained. 

When we sat down to the table, Helen's empty place threatened to cast agloom over the party, so Mary told Wicks to remove it. 

"It's too much like Banquo's ghost, " she whispered, laughing merrily atJim. 

"Speaking of ghosts, " said Jim turning to me, "I hear the labor peopleare asking the governor to pardon Zalnitch. "

"A lot of good it will do them, " I responded. "If ever a man deservedhanging, he does. "

"I know, but labor is awfully strong now, and with the unsettled socialconditions in the state, a bigger man than Governor Fallon might findit expedient to let Zalnitch off. "

"Who is Zalnitch? Don't think I've met the gentleman, " Mary said. 

"He's the Russian who was supposed to be the ring-leader of the gangthat blew up the Yellow Funnel steamship piers in 1915, " I explained. 

"Do you mean to say he hasn't been hanged yet?"

"Yes!" Jim answered. "And what's more, I'm afraid he's going to bepardoned. "

"Not really, Jim?" I queried. 

"Yes! I'm almost sure of it. Fallon is a machine man beforeeverything else, although he was elected on a pro-American ticket. They are threatening to do all kinds of things to him, just as theythreatened me, unless Zalnitch goes free, and I think Fallon is afraidof them, not physically perhaps, but politically. He wants reelection. "

Jim had helped the prosecuting attorney convict Zalnitch; in fact itwas Jim's work more than anything else that had sent the Russian toprison. At the time, Jim had received a lot of threatening letters, just as every other American who denounced the Germans before weentered the war had received them. Nothing had come of it, of course, and after we went in, the whole matter dropped from public attention. Zalnitch had been sent to prison, but his friends had worked constantlyfor commutation of his sentence. With labor's new power, due to thefear of Bolshevism, they were again bringing influence to bear on thegovernor. 

Wicks had removed the soup plates and was bringing in the roast, whenAnnie appeared. The girl was both frightened and angry. 

"Mr. Felderson?"

Jim looked up. "What is it, Annie?"

"Will you come up-stairs, please, sir?"

Mary pushed back her chair, "I'll go, Jim. "

"It's Mr. Felderson that's wanted, " Annie said with just a touch ofasperity. 

"Yes, you two better stay here and amuse each other, " said Jim. "Bupps, you carve!"

"If Bupps carves, I'm _sure_ to be amused, " laughed Mary. 

Jim left, and I went around to his place. If there is one thing I domore badly than another, it is carving. At home it's done in thekitchen, but Jim takes great pride in the neatness and celerity withwhich he separates the component parts of a fowl and so insists onhaving the undissected whole brought to the table. 

"What is it to-night?" Mary asked as I eyed my task with disfavor. 

"Roast duck. " I tried to speak casually. 

"Wait, Bupps, while Wicks lays the oilcloth and I get an umbrella. "

"Smarty!" I responded, grabbing my tools firmly, "you wait and see! Iwatched Jim the last time he carved one of these and I know just howit's done. "

I speared for the duck's back, but the fork skidded down the slipperyside of the bird and spattered a drop of gravy in front of me. 

"I'm waiting and seeing, " Mary chided. 

"Well, you wanted some gravy, didn't you?"

"Yes, but on my plate, please. "

This time I placed the tines of the fork carefully on the exact middleof the duck's breast and gently pushed, giving some aid and comfortwith my knife. The little beast eased over on the platter an inch ortwo. 

"The thing's still alive, " I exclaimed, getting mad. 

"If you'll let me have full control, I'll carve it for you, " Mary spokeup. 

"Come on, then, " I responded, gladly relinquishing my place. With adeftness and ease that could only be explained by the fact that theduck was ready and willing to be carved, she removed the legs and thendemolished the bird altogether. 

There was the sound of voices raised in altercation up-stairs, theslamming of a door and the patter of feet rapidly descending the steps. The next moment Helen burst into the room. She was fully dressed forgoing out and was pinning on her hat with spiteful little jabs. 

"Will you take me home, Warren?"

Mary left me and went over to her. 

"What has happened, Helen?"

"Oh, I can't stay here another minute. It is bad enough to have tostay in the same house with a man you loathe, but when a husband bribeshis wife's servants to spy on her and watch over her as though she werea dangerous lunatic--"

Her eyes were blazing. Mary put her arm around her and tried to quiether. 

"Helen, dear, you don't know how ridiculous that is. No one is spyingon you. "

Helen tore herself away. 

"That's right, stand up for him! You're all against me, I know. Theonly reason Warren brought you here, was to try to talk me into stayingwith him. Well, I won't, you understand? I won't! I hate him! Icould kill him! If you won't take me home, Warren, I'll go alone. "She was almost hysterical. 

"Have you thought what this would do to mother?" I asked. "She doesn'tknow you've quarreled with Jim. If she found out you werecontemplating a divorce, it would kill her. You know how weak she is. "

I heard Jim's heavy tread coming downstairs. 

"Can I stay with you, Mary?" Big tears stood in Helen's eyes and sheseemed on the verge of a complete breakdown. 

"Of course, Honey-bunch!" Mary responded, kissing her and leading herinto the drawing-room. "Just go in there and lie down while I get mythings. "

As Helen walked from the room, Jim came in. Mary turned toward us, looked us over for the briefest moment and whispered, "You men arebrutes!" As she ran up-stairs, Jim gazed after her. That same graylook had come back into his face. 

"I guess we are, " he said, shaking his head, "but I don't know how orwhy. "

I patted him on the shoulder and went for my coat. Whether he realizedit or not, I knew Helen would never come back to him. 

I went out to the car and turned on the lights. A white moon wassailing through a sky cluttered with puffy clouds, its soft radiancebathing the house and grounds in mellow loveliness. It all seemed soremote from the sordid quarrel inside that its beauty was enhanced bythe contrast. Here was a night when the whole world should be in love. Nature herself conspired to that end. And yet, there were thousands ofmen and women who were so forgetful of everything except their ownpetty differences that they turned their backs to the beauty aroundthem, in order to try to hurt each other. 

As Helen and Mary came out of the door, I climbed into the car and saidto myself, "Damn men, damn women, damn everything!"

CHAPTER FOUR

THE WORST HAPPENS

I was late getting down to the office the next morning, for I had goneback to Jim's and talked till all hours. It seemed that myinstructions to Wicks, to tell Annie to stay with Helen, had been takenquite literally by that estimable pair, for when Helen had told thegirl to leave she had refused, saying that Mr. Felderson had orderedher to stay. That was what had precipitated the quarrel. 

Even when I left Jim, to go to bed, I had heard him walking back andforth in his room, and once during the night, I heard him shut hisdoor. Thinking perhaps he might want me with him, I went to his doorand knocked. Jim was untying his shoes and explained that, unable tosleep, he had gone out for a walk. The clock on the mantel-pieceshowed half past four. 

In spite of the fact he had practically no sleep the night before, hewas down at his usual hour, nine o'clock, and when I went into hisoffice to see him, there was no sign of fatigue on his face. 

"Any news?" I inquired. 

"This may interest you, " and he tossed over the morning paper folded toan article on the first page. 

 ZALNITCH FREED

 GOVERNOR FALLON PARDONS MAN IMPLICATED IN YELLOW PIER EXPLOSION

 Prisoner Upon Release Makes Terrific Indictment Against Those Responsible for His Imprisonment

I glanced hurriedly down the long article. One paragraph in particularcaught my eye. It was part of a quotation from Zalnitch's "speech" tothe reporters. 

"Those who were responsible for my imprisonment may well regret thefact that justice has at last been given me. I shall not rest until Ilay before the working classes the extent to which the processes of lawcan be distorted in this state, and rouse them to overthrow and driveout those who have the power of depriving them of their rights andtheir liberty. I shall not rest until I see a full meed of punishmentbrought to those who have punished me and hundreds like me. Theirmoney and their high position will not help them to escape a justretribution. "

"It looks as though our friend was going to have a very restless time, "I commented, after reading the passage aloud to Jim. 

"'Vengeance is mine, ' saith Zalnitch. " Jim's eyes twinkled. 

"You're not afraid of him, are you, Jim?" I asked. 

"No more now than ever, Bupps. "

His face suddenly clouded over. "Wouldn't it clear the air, though, ifthey did carry out their funny little threats and put me out of theway? When I think of some of the things Helen has said to me duringthe last month, I almost wish they would. "

"That sounds weak and silly, " I scoffed; "not a bit like you, Jim. Cheer up! Give Helen a divorce and let her go! She's not worth allthis heartache. "

Jim sat for a moment thinking. "You don't know what this has done tome, Bupps. It's not as though divorcing Helen would straighten thewhole matter out. Ever since I've known Helen I've--idolizedher--foolishly, perhaps. She has been the one big thing worth workingfor; the thing I've built my whole life around. I've got to fight forher, Bupps. I can't let her smash my ideals all to pieces. I've gotto make her live up to what I've always believed her to be. "

The tone of the man, the dead seriousness of his words, made me want todisown Helen and then kill Woods. I left the room with my eyes a bitmisty and did my best, in the case I was working on, to forget. 

For two days I was kept so busy I hardly saw Jim except when I had togo into his office for papers, or to consult an authority. I wastrying to win a case against the L. L. & G. Railroad, and though I knewmy client could never pay me a decent fee, even if I should win, I waspitted against some of the best lawyers in the state, and was anxiousfor the prestige that a verdict in my favor would give me. The casewas going my way, or seemed to be, but the opposition was fightingharder every day, so that I had time for little else than food, sleepand work. Frank Woods had apparently left town, either on business orto give Helen a clear field to influence Jim. Helen was still atMary's, and her presence on a visit there was so natural that it hidher separation from Jim better than if she had gone home to mother. 

I was just leaving for court one morning when Jim called me into hisoffice. There was a gleam of triumph in his eyes and his wholeattitude was one of cheerful excitement. 

"Have you a minute, Bupps?"

"Only a minute, Jim. This is the day of days for me. "

There were several letters and telegrams lying on the table. Jimpointed exultantly to them and cried: "I've got him, Bupps! There isenough evidence there to send Woods up for twenty years. I wouldn'thave used such underhand methods against any one else, against anythingbut a snake, but I had to win, I had to win!"

I rushed to the table and rapidly scanned one of the telegrams. 

"You've started at the wrong end, but it doesn't matter. Frank Woodshas used the money entrusted him by the French Government to gamblewith. He counted on the contracts with the International Biplanepeople to bring him clean and leave him a comfortable fortune besides. The end of the war and the wholesale cancellation of governmentcontracts killed that. To cover his deficits, he borrowed from theCapitol Loan and Trust, and they are hunting for their money now. "

"How did you find all this out, Jim?" I demanded breathlessly. 

"From friends, good friends, Bupps. Men who knew that if I asked forthis unusual information, I had need of it and that I wouldn't abusetheir confidence. "

"And now that you've got it, what are you going to do with it?"

"I have sent messages to Woods, to his apartment, to the club and tothe International plant, saying that I want to see him. I know he isworking like the devil to get the contracts to furnish the governmentwith mail planes for next year. If he gets that contract, he maypossibly pull through, for the bank would probably extend his credit, but if knowledge of his illegal use of the money entrusted to him bythe French Government ever gets out, he knows it's the stripes withoutthe stars for him. "

"Be careful when you meet him, Jim, " I warned. "He'll go to the limit, you know, to save himself. "

"He's all front, Bupps; just like Zalnitch. I'll give him three daysto straighten out his affairs and get away. If he hasn't left by then, I'll put all the evidence I have into the hands of the Capitol Loan andTrust. "

"Are you going to tell Helen about this?" I asked. 

Jim pondered a moment. "I haven't decided that yet. If I was sureWoods would go away without any trouble, I think I'd leave her inignorance; but he might use her to save himself. "

"How do you mean?"

"I'm not so blind I can't see that Helen's infatuated with the man. Ifhe is blackguard enough to ask her again to go with him, I think shewould go, and that would pretty effectively tie my hands. "

"You mean that for Helen's sake you wouldn't prosecute Woods?" Idemanded. "That's stupid sentimentality. "

"It's for Helen's sake that I'm doing _all_ this, " Jim insisted. "Don't think for a moment I would stop the prosecution just because shewas with him. The reason my hands would be tied is because Helen'smoney would pay his obligations. "

"Helen's money?" I laughed. "Helen hasn't as much as I have. "

Jim flushed. "Helen is quite a wealthy woman, Bupps. When I went intothe army I wanted to leave Helen perfectly easy in a financial waywhile I was gone, so I transferred all my railroad stock to her, sothat she might draw the interest. I haven't asked her for it since Icame home, because, in the light of our recent differences, I wasafraid she might think I didn't trust her. "

"And do you suppose Woods knows that?"

"Of course he knows it!" Jim burst out. "She must have told him. Whydo you suppose he played around so long before deciding to make love toHelen? Oh, it's all so simple and clear to me now that I wonder at mystupidity. "

I glanced at my watch. 

"Good lord, Jim! You've almost made me lose my case. I have onlythree minutes to get to the court-house. Hold up the climax until Iget back, if you can. "

I jumped for the elevator and rushed to my appointment, getting therejust in time. The news of the morning had so raised my spirits that Iwas filled with an immense enthusiasm. Everything went my way. Mysumming up was a masterpiece of logic, if I do say so myself, and myclient received a substantial judgment. 

There is no moment sweeter in a young lawyer's life than when anotherlawyer, of big reputation, congratulates him on his conduct of a case. My cup was filled to overflowing, and I must confess I had littlethought for Jim's affairs when I lunched that day with Stevenson andMcGuire, councils for the L. L. & G. The prognostications that theymade for my future were so exaggerated that a bigger man than I mightwell have been excused for increased head and chest measurements. 

At half past two I went back to the office to announce the good news toJim. I had made up my mind before luncheon to spend the afternoon onthe links in honor of my victory, but the clouds, which had been heavyduring the morning, by two o'clock opened up a steady drizzle. Jim wasat his desk when I came in bringing the glad tidings. He got up andgripped my hand. 

"Good boy, Bupps! I knew you'd do it. Thank the Lord your affairs aregoing well anyway. "

"Has something happened since I've been out?" I asked. 

"Yes. The First National telephoned about eleven o'clock saying thatHelen wanted to borrow quite a large sum of money on her railroad stockand asking if I knew about it. They thought the money was probably forme and they wanted to ask if I'd be willing to wait a few days. "

"How much was it?"

"Fifty thousand dollars. "

"Is the stock worth that much, Jim?"

"Yes, " said Jim seriously, "the stock is worth twice that. That's whyI have to go slow. She could sell that stock for fifty thousand at anybroker's in five minutes. "

I whistled. "Gee! Fifty thousand. Woods must have asked her for itbecause he knew you were after him. "

"It's open warfare now. I told the bank I knew what the money was forand that it would cause no inconvenience to me to have them hold up theloan for a few days. In fact I asked Sherwood, the cashier, to waituntil he saw me before making the loan. "

Just then the telephone rang. Jim answered it. 

"Hello--Yes--Woods?--Where are you now?" He listened a moment. "Iunderstand--Eight-thirty promptly?--I'll be there--Yes, Iunderstand--I'll be there. "

He hung up the receiver and looked at me with twinkling eyes. 

"The shoe is beginning to pinch, Bupps. That was Woods. He asks me tomeet him alone this evening at the country-club, at eight-thirtypromptly. Says he wants to see me urgently on business that concernsus both. "

"Did he ask you to come alone?"

"Yes. He distinctly said that I was to come alone and be prompt. "

"Jim, " I argued, "you can't go out there alone to meet that man. It'stoo infernally dangerous. "

"There's no danger, Bupps; but I'm not going alone. Helen is goingwith me. "

He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a leatherportfolio, into which he put all the letters and telegrams that werescattered about his desk. 

"I'm going to prove to Helen, in his presence, what kind of man he is;that he loves her only for the money I gave her, and to save his yellowhide. I'm going to tear out of her heart all the affection she everhad for him. I think, after that, she will not only come back to me, but she will love me all the more for having known Frank Woods. Nomatter how badly a leg or an arm may be shattered, a quick, cleanoperation may cause the parts to grow together again, stronger thanthey were before. I think I win, Bupps. "

"Still, I believe you ought to carry a gun, in case he gets nasty. "

"I will, if you like, " he responded; "but I won't use it, no matterwhat happens. "

I left the office, vaguely disquieted with the thought of Jim going outto the club to face a man as dangerous and desperate as Frank Woods. When a fellow of his standing sees the penitentiary looming up in hisforeground he's capable of anything. Helen, herself, in the crazedcondition I had seen her the other night, was an added element ofdanger. I didn't like the looks of the situation any way I turned. 

I climbed into my car and drove slowly through the wet slipperystreets. The windshield was so covered with rain-drops that I loweredit to see the better, and the autumn rain, beating into my face, soonswept away my gloomy forebodings. After all, no man was going to stickhis neck into the hangman's noose, no matter how eager he was forrevenge. This was the twentieth century, in which no man coulddeliberately flout the law. Frank Woods would never have invited Jimto a "rendezvous" so public as the country-club, if he plannedmischief. When he found out how much Jim knew, realizing the game wasup, he would leave town quietly. Helen certainly would shake Woodswhen she learned of his dishonesty and trickery. Surely, no woman withHelen's pride could learn how she had been duped without hating the manwho duped her. 

I stopped at the University Union and found the card room well filledwith bridge players. The rainy afternoon had driven the golfers tocards, and as one of the men, Terry O'Connel, was on the point ofleaving, I took his place. I played till seven and then started hometo dinner. The rain had stopped and a fresh chilly wind was ripplingthe pools in the streets and rapidly drying the sidewalks. Theprospect of a cold blustery evening made me look forward with pleasureto the warm comfort of my study, and a good book. 

I had just finished a solitary dinner--mother being confined to herroom--and had settled down in dressing gown and slippers before mycheerful fire, when the telephone rang. I put down my book and triedto think of some excuse for staying home, in case it was mybridge-playing friends of the afternoon wanting me to come back to theclub. A strange voice called from the other end of the wire. 

"Mr. Thompson?"

"Yes. "

"There has been an accident to your brother-in-law's car. "

"What?--Where?--Who is this talking?" I shouted breathlessly. 

"This is Captain Wadsworth of the North District Police Stationspeaking. Your brother-in-law had a very bad accident with his car atthe second bridge on the Blandesville Road. Both Mr. And Mrs. Felderson were pretty badly injured. "

"Where are they now?" I gasped, fear clutching at my throat. 

"They have been taken to St. Mary's Hospital. "

I slammed down the receiver and tore into my clothes. I ran out to thecar and drove through the dark wet streets regardless of speed laws. From out the gray gloom, the heavy bulk and lighted windows of St. Mary's loomed just ahead. I ran up the steps and went at once to theoffice. Three nurses were standing there talking. 

"Can you tell me where they have taken Mr. And Mrs. Felderson?"

"Were they the people in the automobile accident?"

I nodded my head. 

One of the nurses led me to a large room on the second floor. As weneared the door a young interne, so the nurse told me, came out. Hewas thoughtfully polishing his glasses. 

"I am Warren Thompson, Mr. Felderson's brother-in-law, " I explained. "Can you tell me how badly Mr. And Mrs. Felderson were hurt?"

He put his glasses back on his nose and looked at me sympathetically. 

"Mr. Felderson is dead, and Mrs. Felderson is dying, " he said. 

CHAPTER FIVE

ACCIDENT OR MURDER

Have you ever had the whole world stop for you? Well, that's whathappened when that young interne told me that Jim was dead. I musthave been half mad for a few moments, at least they said I acted thatway. 

Sometimes, tragic news deadens the senses, like the brief numbness thatfollows the sudden cutting off of a limb, the pain not manifestingitself until some time afterward. But with me, the fact of Jim's deathclawed and tore at the very foundation of my brain. It stamped itselfinto my sensibilities with such crushing force that I writhed under theburden of its bitter actuality. I felt as though I, myself, had diedand my spirit, snatched from the brilliant, airy sunlight of life, hadbeen plunged into the hammering emptiness of hell. "Jim is dead--big, happy, kind-hearted Jim is dead" ached through my brain. 

They gave me something to drink--ammonia, I think--and my whirling headbegan to clear. 

"Can I see Mrs. Felderson?" I asked the interne. It was he who hadgiven me the ammonia. 

"I'm afraid not, " he replied. "She is being prepared for the operatingtable. "

"There is a chance, then, of her being saved?" I clutched at his arm. 

He slowly shook his head. "One chance in a thousand only, I'm afraid. There was severe concussion of the brain and a slight displacement ofone of the cranial vertebra. Luckily, Doctor Forbes is here, and ifany one can save her, he can. " He got up from his seat beside me. "Now, Mr. Thompson, I advise you to go home and get a good night'srest. You can do nothing here, and the next few days are bound to be agreat strain. "

"You will telephone me at once the result of the operation?" I askedquickly. 

"I wouldn't count too much on the operation, " he said kindly, "but Iwill let you know. "

He turned and walked back toward Helen's room. Just then the door wasopened and there appeared a sort of elongated baby-cab, without a top. On this wheeling table was a still white bundle, from which a stifledmoan escaped now and then. Shaken with terror and nausea, I ran forthe stairs and did not stop until I got into my car and was racing away. 

As I drove, my brain cleared and I remembered that there were others towhom the tragedy was almost as vital as to myself and who ought to beinformed. I stopped at a corner drug store and called up Mary. Mothershould not be told until a physician could assure me she was strongenough to stand the shock. 

Mary was wonderfully sympathetic and tender, not voluble the way somewomen would have been. She asked me if I had been to the scene of theaccident, and when I told her I was just going, she asked me if Iwanted her with me. As it was after ten o'clock and the rain had begunagain, I told her "No, " and added that I'd come to see her in themorning. 

When I left the telephone-booth the drug clerk stared at meinquisitively. 

"You look all fagged out, " he said frankly. 

"I'm not feeling very well, " I replied, struggling into my rain-coat. 

"Better let me give you somethin' to fix you up, " he suggested. Iacquiesced, and he went to the shelf and shook some white powder into aglass. Then he put some water with it and it phizzed merrily. I drankit at a gulp and, climbing into the car, started for the second bridgeon the Blandesville Road. 

The drink braced me up and as I drove I began to recall the events ofthe last few days, and for the first time to wonder if they had anyconnection with the tragedy. Captain Wadsworth had told me it was anaccident. Could Frank Woods have been in any way responsible? No, certainly not, for Helen had been in the car, and he surely would neverhave done anything to put her life in jeopardy. _But Woods didn't knowthat she was there_. He had told Jim to come out alone; had insistedon it, in fact. It was _Jim's_ idea to bring Helen with him. 

My heart was doing a hundred revolutions to the minute. Now that I hadhit on this idea, every fiber of my being cried out that Frank Woodswas in some way responsible. I tried to urge my car to more speed. The wreck would surely tell me something. I determined to hunt everyinch of ground around the place for a clue. Woods would have to proveto me that he had nothing to do with the accident before I'd believehim innocent. 

I drove up the long hill overlooking the little bridge that hadsuddenly assumed such a tragic significance in my life. It lies at thebottom of the hill, about half-way between the city and thecountry-club and on the loneliest stretch of the entire road. Thereare no houses about; the city not having grown that far out and thesoil being entirely unsuitable for farming. In fact, there are onlyone or two large trees near by, to break the desolate expanse, thevegetation consisting mostly of thorny bushes springing from the rockysoil. There have been several accidents at the bridge, for itsnarrowness is deceiving and it is impossible for two autos to pass. Motorists, going to the club, usually let their cars out on the longhill and if another car, coming around the bend from the oppositedirection, reaches the bridge at the same time, only skilful drivingand good brakes can avoid a smash-up. The matter has been brought tothe attention of the authorities several times, but nothing has everbeen done, either to widen the bridge or to warn automobilists of thedanger. 

As I reached the top of the hill, I saw that two automobiles hadstopped at the bottom, and, noticing that their lights blinked aspeople passed back and forth in front of them, I was convinced that asmall crowd had gathered, probably out of curiosity. I slowed up as Ineared the spot and came to a stop at the side of the road. Amotorcycle cop walked up to my car. 

"Inspector Robinson, sir?"

"No, " I answered, "I am Warren Thompson, brother-in-law of Mr. Felderson, who had the accident. How did it happen, do you know, Sergeant?"

"It was the fault of the bridge again, sir. I've told the chief thatsomething ought to be done. This is the third accident in six months. We've been trying to find the other car. "

"What other car?" I asked. 

"The car that made Mr. Felderson take the ditch, " he explained. "Hemust have been driving fast--he usually did; many's the time I've hadto warn him--and must have seen that the other car would meet him atthe bridge. He stopped too quick, skidded off the road and turned overinto the creek. "

I shuddered as I pictured the scene. One of the automobiles turnedaround and the lights picked out the upturned wheels of Jim's car. Itlooked like some monster whose back had been broken. It was a largePeckwith-Pierce touring car, and the force of the crash had twisted andsmashed the huge chassis. Several men were gathered around the car, examining it with the aid of a barn-lantern. 

"Where were the bodies found?" I asked, my voice trembling. 

"Mrs. Felderson was over there on the bank. She was thrown out likelywhen the car left the road. Mr. Felderson's body was under themachine. "

While the thought of the heavy weight crushing the life out of Jimsickened me, I thanked God that death must have been instantaneous. 

"Do you know who found them, Sergeant?"

He pointed to a man standing by the wreck. "That man over there. Hefound them and took them to the hospital after sending one of hisfriends to notify the police. "

The man evidently heard our voices, and came over to us. 

"Is this the inspector?" he asked. 

"No, " I replied, "I am Mr. Felderson's brother-in-law. "

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he said quickly. "May I express my deep, deepsympathy?"

"Thank you. Will you tell me how you discovered the accident?"

"I had been out to Blandesville on business and was returning with aparty of friends. As we neared the bridge, one of them caught sight ofthe upturned automobile in the creek, and we stopped. We found Mrs. Felderson first, being attracted by her moans. We went at once to thecar, and as there were four of us, we were able to lift the automobilesufficiently to get Mr. Felderson from under it. We knew that thewoman was still living, but none of us was doctor enough to tellwhether Mr. Felderson was alive or not. We carried them quickly to ourcar and hurried to St. Mary's, dropping one of my friends at the NorthDistrict Station to inform the police what had occurred. Afterward wedrove back here, thinking we might be wanted in case there was aninvestigation. "

"Did you see the lights of any car ahead of you, as you came along theroad?" I asked. "Did any car pass you, going in the same direction?"

"A car turned in ahead of us from the Millerstown Road about tenminutes before. "

"Do you think that might have been the car that was partly responsiblefor this accident?" I queried. 

"Of course, no one could be sure in a situation of that kind, but Iwouldn't doubt it at all. It left us behind as if we were tied. "

Another car had driven up while we were talking and our policeman hadgone over to it at once. He came back now, accompanied by a shortheavy-set man in plain clothes. 

"I am Inspector Robinson, detailed to examine into this affair. Wereyou the man who discovered the accident?" he asked, addressing mycompanion. 

"Yes, Inspector; Pickering is my name. I'm with the Benefit InsuranceCompany. "

He told the circumstances of the discovery to the plain-clothes man, who, all the time Pickering was talking, bustled up and down and aroundthe car. Finally he made Pickering show him just where the bodies lay. 

"Distressing, distressing, " the inspector chirped, "dreadful accident, dreadful indeed, but quite to be expected with fast driving. If theywill risk their lives----"

"Inspector, " I broke in, "I am the brother-in-law of the man who drovethat car. While he was a fast driver, he was not a careless one. I'venever known him to have an accident before. " The little man irritatedme. 

"That's the way it always happens, " he came back at me; "they takerisks a dozen times and get away with them, and then--Blooey!!"

"But aren't you going to find the other car?" I demanded. 

"What other car?" he snapped. 

"The one that must have been coming from the opposite direction; thatcaused this accident. "

"Do you know there was any such car?" he bristled. 

"There must have been, " I answered. "No accident has ever happenedhere except under such circumstances. Besides, Mr. Pickering saw a carturn into this road ahead of him not ten minutes before the accident. "

Robinson looked from me to Pickering as though we were both conspiringto defeat justice. 

"Did you see such a car?" he barked at Pickering. 

"A car turned out of the Millerstown Road and went toward the cityabout ten minutes before we discovered the bodies, " Pickering repliedevenly. 

"Why didn't you say so?" the detective asked sharply. "What kind of acar was it?"

"A black limousine with wire wheels. I couldn't see the number. "

Robinson's humor seemed to have come back. 

"Now we're getting on, " he said, rubbing his hands. "That's better. That's much better. If you gentlemen had just told me that in thefirst place we'd have saved all this time. "

He turned to the motorcycle policeman. "Feeney, go over to Millerstownand inquire if a black limousine with wire wheels stopped thereto-night between eight and nine o'clock. "

A figure, unnoticed in the darkness, approached. It proved to be alanky farmer, who spoke with a decided drawl. 

"I reckon I kin help ye thar. They was a big limozine tourin' car withwire wheels went through Millerstown 'bout ha'f past eight, quat' t'nine. I know, 'cause it durn near run me down. "

"Do you live in Millerstown?" the inspector questioned. 

"Yep! Come over t' see the accident. "

"Did that auto stop in Millerstown?"

The farmer chuckled and expectorated. "It didn't even hesitate. "

"Can you tell us anything else about it?" I spoke up. 

The inspector glared at me. "I'll conduct this investigation, Mr. --err----"

The farmer scratched his head. "Waal, nothin' much. It went tooblamed fast fer me to git mor'n a right good look, but I did gee thatit was full o' men an' the tail-light was bu'sted an' they wa'n't nolicense on it. "

"You're sure of that?" the inspector asked. 

"Yep!" he said, "I'm sure, 'cause I was goin' to report 'em. "

Again the inspector turned to Feeney, who had been listening intently. 

"Feeney, go in and tell the chief to issue instructions to all theforce to keep an eye out for a black limousine with wire wheels, abroken tail-light and no license tag! My friend, " he said, turning tothe farmer, "I thank you for your information. By to-morrow nightwe'll have that car and the parties concerned. By gad! They had theirnerve, running away after the accident. The damned rascals--killingpeople and then running away. I'll grill their toes for them. "

The malice of the little detective, his readiness to jump from oneconclusion to another, reminded me for all the world of somedisagreeable, little, barking dog that chases every passing vehicle. 

I bade him good night, shook hands with Pickering and was on my wayback to my car, when another automobile drove up. Three men jumpedout, and as they passed in front of the lamps, I recognized LawrenceBrown and Fred Paisley, from the club; the third man was Frank Woods. As I caught sight of his well-set-up figure, all the hatred I had forhim seemed to rise in my throat and choke me. Try as I would Icouldn't separate him from the tragedy. When the farmer said the blacklimousine was full of men, I realized that Frank Woods couldn't havebeen one of them, and yet, so great was my distrust of the man, that Ifelt like accusing him on the spot. 

Larry Brown caught sight of me and wrung my hand. "Dammit, old man, Ican't fell you how sorry I am. " Paisley patted me on the back. "Ifthere is anything we can do, Thompson----"

I shook my head and tears came to my eyes. They made me realizepoignantly how much I had lost. Woods didn't join us. He knew if hetried to sympathize with me, after the affair the other day, that Iwould throttle him for his hypocrisy. 

"Was Jim killed outright?" Brown asked. 

"Yes! And there's one chance in a thousand for Helen. "

Both men started. "Was Mrs. Felderson there? They telephoned us atthe club that Jim had been killed, but we didn't know she was with him. "

They glanced at each other and then at Woods, who was standing by theside of the overturned car. 

"You'd better tell him, Larry, " Paisley muttered. 

"Doesn't he know?" I asked. 

"Of course not, " replied Brown. "He was out there at the club with us. I'm afraid it will hit him awfully hard. "

He stepped over to Woods and, taking him by the arm, they disappearedinto the darkness. We heard a choking cry, and the next moment Woodscame running toward us. His face was distorted with horror and hiseyes were almost starting from his head. 

"Thompson, for God's sake, tell me he lies! Tell me he lies!" heshrieked. "Helen wasn't in that car?"

The old suspicions came tumbling back an hundredfold and I turned coldall over. 

"It is true, " I said, "Mrs. Felderson is in the hospital at the pointof death. "

With a stifled groan, Woods sank to the ground and buried his face inhis shaking hands. 

CHAPTER SIX

A CLUE AND A VERDICT

I drove home with my thoughts in a tumult. The look on Woods' face andthe vehemence of his words made me sure he was in some way responsiblefor Jim's death. I walked the floor for hours trying to build up mycase against him. He had sworn to kill Jim, unless he let Helen go, and he must have known that afternoon that not only was Jim going tokeep Helen from him, but that he had the proof with which to ruin himforever. He had planned to have it out with Jim at the country-club, knowing it would be a cold damp night and that few people would be outthere. He had emphatically stated that Jim should come alone andshould be there promptly at half-past eight. All those facts pointedto the man's guilt and I felt sure that in some way I should be able tounearth the proof. 

I knew I ought to sleep, but sleep was the last thing I could do. Twice I called up the hospital to inquire after Helen, but they couldtell me nothing. Had the operation been successful? Yes, she had comethrough it. Would she get well? Ah, that they could not say. Theywould let me know if there was any change. I sent a telegram to Jim'suncle in the West, the only relative Jim ever corresponded with, andtold him to notify any others to whom the news would be of vitalinterest. 

Toward five o'clock, when dawn was just graying the windows, I threwmyself on my bed. I suddenly realized I was extremely tired, yet mybrain was buzzing like a dynamo. Pictures and scenes from the last fewdays flashed through my mind: the vindictive look in Helen's eyes afterthe fight with Woods; that table being wheeled out of Helen's room atthe hospital, with the moaning white bundle on it; the upturned carpricked out of the darkness by the automobile lamps, and finally, FrankWoods' face when he heard that Helen had been in the car. With therealization that I ought to get up and close the window, where themorning breeze was idly flapping the curtain, I fell asleep. 

I awoke with a start, to find the room flooded with golden sunlight. Aglance at the clock on the mantel-shelf showed that it was after nine. My body was cramped and stiff and I felt stale and musty from havingslept in my clothes. It was only after a cold shower and a completechange that I felt refreshed enough to pick up the threads where I haddropped them the night before. 

Again, like the sudden aching of a tooth, came the heart-breakingrealization that Jim was dead. With it came also anxiety for Helen'scondition, so I called up the hospital at once. They could only sayshe had not recovered consciousness, but seemed to be restingcomfortably. 

I went down to the office to tell the stenographers they might have avacation until after the funeral, and to lock up. The first person Ifound there was Inspector Robinson, who was calmly reading over thecorrespondence on Jim's desk. With all the "sang-froid" in the world, he met my infuriated gaze. 

"Good morning, Mr. Thompson. Thought there might be something heretouching on the case. " He waved a hand toward Jim's letter basket. 

"Have you found the black limousine?" I asked. 

"Certainly, my dear man, certainly! We've not only found the car, butwe found the people who were in the car and they know nothing about theaccident. My first explanation was the right one, as I knew it wouldbe. Felderson was driving recklessly, saw the bridge, put on thebrakes, skidded--was killed. "

"But why should he put on his brakes at the bridge?" I queried. 

"I've thought of that, " he smiled. "Perfectly logical. There's anasty bump at the bridge and he naturally didn't want to jar Mrs. Felderson. "

"So he turned into the ditch and pitched her out on her head instead, "I jeered. "That's all poppy-cock. I've taken that bridge at fullspeed a hundred times without a jar. "

"It's immaterial anyway, " he snapped, frowning at me. "You can't makeany fool mystery out of it. The point is that Mr. Felderson put on hisbrakes rapidly, perhaps for a dog or a rabbit, and skidded into theditch. "

"It's not immaterial!" I burst out angrily. "There was a real reasonfor his putting his brakes on rapidly. He was afraid of hittingsomething, or being hit himself. Who was the driver of that other car?"

"The son of one of the biggest men in the state, Karl Schreiber. "

"Karl Schreiber?" I cried. "The son of the German Socialist, who wasput in jail for dodging the draft?" I grabbed him by the arm. "Quick, man! Who were the others with him?"

Robinson gazed at me with a stupid frown. 

"Two reporters from _The Sun_, a fellow by the name of Pederson, OttoMetzger and that Russian, Zalnitch, who just got out of prison. "

"Zalnitch!" I yelled exultantly. 

Zalnitch! The man Jim had sent to prison and who had threatenedrevenge. Metzger, who had been his accomplice all along. Schreiber, who hated Jim and all the virile Americanism that he stood for. Pederson and the two reporters I didn't know, but they were no doubt ofthe same vile breed. A fine gang of cutthroats who would have likednothing better than to get rid of Jim. They probably saw his bigsearch-light, that makes his car easily recognizable, and realizedtheir opportunity had come. They had driven toward him as though tosmash into him and made Jim take the ditch to get out of the way. Thatexplained the sudden jamming on of his brakes that had caused him toskid and overturn. All these thoughts passed through my mind as Iheard the names of the men in the black limousine. 

"Inspector, " I said, "I am fully convinced that the men in the blacklimousine are responsible for my brother-in-law's accident. "

"What makes you think that?" he demanded, eying me narrowly. 

"Because all of them had reason to hate and fear my brother-in-law. Zalnitch, since his release, has sworn he would get even with Mr. Felderson for putting him in prison. Metzger felt the same way. Asfor Schreiber, I'm sure if he could have manipulated that car so as tocause an accident to Mr. Felderson, he would have done it. "

"You're crazy, " Robinson sneered. "This thing's gone to your head. How could they have known it was your brother-in-law's car?"

"By the big search-light in front. It's the only car in the state withsuch a search-light. Mr. Felderson's car was so fast that the policesometimes used it, and he had their permission to wear that light, asyou probably know. Also, it may have been dark enough to use thesearch-light and yet light enough so that a car could be distinguishedat a hundred feet. If there was any light at all, that bigPeckwith-Pierce car could be recognized by any one. " He was impressed. I could see it by the thoughtful, shrewd look that, came into his eyes. Already, he was making arrests by the wholesale, in his mind. 

"But I can't go pulling these men for murder on such slight evidence asthat, " he exploded. 

"No one wants you to, " I said sharply. "All I want you to do is tohelp me find out whether those men were present when the accidenthappened. "

The idea of helping me didn't please him at all. As soon as I hadspoken I saw my error in not putting it the other way around. 

"Now, Mr. Thompson, you better keep out of this, " he advised, gettingto his feet. "I know that you are anxious to find out if these men hadanything to do with Mr. Felderson's death, but the case is in goodhands. We professionals can do a lot better, when there's no amateursmessing about. You leave it to me!"

"Just as you say, " I acquiesced. "Get busy, though, and if you findout anything, let me know!"

Robinson stood a minute, turning his derby hat in his hands. I knewwhat he was after. 

"By the way, " I added. "I'll pay all expenses. "

His face brightened at once. "Well, now, that's good of you, Mr. Thompson. I wasn't going to suggest anything like that, but it'll helpa lot. "

I handed over several bills, which he pocketed with satisfaction. 

"Don't you worry a minute, Mr. Thompson. We'll get those birds yet. Iwas pretty sure they had something to do with it, all the time. You'vegot the best man in the department on the job. "

He put on his derby hat with a flourish and trotted out the door. Irecalled that I had told Mary I would see her, so I dismissed thestenographers and locked up the office. It was a perfect morning, withall the warm spicy perfumes of Indian summer. Overhead, a blue sky wasfilled with tumbled clouds of snowy whiteness. The rain of the nightbefore was still on the grass and the trees, giving a dewy fragrance tothe air that was invigorating. 

Now that I had found a possible solution to the tragedy, I was filledwith enthusiasm. I felt that if I could bring Jim's murderers totrial, I would conduct such a case for the prosecution as would sendthem up for life. They had succeeded in carrying out their threats, but I would make them pay for it. 

I stopped in front of Mary's house and honked the horn. She opened thedoor and came quickly to the car. The tragic news of the night beforehad taken the laughter out of her eyes and the buoyancy from her step. 

"I could cry my eyes out, Bupps, " she said as she climbed into the car. 

"Don't do it, or I'll start, too, " I responded, a lump coming in mythroat. 

"How did it happen?" she asked, as we drove away. "The papers gave along account, but said it was an accident. "

"Zalnitch did it, Mary. At least, I'm almost sure it was he. " I toldher what I had learned during the morning, and as I talked, I finallytouched on Frank Woods' strange words of the night before. 

"You don't think he had anything to do with it, do you, Bupps?"

"No, " I said. "I did think so, but I have changed my mind since thismorning. I suppose it was just his grief that made him act so queerly. "

"He does love Helen, Bupps, " Mary murmured. "Helen got quiteconfidential while she was staying with me, and the things she told meabout Woods made me see he was really in love with her. "

"Yes, I suppose he does love her, " I responded, "but he had no right totake her away from Jim. "

"It's the man who takes a woman, whether he has the right or not, thatwins, " responded Mary seriously. 

I looked at her and wondered whether she was growing the least bitpersonal. She was looking straight ahead, with an unsmiling gaze. AsI glanced at her, there beside me, with the breeze blowing wisps ofgolden hair around her temples, I got panic-stricken. 

"Mary--" I began. 

"Watch where you are going, Bupps!"

I fastened my eyes on the street ahead, but only for an instant. WithJim gone, I was going to be fearfully lonesome. I glanced at her again. 

"Mary, I know this isn't the right time or place, but--"

"Let's go to the hospital and find out about Helen, " she interposedquickly. She knew we were going there all the time. The mention ofHelen brought me back to earth with a snap, and made me realize I hadno business talking about love at such a time. Yet never in my lifedid I feel more like telling Mary how much I wanted her. 

We had no sooner entered the cool hall of St. Mary's than the littleinterne with glasses, whom I had seen the night before, came hurryingup to me. 

"Mr. Thompson, we have been telephoning every place for you. "

My heart jumped to my throat. "Is Mrs. Felderson---?"

"No, " he responded, "Mrs. Felderson is still unconscious. It is Mr. Felderson. The coroner has made an important discovery. "

I waved for Mary to stay where she was and hurried down-stairs, whereJim's body lay. It had not been moved before the coroner's inquest. The room was dark and several people were gathered around the inquesttable. All eyes were turned on me as I entered the room. A portly mandetached himself from the group and came toward me. 

"Mr. Thompson?"

"Yes. "

"I am the coroner. In making my inquest, I find that death was not dueto the automobile smash-up. Mr. Felderson was shot through the head, from behind. We have rendered a verdict of murder. "

CHAPTER SEVEN

I TURN DETECTIVE

Murdered! For a moment I was stupefied by the doctor's revelation, andthen, as he went on to describe the course of the bullet, and certaintechnical aspects of the case, a sudden rush of thankfulness came overme. Let me explain! The coroner had given a verdict of murder byperson or persons unknown. From the first moment I heard of theaccident I was certain there was something sinister about it, but hadlittle on which to base my belief. The coroner's verdict substantiatedmy suspicions and gave me a chance to work in the open; to bring intocourt, if possible, the people I suspected. 

Murder by person or persons unknown? I knew the persons: Zalnitch, Metzger, Schreiber. They must have recognized the car as it cametoward them and taken a shot as they went by. My thoughts wererecalled from their wanderings by an unexpected sentence of thecoroner's. I had been following him vaguely, but now my attention wasriveted. 

"One could not be sure, because of the varied course that bullets takethrough the body, but the shot seems to have been fired from above andbehind. Unless it were otherwise proved, I'd strongly suspect that themurderer had fired the shot from the back seat of the car. "

"Of course that is impossible, " I said, "because in that case themurderer would have been in the accident. "

"I had the same idea, " he said slowly, giving me a searching look. 

Helen!

I felt suddenly sick and faint. I wanted air, sunlight; to get awayfrom that darkened room and those piercing eyes that seemed to read mythoughts. I thanked him for letting me know what he had discovered, and hurriedly excused myself. 

Helen! The blood pounded through my temples. 

God! No!

Wilful, spoiled woman, if you will, ready to leave her husband withoutthought of the consequences, to go with another man; but hispremeditated murderer? A thousand times, no!

I felt that with the unworthy suspicion in my mind, I could not faceMary, and I waited a moment at the bottom of the stairs before going upto meet her. There were two questions that had to be answered. WasHelen in the back seat when the car left Mary's the evening before; andhad Jim told Helen about the proofs he had of Woods' irregularities?Mary was probably there when Helen and Jim left, and could answer bothquestions. 

I wiped the perspiration from my forehead and assuming as calm an airas possible, went up-stairs. Mary was chatting with the littleinterne, but as soon as she saw my face, she hurried toward me. 

"You look as though you'd seen a ghost. What was it, Bupps?"

"Not here!" I cautioned. "Wait until we get outside!"

We walked down the broad sunlit steps and climbed into the car. I feltlike a traitor to let Mary even think that I suspected Helen, but myquestions had to be answered. 

"Will you have luncheon with me, Mary?"

"Certainly, " she answered. "Let's go to Luigi's. We can talk quietlythere. "

I headed for down-town and kept my eyes on the road, dreading to put myquestions into words. 

"What was it, Bupps?" Mary asked. 

I decided to ask what I had to ask before telling her the coroner'sverdict. 

"Did you see Helen leave the house with Jim yesterday?"

"Yes. I was looking out the window when they started. Why?"

I could hardly force myself to go on. 

"Was Helen--did Helen get into the front seat with Jim?" I faltered. 

"No. She climbed into the back, " Mary replied. "They had some sort ofan argument before they left. I knew Jim was excited and that Helenwas angry. Of course I didn't hear all that passed between them, Itried not to hear any, but they talked very loud and were right in thenext room. "

"What did you hear?" I asked, my heart sinking. 

"Once Jim laughed, a hard sort of laugh, and I heard Helen say, 'Youlie! You know you are lying! He will disprove everything you say!'Another time I heard Helen exclaim, 'Give me that pistol! You shan'tthreaten him while I'm there!' I knew, of course, they were speakingof Frank Woods, but I didn't know what it was all about. But why doyou ask all this, Bupps?"

"Mary, " I said, and I couldn't look at her, "the coroner has given averdict of murder. "

"Murder?" Mary gasped. I nodded. 

"Jim was shot from behind, while he was driving Helen out to thecountry-club to meet Woods, and Helen was in the back seat. "

"She didn't do it!" Mary burst out. "She couldn't have done it. "

"Of course she didn't do it!" I exploded. We were glaring at eachother as though each was defending Helen from the other's accusation. "We know she didn't do it, but there are many who won't take our wordfor it. I could see by the way the coroner looked at me this morningthat he is ready to accuse her of murdering Jim, and it's up to us tosave her, by finding out who really is guilty. "

We drove up in front of Luigi's, and I was able to get a small table, in the corner by ourselves. Although no one could have overheard us, Isat as near Mary as I could and we talked with our heads close together. 

Mrs. Webster Pratt came in the door just then, with a luncheon party, and, noticing how we were engrossed, came bouncing over to the table atonce. 

"Poor Mr. Thompson, my heart bleeds for you--simply bleeds for you. "

I got to my feet and permitted her to squeeze my hand. She squeezesyour hand or pats you at the least opportunity, and this one wasunequaled. 

"Poor, dear Mr. Felderson. It is such a loss. I was shocked to deathwhen I heard it. And Mrs. Felderson, the poor child, is she goingto--ah--t-t-t. I was afraid so when I read it in the paper. I'msurprised to find you here. How is your poor dear mother?"

I knew that the woman would gossip all over the place about myheartlessness, unless I explained my presence in a public café so soonafter Jim's death and my sister's injury. 

"My mother doesn't know about it yet, " I said quietly. "I didn't thinkher strong enough to stand the shock. I shouldn't have come here, butI had a very important matter to talk over with Miss Pendleton. "

"I could see that from the way you were sitting, " she giggled. "I'mafraid that you're going to give Eastbrook something to talk about assoon as this distressing thing is over. " She patted my arm, beamed atMary and swished over to her party. 

"We shouldn't have come here, Mary, " I said with a sour grimace. 

"I forgot that old cat sometimes comes here. She'll spread it all overtown that you were down here making love to me before Jim was decentlyburied. She'll probably say we're engaged. "

"Well, I wish we were. " I know I must have shown my longing in my eyes. 

"Don't, please, Warren!" Mary whispered, putting her hand on my arm. "We've got too much to do. That Pratt woman drove everything out of mymind for a moment. I wish she hadn't seen us here. "

I didn't feel as though I could eat a thing and neither did Mary, so Itold the waiter to bring us a light salad, and sent him away. 

"Mary, " I said, after he had gone, "we know Helen didn't do this thing, but if you are called by the grand jury to tell what you just told me, they will bring an indictment against her in a minute. "

"They couldn't!" Mary expostulated. "They couldn't believe such athing. "

"Don't you think Mrs. Webster Pratt would believe it, if she kneweverything that we know?" I argued. "She'd believe it with only halfas much proof, and she has just about the mental equipment of theaverage juryman. There'll be about four Mrs. Webster Pratts on thatjury. "

"What can we do, Bupps?" Mary begged with tears in her eyes. 

"Well, " I said, "you've got to see Helen as soon as they will let youand as often as they'll let you, so that the first time she speaks, you'll be there to hear what she says. "

"But suppose she dies, Bupps?"

"Even while she is unconscious, " I went on, disregarding her query, "she may say something that will give us a clue. I'm going out to thebridge right after lunch. "

"What for?" Mary asked. 

"To see if I can find Jim's revolver. If it had been found on Helen, the coroner would have told me this morning, I think. Of course, theymay not have taken it at all. In that case it will still be at yourhouse. If Helen took it with her, it must have fallen out when the carturned over, and if it did, I must get it before anybody else does. "

The waiter interrupted here with the salad. Mary dabbled with hers abit and then said:

"Bupps, hadn't I better get out of town?"

"No, " I replied. "They'd be sure to find you, and when you gave yourtestimony, it would hurt Helen just that much more. "

"But I can't stand up before them and tell what I heard. I'll liefirst. " Her lovely little face clouded up as though she were going tocry. 

"You'll do nothing of the kind!" I insisted. "We know Helen didn't doit. Don't we?"

"Ye-es. " Her tone was not convincing. 

"Well, then, whatever we say can't hurt her. And we're bound to findout who the guilty persons are. "

"But, Bupps, who could it have been?" she asked anxiously. 

"I still think it was Zalnitch and the men who were with him, but itmight have been Woods. I'm going to find out everything he did lastnight. It may throw some light on the case. After all, he is the onewho had the most to gain by Jim's death, and his words of last nightwere mighty queer. "

I paid the waiter and we left the café. On the way to Mary's I stoppedat the undertaker's and made arrangements for Jim's burial. The man incharge was the saddest looking person I have ever seen. He had awoebegone look about him that was infectious--made you want to weep forhim or with him. He discussed the funeral arrangements in a hushedvoice and finished by whispering, "I sincerely hope what the papers arehinting is not so. "

"What's that?" I asked. 

"The noon edition of _The Sun_ says, 'The finger of suspicion pointsvery strongly to Mrs. Felderson. '"

I hurried out to the car and jumped in. 

"Mary, we've got to work fast. "

"Is Helen suspected?" she asked. 

"Yes. _The Sun_ is more than hinting. "

The news seemed to bring out the fight in Mary. 

"Well, we'll prove her innocent. "

When we reached the Pendletons' we hurried into the house and went atonce to the room where Jim and Helen had their argument. The revolverwas not there. 

CHAPTER EIGHT

IT LOOKS BAD FOR HELEN

I drove Mary to the hospital with my spirits at lowest ebb. If _TheSun_ were going to try to convict Helen of the murder, I realized thatwe had a hard fight ahead of us, for that yellow sheet was most zealousin hounding down any one who happened to be socially prominent, and indemanding punishment. The blacker the scandal, the deeper they dug, and the more details they gave to their gluttonous, filth-lovingpublic. They would be particularly eager here, for they had no lovefor Jim, due to the stand he took against them during the war. 

I knew the reporters would be hot on my trail and that sooner or laterthey would interview Mary. So I determined that Mary should spend asmuch time as possible at the hospital, feeling sure the reporters wouldnot be allowed in the room where Helen lay, battered and unconscious. As for me, I wanted to get to the bridge on the Blandesville Road asquickly as possible and from there to the country-club to inquire whatWoods had done the night before. I made up my mind I'd lead thereporters a merry old chase before they ran me to earth, and when theydid, I'd tell them nothing. I also wanted to get in touch withRobinson as soon as I could, to find out whether he had discoveredanything new of Zalnitch and his confederates--but that could waituntil evening. 

At the hospital they were at first opposed to having any one in theroom with Helen, who still lay in a coma, but with the help of one ofthe nurses in charge, it was at last arranged. 

As I drove over the road to the club, the bleak barrenness of thecountry struck me anew. Twenty-four hours before Jim had been alive. Twenty-four hours before we had been in our office discussing the proofof Woods' guilt, and Woods had telephoned to Jim, asking him to come tothe country-club alone. My suspicions of the man stirred afresh, sothat when I came to the bridge and found no one there, I decided toleave my search for the revolver until later and go straight on to theclub. 

It was still early for the golfers and the bridge players and therewere only a few people there. These, of course, came up to me andpressed my hand with genuine sympathy. I realized how many, manyfriends Jim had and what a loss his death was to them all. 

As soon as I could disengage myself I hunted up Jackson, the negrohead-waiter and general house-man, who knows everything that happens atthe club. He had just finished his dinner and I drew him into thecloak-room so that our talk might be uninterrupted. I took out a fivedollar bill and held it up before his expectant eyes. 

"Do you see that, Jackson?" I questioned. 

"Yas, indeed Ah sees it, suh! Ah may be gittin' old but Ah ain't blindyit. Ah'll giv you whut you wants, instan'ly. "

He started to leave, but I grabbed him. 

"That's not what I want, Jackson, " I laughed. Since the prohibitionlaw went into effect, it has been only through some such ritual that"wets" can get theirs at the club. "All I want is to ask you a fewquestions. "

"Fo' dat money?" His teeth gleamed. 

I nodded. 

"Mr. Woods was here last night?" I asked, abruptly. 

"Yas, suh. "

"What time did he come in?"

"Ah cain't raghtly say, Mist' Thompsin, but he had dinnah out heah'bout seben-thuty, " he answered. 

"Did he leave the club after that?"

"Not 'til de telephone call come whut says Mist' Feldahson ben killt. Den he lef wif Mist' Brown an' Mist' Paisley. "

"You're sure he was here all that time?" I asked. 

"No, sah, I ain't suah, but Ah seen him ev'y now an' den thu deev'nin'. "

"Was he here at quarter past eight?" I questioned. 

"He was heah at twenty-fahv minutes past eight, Ah knows, cause Ah donebrought him a drink. "

"You're sure of that?"

"Yas, suh! Positive!" the negro answered. "'Cause Ah looked at declock raght den an' der. "

As near as I could figure, the accident had happened about eight-ten oreight-fifteen and the bridge was six miles away from the club. Woodscouldn't have been at the bridge at the time of the tragedy and gotback to the club by eighty twenty-five. Still, he might have had anaccomplice. 

"Thank you, Jackson, " I said, giving him the money. "Just forget thatI asked you any questions!"

The darky chuckled. "Ah done fohgot 'em befoh you evah asted 'em, suh. Thank you, suh!"

As I passed into the big, central living-room, Paisley came in. 

"What was this I saw in _The Sun_?" he asked. 

"The sort of rot that nasty sheet always prints, " I said. 

"Nothing to it of course. I thought not. You don't feel like golfing?"

I shook my head. "Not to-day, old chap. By the way, were you withFrank Woods when the news of Jim's death reached the club?"

"Yes--why?" he asked. 

"You won't think it too strange if I ask you how he appeared to takeit?" I said, trying to make my remark seem as casual as possible. Seeing the puzzled expression on his face, I added: "I know it is apeculiar thing to ask, but please don't think any more about it thanyou can help, and just answer. "

"Why--" Paisley began, a little flustered, "why he took it just the waythe rest of us took it, I suppose. I don't remember exactly. "

"Did he seem surprised?" I questioned. 

"Of course, " Paisley answered, "He didn't seem relieved?"

"Say, what the devil are you driving at, Thompson?" Paisley burst out. 

I saw I could get nothing from him so I left him looking after me witha perplexed and somewhat indignant gaze. As a detective it seemed Imight make a good plumber. I knew very well he would not repeat myquestions, but it would be just like good old Paisley to worry himselfto death trying to solve them. 

I drove back to the bridge, determined to find the revolver, ifpossible, and then hunt up Inspector Robinson to learn what he had toreport. Apparently, my suspicions of Frank Woods were groundless. Hehad had dinner at the club and then waited around for Jim to keep hisappointment. He had been seen by Jackson at eight twenty-five; Jacksonwas positive of that fact. Ten or fifteen minutes at the most in whichto go six miles to the bridge and back to the club, put up his car andask Jackson for a drink. The thing couldn't be done. He had heard ofJim's death with surprise and had heard of Helen's injury with thegreatest horror. There seemed to be no doubt of one thing: no matterhow much he wished for Jim's death, no matter how much he benefited bythe murder, Frank Woods, himself, didn't do the killing. 

An automobile was standing at the bridge when I got there and I cursedthe whim that had sent me to the club on a false scent and kept me fromhaving an uninterrupted search for the weapon. When I saw, however, that the driver of the automobile was Inspector Robinson, I was greatlyrelieved, for this would not only give me a chance to learn what he haddiscovered concerning the men in the black limousine, but would notinterfere with the search for Jim's gun. Robinson had his coat off andhis sleeves rolled up and was fishing around the edge of the littlecreek with his hands. So engrossed was he in his task that I wasalmost upon him before he looked up. 

"Good afternoon, Inspector, " I addressed him. "What are you doing, digging for gold or making mud pies?"

"I'm gettin' bait to catch a sucker, " he snarled. "You must havethought you had one this morning. "

"What do you mean?" I asked. 

"All that bunk you handed me about Schreiber and the men in the blacklimousine. That was a fine stall you pulled. I might have known youwas tryin' to cover up somebody's tracks. "

He dried his hands on a rather flamboyant, yellow handkerchief. 

"I haven't the least idea what you are talking about, " I replied coldly. 

"Oh, you haven't, haven't you?" the little man burst out malignantly. "You're innocent, you are! Too damned innocent! I suppose you didn'tknow that your brother-in-law was shot in the back of the head and thatyour sister was the only one that was with him when it was done. Isuppose that's news--eh?"

My heart stood still as I heard his words. So he was after the proofthat Helen did it. He had read the insinuations in _The Sun_ and hadabandoned his work against Schreiber and Zalnitch for the fresher trail. 

"I found out this morning that my brother-in-law was shot, but thatonly makes the case look the blacker for those who openly threatenedhis life. "

"Among whom was your beautiful sister, " the detective retorted acidly. 

"How do you know that?" I demanded. 

"From her maid and all the rest of the servants in the house. I foundthat out when I went up to take another squint at the automobile. Youthought you were pretty smart sendin' me on a wild-goose chase after acouple of cracked Socialists, when all the time you knew it was yourown sister done the thing. Tried to keep me off the track by slippin'me a little dough. Well, it didn't work, see? There's your doughback. " He threw a crumpled wad of bills on the ground at my feet. "Noone saw you give it to me, but I ain't takin' any chances, you may havemarked those bills. From now on I work alone without any theories fromyou. "

"Look here, Inspector!" I demanded, "I was in earnest when I told you Iwanted you to find out all you could about the men in the blacklimousine. I'm sure they had something to do with Mr. Felderson'sdeath. I didn't try to bribe you, nor throw you off the right track. Even though my sister did have a little unpleasantness with herhusband, it was no serious difference. "

I determined to find out just how much Robinson knew. 

"She was utterly incapable of doing an act like this. What possiblemotive could she have?"

I could see that Robinson was rather impatiently waiting for me to gobefore continuing his search. 

"Well, I ain't found out her motive yet. That can wait. It might havebeen money or jealousy. "

"Money?" I scoffed. "My sister had plenty; more than she could use. And as for her being jealous of her husband, that is even moreridiculous. "

The little man eyed me angrily. "I said that the motive could wait. There's no tellin' what a society woman will do. She may have beencrazy for all I know. But I ain't, and all your arguin' is just somuch time wasted. You think those guys in the automobile done it. Idon't. I think your sister done it. You don't. All right, then, youtake your road and I'll take mine, and we'll see who comes out ahead. "

He turned and started back to where he had been hunting when I came up. 

"May I ask what you expect to find here?" I queried, walking after him. 

"Sure you can ask, " he replied. As he found me following, he turnedand snapped: "Say, what the hell are you hangin' around here for, anyway?"

"I merely wanted to ask what you had discovered about the men in theblack limousine. That's why I stopped. "

"Well, you've found out, haven't you? _Nothin'_. All right then, yougo on into the city and see if you can find out anything more!"

I walked on down the sloping bank, searching the ground to see if Icould find the gun that might reveal so much. I could feel the eyes ofthe inspector boring into my back. 

"What are you looking for?" he demanded. 

"A cuff-link, " I answered easily. "I think I lost one here last night. You didn't happen to find it, did you?"

"A cuff-link? Humph!" he grunted. "No, I haven't found it, but Iwouldn't be surprised if I was lookin' for that same cuff-link. "

All this time I was searching the bank with my eyes. A scrubby, littlebush overhung the creek and I kicked at it with my foot. There was a"plopp" as though something heavy had dropped into the water. Instinctively I knew it was the object for which we were bothsearching, and I turned to find the inspector eying me quizzically. 

"What was that noise?"

"What noise?" I asked. 

"Sounded as though that precious cuff-link of yours had dropped intothe water. " He started for me, and as he did so, I bent down quicklyand plunged my arm into the water. My fingers closed on the revolverjust as he came bounding toward me. With a quick shove I pushed it farinto the soft clay of the bank, and, grabbing a rock off the bottom ofthe creek, withdrew my arm from the water and slipped the rock into mypocket. The red-faced little detective was peering over my shoulder asI turned. Rarely have I seen a man so angry. 

"Give me what you pulled out of that creek!" he almost screamed. 

"What for, Inspector?" I asked quietly. 

"Never mind what for. You give me what you found in that creek, orI'll--" he grabbed me by the shoulder. 

"All right, " I said; "all right, Inspector, don't get so excited overnothing. It's yours. " I pulled the muddy rock from my coat pocket andgravely handed it to him. "It was only an ordinary, every-day rock. Ididn't know you were a geologist. "

He pounced on me and ran his fingers over my person. Red-faced, hesurveyed me. 

"I ain't a geologist, but I am a criminologist, and just one more ofyour monkey tricks like that and I'll put you where you'll have time tostudy a lot of rocks and do a lot of thinkin' before bein' funny again. Now, you get out! Get into that car as quick as you can, if you knowwhat's good for you!"

Hoping I could retrieve the revolver later, and realizing that nothingcould be gained by staying there longer, I started toward the car. Ihad hardly taken five steps when I heard a joyful yell and turned tosee Robinson struggling to his feet, the muddy revolver in his hand. 

"Here's your cuff-link, " he cried. "Before I'm through you'll findthat this ain't a cuff-link, but a necklace for the neck of that prettysister of yours. You, with your Socialists and your cuff-buttons, tryin' to keep me from gettin' what I go after. Well, it didn't work!It don't usually, when I go after somethin'. It didn't work, did it?"

"No. It didn't work, " I admitted. 

"Oh, I don't blame you, " Robinson went on, mollified by his success andthe soft tone of my reply; "I'd of done the same thing in your place, if my sister was a murderer. "

The word "murderer" acted like an electric shock on me. 

"She didn't do it, I tell you; she couldn't have done it!"

"Now, Mr. Thompson, " Robinson began in a soothing voice. "These thingshappen in even the best families sometimes. You mustn't take it toohard. "

"Will you let me examine that revolver?" I demanded. 

"Why, no. I can't let you examine it. But I'll examine it when I getready. "

"Will you be so good as to do it now?" I asked. 

"What for?"

"Because it may not have been fired at all. That would make thingslook entirely different, you know. "

The inspector took out the gaudy handkerchief again and wiped the mudoff the barrel and the grip. I had shoved the pistol barrel foremostinto the bank so the muzzle was filled with clay. It was Jim's--a "32"automatic. 

"It won't be spoilin' any evidence by my cleanin' this mud off theoutside, because you put that there yourself, " the detective said, wiping the pistol carefully. He released the spring and pulled out theclip. I saw a cartridge at the top of the clip and exclaimed:

"There! You see? That gun was never fired!"

The inspector looked at me with a pitying smile. 

"Now, that's where you're wrong, Mr. Thompson. You see, you don't knowthe inner workings of an automatic. When a gun like this is fired, itdischarges the old shell and a new cartridge comes to the top of theclip. There are only three cartridges left in this clip. "

"Do you mean to say that my sister fired more than one shot?" I askedsarcastically. 

"Not at all, not at all, " the little man responded airily. "There wereprobably only four cartridges in the gun in the first place. You'regettin' all excited over this thing. Of course, I don't blame you, Mr. Thompson, for tryin' to fight against facts, but it certainly looks badfor sister. "

I got into my car and started home, my heart dead within me. Itcertainly did look bad for Helen. 

CHAPTER NINE

LOOK OUT, JIM

A good general realizes when he is beaten and changes his tacticsaccordingly. Where I had been certain of Zalnitch's guilt before, andhad planned his prosecution, now, with the sickening certainty that itwas my sister herself who was guilty, I began to plan her defense. Yes, I'll admit right now, the gun convinced me. I had been certainthat Jim had not been killed through careless driving, that is why Ihad been so insistent that Inspector Robinson should hunt down thoseresponsible for his death. Now that it was too late, I cursed myselffor not having let well-enough alone and aided the coroner in giving averdict of accidental death. My suspicions against Zalnitch had beenbased on the knowledge that he hated Jim and would have done anythingto put him out of the way. Coincidence had brought him over the sameroad that Jim had traveled a few minutes before his death. This hadstrengthened my suspicions, but the case would have been hard to prove, while the evidence against Helen was too pronounced to be disregarded. Woods, too, had gained my suspicions, and yet he was miles away fromthe murder. I realized suddenly that I had been refusing to look atthe obvious in order that I might place the guilt where I wanted tobelieve it lay. Yet it did seem the irony of fate that the two menbenefiting by Jim's death should have had nothing to do with it. 

Helen did it! As the awful realization of what that meant came overme, I hoped, for a brief second, that death would take her and so spareher the consequences of her act. It would be such an easy way out. Ifelt sure that if she died I could hush the whole thing up. _The Sun_could be bought, if enough money was offered. 

These gruesome thoughts carried me into the city almost before I knewit. I stopped at the house to change my muddy clothes, before going tothe hospital to get Mary, and learned from the maid that mother hadbeen asking for me. I went quickly to her room. She was lying in bedand at first I thought she was asleep, but she turned as I approachedher. 

"Is that you, Warren?" she asked softly. 

"Yes, mother. Stella said you wanted to see me. " I bent down andkissed her lightly. She reached up and put her thin weak arms aroundmy neck. 

"Warren, is there anything wrong? If there is you must tell me. "

"No, mother. What made you think that?" I asked. 

She slowly withdrew her arms and let them fall at her side. 

"I don't know. I seemed to feel that something had happened. Justlying here, I felt afraid for you children--and then there were so manypeople ringing the bell and the telephone, I was afraid that someaccident had happened to you or Helen. "

I patted her wan cheek. "It's just your imagination. The only thingwrong is that my dearest, little mother isn't as well and strong as hergood-for-nothing son. "

I kissed her again, and she smiled up at me. "I'm so glad, " shewhispered. "I was worried. "

I almost choked when I got outside. If Helen should recover and be puton trial, it would kill mother, I felt sure. And I would be left alonein the world. Down-stairs, I asked Stella who had called, and she toldme the reporters had been trying to find me all day. 

During the drive to the hospital, I tried to focus my mind on Helen'sdefense, but all the force seemed to have been sapped out of me. Ifelt weak and miserable and unutterably lonely. 

At the hospital, they received me with the quiet sympathy thatstrengthens you in spite of yourself and gives you hope. DoctorForbes, who had operated on Helen the night before, was in the office. He had just come from Helen's room and he reported her condition to be"extremely satisfactory. "

"There is only one thing that worries me, " he said. "Your sister seemsto have something on her mind that keeps her from resting as quietly asI could wish. It is some real or fancied danger that repeats itselfover and over in her delirium. If we could only hit on something thatwould ease her mind of those fears, I should have every reason tobelieve she'd get well. I say this to you because you are her brotherand are no doubt acquainted with what has happened to her in the lastfew weeks, and may be able to suggest what it is she fears. "

"Perhaps it is the accident itself, " I offered. 

He shook his head. "It may be, but I think not. However, suppose youstep into the room and listen to what she says. If we can only rid herof her fears and get her to rest quietly, I am positive she willrecover. "

I shook his hand warmly and went upstairs to Helen's room. I knew whatit was Helen feared. The consequences of her crime. The terrible fearof public prosecution for the murder of her husband was torturing herpoor delirious brain. For a moment I forgave her everything and pitiedher from the depths of my heart. 

The smell of ether lay thick in the air as I walked down the longcorridor to Helen's room. I knocked softly at the door and awhite-capped nurse opened it a little way, her finger to her lips. Ibeckoned her outside and told her Doctor Forbes wished me to find out, if I could, what troubled my sister's mind. 

As we entered, I saw Mary sitting by the bed, holding the hand of thepoor white figure that lay, death-like, beneath the sheet. Helen'shead was swathed in bandages, except for the oval of her face. Shelooked quite like some fair nun who had said her last "Ava. " It wasimpossible to believe that it was her hand that had fired the shot thatkilled Jim, and if she lived, that she would have to face the world amurderer. 

Mary only glanced up at me for a moment and then turned her eyes againto Helen's lips to catch any sound that might pass them. As I watchedher sitting there so patiently, a little pale from her cramped vigil bythe bedside, a great tenderness welled up in my heart, for her. Justthen Helen's lips began to move. At first the words were inaudible, although Mary leaned forward to catch them. Then with a half-cry, inwhich there was a perfect agony of fear----

"Look out, Jim! It's going to hit us! Oh-oh-oh----"

The voice died away and was succeeded by moans, low and trembling. Mary glanced up with a startled look in her eyes. The nurse wentquickly to the bedside and soothed the impatient hand that was pluckingat the sheets. As for me, my forehead was bathed in sweat and tearswere running down my cheeks, but a joy throbbed and sang through myheart till I felt that I should suffocate unless I left thatether-filled room for the open air. 

I tiptoed toward the door and caught a nod from Mary as I passed, whichsaid she would join me later. For a second, after I closed the door, Icouldn't move. My legs failed me and I felt I was going to faint. Gathering all my strength, I stumbled over to a chair by the window andsat down. 

I think I should have dropped to my knees and thanked God right there, if I hadn't feared that my prayers would have been interrupted. Thatcry, "Look out, Jim!" proved not only that Helen had nothing whateverto do with Jim's death, but that she had tried to warn him of hisdanger. "It's going to hit us!" What could that mean but that myfirst theory was correct, that the men in the black limousine hadrecognized Jim's car and had tried to run him into the ditch?Schreiber and Zalnitch were at the bottom of it, after all, and Helenwas innocent. 

As I had hoped she would die, when I thought her guilty, now I hopedand prayed she would live. I recalled Doctor Forbes' words: "If wecould only hit on something that would ease her mind of those fears, Iwould have every reason to believe she would get well. " I could atleast tell him the cause of the fear and leave it to him to find aremedy. With Helen well, ready to testify as to the details of thattragic night, we would certainly bring Jim's murderers to trial. 

The door opened and Mary came out. I rose and walked over to her, myeyes still betraying the emotion Helen's words had roused in me. 

"You heard what she said?" Mary breathed. 

"We knew she didn't do it, didn't we?"

"But, Warren, the things she says are all so weird and mixed up. Sometimes she talks of things that happened just recently and thenagain she babbles of things that took place a long time ago when wewere kids. Once when the nurse came into the room, Helen began cryingas though her heart would break and begged that we wouldn't think tooharshly of her. Again she repeated over and over, 'He didn't do it--Hedidn't do it!'"

"Her other fears, " I replied, "probably had to do with Woods. But thatcry to Jim to 'Look out!' is a real clue and I'm going to sift it tothe bottom. "

"What are you going to do?" Mary demanded. 

"I'm going to accuse Zalnitch of Jim's murder--going to accuse him tohis face. "

"Oh, be careful, Bupps! Nothing must happen to you!"

The tone she used, her sweet anxiety for my safety, went to my head andI reached out to take her in my arms, but with a little protestinggesture she stopped me. 

"Please don't be foolish, Warren!" Then as she saw my spirits droop, she added, "Not till Helen is well. "

CHAPTER TEN

I ACCUSE ZALNITCH

"Mr. Zalnitch is busy and can't see you. "

The girl, evidently a stenographer or secretary, looked coollycompetent in her white shirt-waist and well-made skirt. I wassurprised to find a young woman of her evident education and refinementin the employ of such a man. 

"Did you give him my message?" I asked. 

"Yes. He said he was not interested. "

I felt vaguely disappointed that my strategy had not worked. I hadgiven the name of Anderson, and had represented myself as the head ofthe Steamfitters' Union of Cleveland, anxious for instructions on howto settle a labor problem in our local union. I had done this, feelingthat if I gave my own name, he might refuse to see me. Apparently myalias was to have no better success. 

"When will he be free, can you tell me?"

"I couldn't say, " the girl answered. "He is very busy at present, butif you will come in and wait, perhaps he may see you later. "

It seemed to me there was the faintest suggestion of a smile on thegirl's face as I stepped across the threshold into the smallwaiting-room, but I hadn't a chance to observe more closely, for sheturned her back on me at once and immediately resumed her typewriting. 

The room in which I found myself was one of a dingy suite in an oldwarehouse that had been converted into a newspaper building to house_The Uplift_, a weekly paper, edited by a Russian Jew named Borsky andfinanced by Schreiber. It was a typical anarchistic sheet, and hadbeen suppressed for a time, during the war. Opposite where I sat was adoor from which the paint had peeled in places. This evidently ledinto Zalnitch's office, for I could hear the murmur of voices behindit. The rooms were ill-lighted and unclean, and it made me mad to seeas nice a girl as the stenographer working herself to death in suchdingy surroundings and for such a man as Zalnitch. 

I watched her as she worked and marveled that any one could make herfingers go so rapidly. I noticed with admiration and dissatisfaction, that unlike my stenographers, she didn't have to stop to erase amisspelled word every two minutes. I wondered what salary Zalnitchpaid her and if she would like to change employers. 

"I hope you will pardon my interrupting your work--" I began. 

"You're not, " the girl responded, without even glancing up. 

"May I ask if you are entirely satisfied with your employment here?"

"Why do you ask?" she inquired, stopping for a moment and fixing mewith clear gray eyes. 

"I am badly in need of a competent stenographer and I thought you mightprefer working in a place where the surroundings are pleasanter and thepay probably higher. "

She studied me a moment, as though card-indexing me, then havingapparently decided that I was in earnest and not merely trying toflirt, that elusive smile again played about her mouth. 

"You are the first steamfitter I ever met that found himself badly inneed of a stenographer. "

Caught! I bit my lip at my stupid blunder, but had to laugh in spiteof myself. 

"Your make-up is all wrong, Mr. Anderson--if your name is Anderson. Idon't know what you are trying to do, nor why you picked outsteamfitting as your mythical life-work, but I do know you aren't adetective. "

This time the smile came out in the open. I liked her immensely. Shemight make an ally. She would at least know what had happened in theoffice during the last few days. 

"Miss--?"

"Miller, " she added. 

"Miss Miller. I am a lawyer, and my sister is about to be accused of aterrible crime which she didn't commit. I think I know who did commitit, but so far I haven't been able to connect him definitely with thecrime. I think you can help me. Will you?"

"What makes you think I can help you?" she asked. 

"Because you are so situated you can observe the person I believe to beresponsible for the crime, " I replied. 

Her gaze changed from pleasant questioning to indignant surprise. Whenshe spoke her voice was coldly final. 

"I think you have made a mistake in judgment of character. Please letme finish my work now. "

"Miss Miller, please don't think for a minute that I--"

Behind me a door opened and, as I turned, I found myself looking intothe wrathful eyes of a stunted little man with an enormous head. Anyone who has once seen Zalnitch can never forget him. His wizened, misshapen body is a grotesque caricature of a man's, which, surmountedby his huge head with its bushy hair, makes him look for all the worldlike some scientist's experiment. In the doorway to Zalnitch's privateoffice stood Schreiber, a heavy-jowled, unsmiling mastiff of a man. 

"What do you want that you should be keeping my stenographer fromworking?" Zalnitch's voice rose in a shrill crescendo. "Get out ofhere! You have no business here. Get out!"

"Zalnitch, I came here to speak to you. "

"Get out!" he screamed. "I won't talk with you. I have no time towaste, even if you have. I know who you are. You're thebrother-in-law of Felderson, the blood-sucking millionaire who sent meto jail. I won't talk with you, do you hear?"

As he grew more excited I seemed to grow cooler. 

"Zalnitch, I'm going to swear out a warrant against you for mybrother's murder. "

For a moment the little man blinked at me in amazement; then he threwback his head and laughed, a shrill, giggling squeak. With his fistshe pounded his misshapen legs. 

"You arrest me for his murder? Hee-hee! You hear, Schreiber? He isgoing to--to arrest me!"

Suddenly he stopped, as quickly as he had started. 

"Go ahead! Arrest me! Try to send me to prison again. I'll make yousweat blood before you are through. You think I killed him--yourbrother? I wish I had. I'd be proud to say I killed him! You hear?I wish I had killed him. I wish he were alive so I _could_ kill him. "

The little monstrosity emphasized each of his staccato sentences bystamping a puny foot on the floor. His gloating over Jim's death wasmore than flesh could stand. 

"Stop!" I yelled. "If it wasn't you that killed him, it was one ofthat murderous gang of cutthroats and anarchists that was with you. Ifit wasn't you, then it was Schreiber's son--that Prussian jail-bird, orone of his friends. "

Zalnitch's eyes blazed. "You call us anarchists and cutthroats. You, who are a product of the rotten government that has ground down andoppressed the people I represent. Because we rebel, you throw us inprison, making a mockery of your boasted liberty. So they did for atime in Russia. You call us 'cutthroats. ' It's a good term. I hopeto God we earn that title. "

Finding that the talk was turning into a political harangue, I turnedmy back on Zalnitch and started toward the door. Schreiber followed me. 

"Chust one minud. " There was heavy menace in his look. "You galled myson a chail-bird a minud ago. He vas in chail because he did righd, but dot don't matter. You're egsited, because your brodder vas gilled. Ve don't know nodding aboud it. Ve heard aboud it de nexd day. Idon'd have nodding against Velderson, bud if you dry to pud my son, Karl, in chail again, someding vill happen to you. I'm delling dis toyou vor your own good. "

Disappointed at the interview, I closed the door behind me and starteddown the hall. I don't know just what I had hoped to find out, but Ithought Zalnitch would betray himself in some way--must in some wayshow his guilty knowledge of Jim's death. Instead, he had laughed atme when I threatened to arrest him, even wished he could claim thecredit for the crime. 

I heard the pattering of feet and turned to find Miss Miller behind me. 

"Mr. Thompson. "

"Yes, Miss Miller. "

"A few moments ago you asked me to help you discover who killed yourbrother-in-law. For some reason you think Mr. Zalnitch had somethingto do with it, and you wanted me to give you any information I couldabout him. "

"Yes, " I responded. 

"When you made that proposal, I was very angry because I resented yourthinking I'd spy on my employer. However, your suspicions are soridiculous I feel it is only fair to tell you that you are wasting yourtime. "

"What makes you so sure that Zalnitch had nothing to do with it, MissMiller?"

"Because I know he is utterly incapable of doing anything of thatkind, " she answered. 

I half smiled. "Mr. Zalnitch has the reputation of holding life verycheaply--that is, the lives of others who stand in his way. He hatedmy brother-in-law for that very reason. If he didn't kill him, itwasn't because he didn't want to. For proof of it, you heard what hesaid in there. "

The girl looked me over for a minute. A far-away look had come intoher eyes. 

"Mr. Thompson, Mr. Zalnitch is obsessed by a wonderful idea. Youpeople call him 'Bolshevist' and 'anarchist, ' because he is trying tooverthrow the existing order of things. In working out his greattheory, he would stamp out a nation if it interfered with thefulfillment of his plan, and he would not think that he had doneanything wrong. In fact, he would think it the only thing to do. Inthat much, he holds life cheaply. But if you think he would descend towreaking vengeance on individuals for personal spite, you are allwrong. He is too big a man for that. "

"Did Zalnitch send you out to say this to me?" I asked suspiciously. 

The girl flushed angrily. "Really, Mr. Thompson, you make it almostimpossible for any one to help you. Instead of being sent, I may bedismissed for having come out here to talk to you. You asked for myassistance and now that I have tried to give it, you make me regret theimpulse. "

She turned and started to leave, but I called her back. 

"Miss Miller, please forgive me and don't think me ungrateful. Mr. Felderson meant more to me than any person living, and I have made upby mind to bring his murderer to justice if I have to devote the restof my life to it. I know that I have been jumping at conclusions. I've done a lot of things since Mr. Felderson's death that I can'tunderstand, myself, --things that were entirely unlike me--but I feelthat I would be a traitor to my brother-in-law's memory unless I followevery possible clue. He had only three enemies and one was Zalnitch, who threatened him. Isn't it only natural that I should suspect him?"

Her look was entirely sympathetic as she replied. 

"I know how Mr. Felderson's death must have affected you, Mr. Thompson, and I do want to help you. You say he had three enemies; then I adviseyou to look for the other two, for I am positive Mr. Zalnitch hadnothing to do with the murder. "

I thanked her and went down the rickety stairs, believing somehow thatshe had told me the truth. But if not Zalnitch, then who? I knew thatin less than a week, as soon as Helen was well enough to stand theshock, she would be indicted, unless in the meantime, I could discoverthe murderer. Helen had regained consciousness the night before, butwas far too weak to undergo any questioning. My impatience at thedelay, necessary before she could tell the story of the crime, haddriven me, most foolishly, I now realized, into trying to forceZalnitch to a guilty admission of complicity. 

When I got hold of myself, I knew well enough that the only sensiblecourse was to wait until Helen should be able to clear up the mystery, so I went to the office and began the heavy task of putting Jim'seffects in order. 

CHAPTER ELEVEN

A DOUBLE INDICTMENT

Jim was buried on Tuesday. The funeral was very quiet, only Mary andmyself, with a few of Jim's most intimate friends, attending. I havealways had a repugnance to large and ostentatious funerals and I feltthat Jim would have preferred to have the actual ceremony over asquickly and quietly as possible. It affected me too much to allow meto think of anything else but my loss, at the time, and I should haveleft town the day after, had I not received a summons to appear beforethe grand jury. 

Mary called me up and told me that she, too, had been summoned, so Idrove the car around for her. She was nervous and frightened at thethought of having to testify and she asked me all the questions shecould think of on what to do and what to say. I reassured her, tellingher the district attorney was friendly to Jim and that I was confidentour testimony as to Helen's words would stave off any indictment untilHelen was well enough to testify. 

"But, Warren, the fact that she was delirious will make it pretty shakytestimony, won't it?" Mary argued. 

"Yes, that's true. But I don't think that they will want to bring anindictment while Helen is ill. You see, the indictment couldn't beserved anyway, and I think our testimony will convince them there's areasonable doubt as to Helen's guilt. "

She seemed convinced until the gloomy bulk of the court-house came inview, when terror rushed back fourfold. 

"Oh, Bupps, can't I get out of it?"

"No, dear, it's got to be gone through with. Remember it depends onyou and me. "

"But what if they ask me Jim's and Helen's conversation before theystarted for the country-club?"

"Tell them as little as possible, but stick to the truth. We knowHelen's innocent and the truth can't hurt her. "

We passed Inspector Robinson in the hall down-stairs and the half smileon his lips irritated me. It was his report to the grand jury that hadstirred things up. He knew only too well that with the sensational_Sun_ to back him, an indictment would be taken by the public to meanproven guilt. 

At the entrance to the anteroom we found Wicks, his face drawn intolines of the most acute misery. 

"I couldn't 'elp it, sir. They made me come. "

"I know it, Wicks. Don't worry! It's a mere formality, " I reassuredhim. 

"I 'ope so, sir, but I don't like it. "

"None of us do, Wicks, but it can't be helped, " I replied. "Did Anniecome with you?"

"No, sir. Strange to say she wasn't called, sir. "

Good! That helped our case some. Mary and I walked into the anteroomto await our turn. The coroner was already there. Wicks had followedus and took a seat close by. Mary's face was a study in suppressednervousness. 

"Couldn't you go in there with me, Bupps?" she asked. 

"No, Mary, the grand jury does its work in secret. "

A clerk called the coroner and as he passed from the room, Robinson andPickering came in. Robinson didn't even glance in my direction, butPickering walked over quickly and shook hands. 

"Devilish sorry things have taken the turn they have, old man, " he said. 

"You mean about--my sister?"

"Yes. Robinson seems to think he has all the proof he needs. I wish Icould help you. "

"Thanks awfully, " I replied. 

He had only been seated a few moments when he was called to testify. As the coroner left the room, I tried to read in his face the nature ofhis testimony, but it was inscrutable. Pickering was out in less thanten minutes, and then Wicks was called. His legs seemed a bit shaky ashe started for the door and he gave me a parting look, half awe, halfterror. 

Robinson paced up and down, his short stubby legs expressing confidenceand satisfaction. Every turn, he scrutinized Mary, as if trying toplace her in some criminal category. 

At last Wicks came out, perspiring as if he'd been in a steam bath. Robinson looked him over once, gave a snort of derision and passed intothe jury room. I wanted to ask Wicks some questions, but the poor manfled before I could attract his notice. 

Mary got up and walked over to the big windows where a flood of warmSeptember sunlight poured into the room. For a moment she stood gazingdown on the crowded square below, then suddenly turned and half sobbed:

"Bupps, I can't stand it! I may say something that will hurt Helen. "

Great sobs shook her slender body. I went over and clumsily tried tocomfort her. 

"Mary, dear, Helen didn't do it. When she is well enough, we'll beable to find out all about it. Even if they do bring an indictment, Helen can prove her innocence. "

The sobs diminished to sniffles, and then to occasional sighs. Sheopened her bag, extracted a miniature powder-puff and dabbed at hersmall upturned nose spitefully. I knew that the storm had passed. 

"I know--that--that I'm foolish to c-cry, but I just c-couldn't helpit. "

A clerk opened the door and called Mary's name. She gave me a startledglance and her face blanched. I thought she was going to break downagain, but suddenly I saw her raise her chin defiantly and an angrysparkle come to her eyes. She snapped shut her vanity-bag and marchedtoward the jury room like a soldier, sentenced to be shot, yetdetermined to die bravely. 

It was only after she had left that I began to think about my owntestimony. After all, the evidence was terrifyingly strong againstHelen. She had threatened to kill Jim. She had quarreled with himjust before their last ride, had chosen the back seat purposely, hadJim's revolver with her, and knew she was being taken to see her loverhumiliated and threatened. Against all this, I had only a brother'sfaith in his sister and those half dozen words cried out in a delirium. A sickening certainty that they would indict Helen came over me. Whatif she did--? What if she should confess?

In some way I had to save Helen if only for mother's sake. After all, Woods, too, had threatened Jim. He knew Jim had proof of hisdishonesty. He had made the engagement and had asked Jim to comealone. At this point of my review of the facts I decided to tell thejury all. If Woods was at the country-club the entire evening he wouldbe able to establish a complete alibi and my testimony would not hurthim, while it might be enough, if I could make it so, to hold the juryuntil Helen could testify. Hearing steps outside, I turned to see theobject of my mental attentions walk into the room. 

"You here, Woods?" I queried. 

"Yes. Those admirable servants of your sister's gave the police justenough of the vulgar details of that meeting between Felderson andmyself to make them think I--well, they ordered me to report and here Iam. "

He looked worried and irritable. For the first time I realized whatthe man must have gone through during the last few days, with hisbusiness troubles and Helen's injury. How he had met his obligationswithout Helen's money, I didn't know. 

"I should have thought you'd have been glad to testify to save Helenfrom an indictment. "

Woods whirled around. "You don't mean to say there's a chance of that, Thompson? Why, she didn't do it, she couldn't have done it. She--sheisn't capable of doing such a thing. It's monstrous. I've read therot that _The Sun_ has been printing, but I didn't think--I can't thinkany one would take it seriously. " A gray shadow seemed to fall acrosshis face. 

"Felderson was shot from behind and Helen was the only one with him, " Ithrew out, watching Woods closely to see what effect my words wouldhave on him. The man looked as though he knew more about the crimethan I had supposed. 

"I know that! But haven't people sense enough to see that Helen isutterly incapable of such an act. Good God, they must be blind!"

I was brought back to the business on hand by hearing my name shouted. They must have let Mary out by another door for when I entered the juryroom she was not there. It was hot and stuffy, smelling of staletobacco and staler clothing. I noticed that the jurymen seemed deeplyinterested and that they were, for the most part, a rather intelligentlot. The foreman, a near-sighted business-looking person, seemed toradiate sympathy through his glasses. The district attorney, Kirkpatrick, knew Jim well, had his help often and was one of his bestfriends. 

"What is your name?" he asked. 

"Warren Thompson. "

"Your address?"

"Eleven thirty-two Grant Avenue. "

"Your business?"

"I am a lawyer, " I responded. 

The district attorney seated himself at a table and arranged somepapers before him. 

"You were what relation to the deceased?"

"The brother-in-law, " I replied. 

"Mr. Thompson, " the attorney began, leaning on the table in front ofhim, "will you please tell the jury if there was any unhappiness in themarried life of your sister and brother-in-law?"

"Until recently Mr. And Mrs. Felderson were very happy together. During the last three months their happiness has not been quite--sopronounced. "

"What was the cause of their disagreement?"

I determined to begin my attack on Woods at once. 

"A man whom Mr. Felderson disliked and did not wish to come to thehouse. "

"Can you tell the jury that man's name?"

"Frank Woods. "

The attorney glanced at his notes. 

"Did this man Woods make love to Mrs. Felderson?"

"I couldn't say. He was very attentive to her. "

"Did Mrs. Felderson ask her husband to divorce her?"

"Yes, " I replied. 

"And Mr. Felderson refused?"

"No. Mr. Felderson consented. "

"You are sure of that?" he demanded. 

"Yes. I was present when he said he would give her a divorce. "

"Was Woods there at the time?"

"Yes. "

The foreman of the jury interrupted here. 

"Will you tell the jury just what took place at that meeting?"

I told them briefly what happened, not forgetting to mention that Woodshad threatened Jim's life in case he did not let Helen go. 

"Has that man been summoned?" asked the foreman. 

"Yes. He is waiting to appear now, " a clerk responded. 

"Mr. Thompson, did you hear your sister threaten to kill her husband?"Kirkpatrick asked. 

"My sister was very excited at that time and said several things--"

"Please answer my question!" fired the district attorney. 

"I can't remember, " I replied. 

Kirkpatrick again consulted his papers. 

"A witness says that on the evening of the disagreement between Mr. AndMrs. Felderson, she used the words: 'I could kill him, ' referring toher husband. Did you hear her use those words?"

"I don't think she realized what she was saying. "

"I did not ask for your opinions. Did you hear her say she could killhim or that she would like to kill him?"

"Yes. "

The attorney seemed satisfied and I noticed the foreman of the jurylean back in his chair. 

"Now, Mr. Thompson, " Kirkpatrick began, "on the evening of the tragedydid you see Mrs. Felderson leave with Mr. Felderson?"

"No, " I replied. 

"Do you know if she was sitting in the back seat or the front seat ofthat automobile?" he asked. 

"I couldn't say. "

Kirkpatrick took Jim's revolver from the table. 

"Is this revolver familiar to you?"

"I don't know. "

"Did Mr. Felderson have a revolver like this?" he demanded. 

"Yes. "

"Do you know whether he was carrying it at the time of the tragedy?"

"I'm not sure, " I stated. 

"Did Mr. Felderson usually carry a gun?"

"No. "

"Did Mrs. Felderson have a revolver?"

"No, " I replied, "I don't think she even knows how to use one. "

"Please only answer my questions!" Kirkpatrick rebuked me sharply. 

"You have stated to the jury that Mr. Woods had threatened Mr. Felderson's life in case he did not give Mrs. Felderson a divorce. When did Mr. Felderson intend giving his wife the promised divorce?"

"I don't think he really intended to give Mrs. Felderson a divorce. "

"But you stated that he consented to a divorce?"

"He did, but with certain reservations, " I answered. 

"What were those reservations?"

"That there should be nothing in Mr. Woods' past that could cause Mrs. Felderson trouble in the future, in case she married Woods. "

"Did Mr. Woods know of Mr. Felderson's intention not to divorce Mrs. Felderson?" he demanded. 

"I don't know. I know that Mr. Felderson had made an importantdiscovery about Mr. Woods' past life. "

"Was this discovery of such a nature as to cause Mr. Felderson torefuse a divorce?"

"It was!" I answered. 

"Can you tell the jury what this discovery was?"

"No, I can not. "

"Did Mr. Woods know that Mr. Felderson had made this discovery?"

"I think he did. "

"Aren't you certain?"

"No. "

"This is important, Mr. Thompson. Will you tell the jury why you thinkMr. Woods knew of Mr. Felderson's discovery?"

"Because Mr. Woods called Mr. Felderson up shortly after the discoverywas made and asked for an interview at the country-club. "

"Was Mr. Felderson on his way to that meeting when he met his death?"the attorney queried. 

"Yes, " I responded. 

"Do you know whether Mr. Felderson intended to inform Woods that hewould not divorce Mrs. Felderson?"

"I think he intended to accuse Woods of dishonesty, " I replied. 

"Mrs. Felderson knew the purpose of the meeting, did she not?"

"I couldn't say. "

Kirkpatrick turned to the jury. 

"Has the jury any questions they wish to ask?"

I seized my opportunity. 

"I would like to say a few words with the permission of the jury. "

Receiving a nod of consent, I related to them as briefly as possible myconviction of my sister's innocence, her cry of danger to her husband, and the coincidence of the black limousine on the road at about thesame time as the tragedy. I also told of the enmity of Zalnitch forJim and of his presence with the others in the black limousine. Theforeman of the jury leaned forward. 

"Will you repeat the words that your sister uttered?"

"She cried, 'Look out, Jim! It's going to hit us!'"

"Your sister was delirious at the time, was she not?"

"Yes, " I answered. "But from the tone of her voice I feel perfectlysure she referred to something that occurred on the night of thetragedy. "

"You think she referred to the black limousine when she said, 'It'sgoing to hit us'?" the foreman continued. 

"Yes. "

"Yet the coroner's verdict was that your brother-in-law was killed by abullet, fired, apparently, from behind and above. "

I felt the weakness of my ground. 

"The bullet might have been fired from the automobile and ricochettedfrom some part of Mr. Felderson's machine. "

I saw the incredible smile that played on the face of the prosecutor. 

"That will do, Mr. Thompson, " Kirkpatrick announced, and I passed outof the stuffy room into the corridor. Wicks had returned and wasstanding with Mary. They looked at me with wide and anxious eyes. 

Mary saw the droop in my shoulders and caught my arm. 

"What happened, Warren?" she asked. 

"Nothing yet, " I responded. 

"Are they going to----?"

"I don't know, I don't know. "

Tears welled up in Mary's eyes. "Oh, Warren, that man was terrible!"

"What man?" I asked. 

"The man who asked me all the questions, " Mary sobbed. "There wasn'tanything he didn't ask me. "

"Did he ask you about the conversation between Helen and Jim?"

"He asked me everything, I tell you!" Mary exclaimed angrily. "Hetwisted and turned everything I said into something horrible. "

Discouraged, I led the way to the car. I drove out into the country, thinking the fresh air might quiet Mary's nerves. Twice I tried tostart a conversation about some trivial thing, to take her mind off herunpleasant experience of the afternoon, but with no success. It alwayscame back to the jury room. Our drive, for the most part, was a silentone. At length we turned back and as we walked up the steps of Mary'shome, her father came from the house with a newspaper in his hand. 

"This is terrible, Warren. "

"What is it?" I cried, reaching for the sheet. 

It was an extra edition of _The Press_, our only respectable paper. Inblack head-lines, I read the words:

 "SOCIETY LEADER INDICTED FOR HUSBAND'S MURDER!"

Then underneath in small type:

"Frank Woods, Well Known Business Man, Released on $10, 000 Bail. "

Helen and Frank Woods had both been indicted. 

CHAPTER TWELVE

WHO AM I

I jumped into the automobile and drove as fast as I could to theoffices of Simpson and Todd, the best criminal lawyers in the state, toretain them as council for Helen. Simpson had already gone home, butGeorge Todd was there, and I talked the case over with him. 

"You can get a stay of proceedings, can't you?" I asked. 

"Surely, " he replied. "I'll see that the warrant isn't served untilMrs. Felderson's doctor assures me she is out of danger. The trialneedn't come off for three or four months--six if you wish. We can seeto that. In the meantime, when will you be able to see Mrs. Felderson?"

"I was going up there now, " I answered. "The chances are the doctorwon't let me question her yet, but it may be we can see her. Will youcome with me?"

"I'd like very much to. Wait till I get my coat!"

We ran up to the hospital and asked if we could be admitted if only fora few moments to Mrs. Felderson's room. Johnson, the little internewith the glasses, had just come in, and when he heard my request he wassplutteringly indignant. 

"What the devil do you think Mrs. Felderson is suffering from, a brokenankle? Don't you realize she has been desperately ill? If you triedto question her now, she'd become excited and it might result in aserious relapse. Of course you can't see her! You won't be able totalk to her for two or three weeks yet. "

"I'm sorry, " I said, "I should have known better. It was stupid of me, but then, I've been little else than stupid for days. This tragedy hasbeen too much for me. You will let me know as soon as she can be seen, won't you, Johnson?"

"I'll let you know, " he murmured. "You may be able to _see_ herto-morrow, but I won't let you bother her with any infernal questionsuntil she is well. "

The week passed only too slowly. Each day I went to the hospital andsat for a brief fifteen or twenty minutes by Helen's side. She wasfully conscious and I thought I could see at times that there werequestions she wanted to ask me. Remembering the doctor's emphaticinstructions, I said very little, never asking any questions, onlytelling her a few of the unimportant happenings of the town. Sheseemed uninterested and lay apathetically quiescent except when someapparently perplexing question corrugated her brows. They told her ofJim's death early in the week, but far from being shocked, she hadappeared almost indifferent, showing only too plainly how little hemeant in her life. Woods she never referred to. 

Mary, of course, was her devoted slave, hardly leaving her bedside, andin our daily meetings at the hospital, I fell more and more in lovewith her, if such a thing were possible. Once when I was coming up thecorridor with a large bunch of flowers, I met her outside Helen's door. As she took the blooms from me, she reached up and patted my cheek. 

"Bupps, you're a darling to bring these lovely flowers to Helen everyday. I think you're quite the nicest brother a girl could have. "

"If you think that, why won't you have me?" I asked. 

"I think I will----" she answered, smiling, "for a brother. "

She started to open the door, but I grasped her hand. 

"Mary, do be serious! You know I love you. "

She haughtily drew herself up in all the majesty of her five feet threeinches and commanded: "Unhand me, villain! I spurn your temptingoffer. " Then earnestly, "Let me go, Bupps! I've got to put theseflowers away. "

With a quick wrench she freed herself and was gone, leaving me halfsick with love of her. 

After the first sensational extra, the newspapers had said but littleof Helen's and Frank's indictment. Somehow I was confident that Helenwould be able to clear herself. Woods had published a statement inwhich he said he would be able to prove where he was every minute ofthe evening of the tragedy, and so had had no difficulty in findingbail. In fact, since the indictment, he seemed to have gained a gooddeal of sympathy and popularity. Every one who knew of his devotion toHelen felt that he had indicted himself to try to save her. 

One morning, about a week after my interview with the be-spectacledinterne, I met Doctor Forbes as he was coming from Helen's room and hegave me permission to ask her a few questions. 

"I'm trusting to your good sense, Thompson, not to overdo it, " Forbescautioned. "Remember, she is still in a very weak condition and don'tbe surprised if she fails to respond to your questions as you expect. Above all things, do not refer in any way to the fact that she has beenindicted, the shock might be too much for her. "

"Thank you, Doctor, " I replied, eager to get away, "I'll be verycareful. "

"And remember, no more than ten minutes this first time. "

I nodded and opened the door. Helen was propped up in bed and showedunmistakably the great suffering she had been through. She was paleand wan, but smiled when she saw me and gave me her cheek to kiss. 

"Good morning, " she whispered. "The flowers were lovely. "

"I'm glad you liked them, Sis, dear, " I said, sitting down by the sideof her bed. 

I asked her the usual questions, how she felt and if she wantedanything, and then tried to lead up to the only question that was ofany consequence to either of us. 

"Helen, dear, there are certain questions about your accident that havepuzzled us. The doctor said that you could talk for ten minutes thismorning and I want to ask you some questions. "

"Wait a minute!" she interrupted. "Did the doctor say I might reallytalk this morning?"

"Yes, dear. "

"There are a hundred questions then that you must answer me. I want toknow so many things. " She looked away and passed a thin hand over herforehead. Finally she turned her big brown eyes toward me and said:

"First, tell me who I am!"

For a brief second I felt numb all through. My brain whirled until Ithought my head would burst. 

"Helen, dear, what did you say?"

My speech was thick, as though my tongue was swollen. Still keepingher gaze fixed on me, she continued:

"They call me Helen, and I gather that you are my brother. There is abeautiful girl who comes here every day. She and I seem to be greatfriends, but I don't know her, I have heard them call her Mary; tell mewho she is!"

If I could have run from the room I should have done so. A horrorgripped me such as I never felt before. Then I saw two large tearstremble in Helen's eyes, overflow and course down her cheeks and Igathered all the strength that I could muster for the task of trying toawaken a memory that had apparently ceased to function. 

"Helen, dearest little sister, I am your brother. The beautiful girlyou speak of is Mary Pendleton, one of the best and truest friends youever had. She was your bridesmaid, don't you remember?"

Helen shook her head weakly. 

"I have been married, then?" she asked. 

"You were married to James Felderson. Can't you remember him?" Ibegged. 

Again she shook her head. "No. It's all gone. " She thought hard aminute, then she asked: "He is dead--my husband?"

"Yes, " I muttered, trying to keep the tears back, "he was killed in thesame accident--"

"What was he like?" she interrupted. 

"Helen, think!" I cried, fighting blindly against the terror that waschoking me. "Little sister. You must think--_hard_. Jim. Don't youremember big handsome Jim?" I snatched my watch from my pocket andopened the back, where I carried a small picture of Jim, taken yearsbefore. I had put it there in boyish admiration when I first knew him. I held it up in front of her eyes. "You must remember him, Helen!"

She gazed at the picture with eyes in which there were tears and alittle fright, but not a spark of recognition. Fearing that I wasover-exciting her, I sat close to her and drew as best I could a mentalpicture of Jim. I was only half-way through the recital when the dooropened and Doctor Forbes came in. 

"The ten minutes are up, Mr. Thompson. "

I stooped and kissed Helen. 

"Promise that you'll come back to-morrow, " she whispered. 

I promised and hurried from the room. Outside the doctor awaited mequestioningly. 

"Her memory is completely gone!" I gasped. 

The doctor patted me on the shoulder sympathetically. 

"We suspected that day before yesterday. I would have told you before, but thought that your questions might start her memory functioning. "

I gripped him by both arms. "But, Doctor, can nothing be done? Willshe have to--have to begin all over again?"

"I can't say yet. There may be some pressure there still. We'll haveto wait until she is much stronger before we can tell. "

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

WE PLAN THE DEFENSE

Helen's loss of memory was the last straw. The shock of finding herunable to remember the most familiar things was bad enough from apurely physical standpoint, but when I realized how completely it sweptaway all my plans for Helen's defense, how it fastened the guilt on herpoor shoulders, I felt that our case was hopeless indeed. 

I drove to the offices of Simpson and Todd and was lucky enough to findboth of them in. Simpson, a slender man with steel-gray hair and eyes, at once ordered a closed session to thrash out the whole affair. Hefirst made me repeat everything I knew about Jim's murder, from thebeginning. Several times he interrupted me, to ask a question, but forthe most part he sat with his back to me, gazing out of the window, thetips of his fingers to his lips. Half the time I thought he wasn'tlistening, until a quick question would show his interest. Todd, onthe contrary, was the picture of attention. He took notes in shorthandmost of the time I was talking. When I had finished, Simpson rose andcame over to me. 

"Let's examine this thing from the start. You have three people whohad a motive for killing Felderson--Zalnitch, Woods and Mrs. Felderson. Let's take Zalnitch first, for I think suspicion falls the slightest onhim. You say that Felderson helped to convict Zalnitch in the YellowPier case and that he made vague threats against those who had put himin prison, after he was released. Good! There's a motive and athreat. He was seen on the same road that Mr. Felderson traveled, ashort time before the murder. All those facts point to Zalnitch'scomplicity. But--the bullet that killed Felderson was fired frombehind and above, according to the coroner's statement. Knowing theaverage juryman, I should say that we would have to stretch thingspretty far to make him believe that a shot fired from one rapidlymoving automobile at another rapidly moving automobile would ricochetand kill a man. That's asking a little too much. Also, it is hard tobelieve that Schreiber, who was driving the car, would risk a smash-upto his own car and possible death for himself and party, in order totry to make Felderson go into the ditch. Then, too, if Zalnitchrecognized Felderson's car, why didn't he fire point-blank at Feldersoninstead of waiting till he got past? No! The case against Zalnitchfalls down. We can strike him off the list. "

I hated to give him up, but I had to admit Simpson's logic wasfaultless. 

"Now let us take up the case of Woods. Here is a man who threatenedFelderson's life unless he gave his wife a divorce, which you sayFelderson did not intend to do. There, again, is a motive. Woods knewthat Felderson was in possession of certain papers that would ruin him. There is a stronger motive. " He turned to me. "By the way, you havethose papers, haven't you?"

I hadn't thought of them until that very minute. 

"I don't know where they are right now, but I'm pretty sure I can findthem. "

He nodded. 

"Get hold of them by all means! They may be important to us. " He lita cigar and threw himself into a chair. 

"Well, let's go on. Woods had all the motive necessary for killingFelderson. He made a definite engagement with Felderson on the nightof the murder, to meet him at a certain time and place specified byWoods. That's important. Everything up to that point is as clear ascrystal, yet you say you have positive testimony that Woods was at thecountry-club waiting for Felderson at about the time the murder tookplace, and Woods claims that he has an absolute alibi. If that istrue, it lets him out. "

"But I'm not sure he was at the country-club at the time the murdertook place, " I explained. "I only know he was there just before andjust afterward. "

"What do you know of his movements that night?" Simpson asked. 

"I know he dined there at seven-thirty or thereabouts and that heordered a drink at eight twenty-five. "

"And what time was the murder?"

"Probably about a quarter past eight--the bodies were found at halfpast, they say, " I answered. 

Simpson shook his head. "I'm afraid his alibi is good. It's cuttingthings too fine to think that he could have run six miles and back inless than half an hour and committed a murder in the bargain. It wouldhave taken a speedy automobile. Do you know whether he had anautomobile that night?" he queried. 

"I think he did. I can find out in a minute, " I added, going to thetelephone. 

I called up the country-club and finally succeeded in getting Jacksonon the wire. Jackson thought Mr. Woods did not have an automobile thatnight, because he had gone to town in Mr. Paisley's car. 

"He might have used somebody else's car, " Todd suggested. 

Simpson shook his head again. "We're getting clear off the track, now. "

An idea came to me suddenly and I called Up Pickering at the BenefitInsurance Company. 

"This is Thompson speaking, Pickering, " I said. 

"Yes. "

"Do you remember if an automobile passed you on the night of theFelderson murder, going toward the country-club?"

"No. "

"Do you mean you don't remember?"

"No, I remember perfectly. There was only one automobile passed us andthat was the black limousine. "

"You're sure?" I asked. 

"I'm positive, old man. We only saw one car from the time we leftBlandesville, until we reached the city. "

I put up the receiver and sank back in my chair. 

"Well?" Todd flung at me. 

"I'm out of luck!" I responded. 

Simpson rose. "Let's go on. We have crossed off two of our suspectsfrom the list, let's see--"

"I'd rather not go on, " I interrupted, looking out of the window toescape Todd's searching eyes. There was a moment's silence, thenSimpson spoke. 

"We'll do our best but it will be a hard fight. If Mrs. Feldersoncould only recall what happened that night and before, we might have achance, but every woman that has come up for murder during the last fewyears, has worked that lost memory gag. "

"But my sister really _has_ lost her memory!" I exclaimed. 

"I know, my dear boy, " Simpson soothed. "That is what makes it sodifficult. If she were only shamming now, we could--. But with yoursister as helpless as a child, the prosecuting attorney will so confuseher, that our case will be lost as soon as she takes the stand. "

"Why put her on at all?" I asked. 

"Because we have to, if we hope to win our case, " he replied. "The onebig chance to win your jury comes when your beautiful client testifies. "

For a few minutes he was silent, obviously thinking, and thinking hard. 

"Of course, our defense will have to be temporary insanity, " hedeclared at last. 

"Oh, not that!" I begged. 

"It's our only chance, " Simpson argued, "and I don't mind saying thatit's a pretty poor chance at that. Three years ago it might have beenall right, because a conviction only meant a few months at afashionable sanitarium, and then freedom. But when that Truesdalewoman went free, an awful howl went up all over the country and I'mafraid the next woman who is found, 'guilty but insane, ' will be sentto a real asylum. "

A shudder of horror ran through me. For Helen to be sent to an asylumwhile her mind was in its weak state might well mean permanent insanity. 

"You talk to your sister as often as you can and try to help herrecover her lost memory. Of course you'll have the best specialistsexamine and prescribe for her. In the meantime, we'll investigate boththe Woods and Zalnitch cases to see if they are hole-proof. "

"You might get those papers on Woods, if you will, " Todd reminded me. 

I thanked them and left, greatly depressed but ready to fight to thelast ditch to save Helen's life. The papers dealing with Woods had notbeen among Jim's effects when I had looked them over at the office andI was confident they had not been picked up on the night of the murder, for they would have been returned to me. Thinking they had probablybeen left in one of the pockets of the automobile, and overlooked whenthe machine was searched, I decided to run out to the Felderson homethe first thing in the morning. 

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

BULLETPROOF

Jim's car had been moved to his own garage the morning after theaccident, and as I had a pass-key to the place I found it unnecessaryto go to the house at all. Wicks and Annie were taking care of theestablishment until Helen should come home, or the house be sold. 

I opened the door of the garage and shuddered involuntarily as I caughtsight of the wrecked Peckwith-Pierce. It had been more badly smashedthan I had at first supposed. On the night of the murder I saw thatthe chassis was twisted and the axle broken, but I had not noticed whatthat jolting crash had done to the body of the car. The steering rodwas broken and the cushions were caked with mud. One wheel sagged at adrunken angle like a lop-ear and the wind-shield was nothing but amangled frame. One long gash ran the length of the body, as though ithad scraped against a rock, and this gash ended in a jagged wound thesize of a man's head. In the back were three small splintered holes. 

I examined these with particular interest, wondering what could havecaused them. Evidently the police had neglected to examine themachine. The sight of what looked like the end of a nail caused me todrop to my knees and to begin digging frantically at the wood with mypen-knife. At the end of five feverish minutes I held the prize in myhand. 

It was a misshapen, steel, "32" rifle bullet. 

In the floor of the car, near where Jim's feet must have been, I foundtwo more splintered holes, apparently made by the same rifle from whichthe shots had been fired into the back of the car. 

Two thoughts flashed through my mind, exuberant assurance that thislatest discovery cleared Helen completely. She couldn't have fired arifle from the rear seat of the automobile, nor could she have putthose bullet holes into the back of the car. In my joy that I hadfound proof of my sister's innocence, I forgot to speculate on whocould have committed the murder. My second thought was really acontinuation of the first, that I must bring the coroner and Simpson atonce to confirm my discovery. 

I carefully locked the door of the garage, as though fearful some onewould rob me of my find, or that the automobile might move away of itsown volition, then I ran to the house and rang the bell. All thecurtains were drawn and I had about decided there was no one at home, when, after what seemed an interminable wait, I heard the sound offootsteps within, and Wicks opened the door. 

"Who'd you expect to see, Wicks, a policeman?" I asked. 

"No, sir. One of those blarsted reporters, sir. "

"Poor old Wicksy, " I sympathized. "Well, it'll soon be over now. Iwant to use the telephone. "

I ran down the hall to the table where I knew the telephone to be, andcalled up Simpson. He promised he would come right up. 

The coroner demurred for a moment, pleading important business, butwhen he heard I had proof that would clear Mrs. Felderson, he, too, promised to be with me in a few minutes. 

Wicks, who had been listening, was so excited that he momentarilyforgot himself and clutched me by the arm as I put down the receiver. 

"Is it true, sir, that you can prove Mrs. Felderson 'ad nothing to dowith it?" he gasped. 

"Truest thing you know, Wicks!"

"I fear I'm going to act unseemly, sir. I feel like yelling, 'ip, 'ip, sir. " Then he noticed he had me by the arm and hastily murmuredapology. 

"That's all right, Wicksy, old top. Go as far as you like, " I cried. "I'm so happy and relieved I could kiss the Kaiser. "

"You surely wouldn't do that, sir, " Wicks reproved. 

"All right, Wicks. I guess it's not being done this year. "

The butler turned to leave but stopped at the door to say: "Mr. Woodscalled about a week ago, sir. "

"What did he want?" I demanded. 

"He stated as 'ow 'e was after some papers concerning a business dealthat 'e and Mr. Felderson were interested in. "

In the excitement over my discovery, I had completely forgotten thereal errand that had brought me to the house. 

"What did you tell him, Wicks?"

"I told 'im that you had charge of all Mr. Felderson's effects, sir, and that he could probably obtain them from you, " the butler replied. 

"That was right. Did he leave after that?"

"Shortly after that, sir, " Wicks answered. "But first he asked for thekey to the garage, sayin' that 'e would like to hinspect the auto. "

"Did you give it to him?" I snapped. 

"Y-yes, sir. I saw no 'arm in that, sir. "

I ran to the garage and quickly searched the broad pockets of Jim'scar. The portfolio was not there. I hurried toward the house to askWicks if Woods had had any papers with him when he returned the garagekey, but slackened my pace before I had gone half-way. After all, itmade very little difference. The evidence had only been gathered tokeep Helen with her husband. Now, since that was no longer an issue, what did it matter if Woods had stolen the proofs of his owndishonesty. True, Simpson and Todd had asked me to get them, but Ifelt that they had urged the importance of those papers more to give mesomething to do than for any real need of them. 

Just then an automobile came up the drive and Simpson jumped out. Hewas gravely skeptical until I led him into the garage and showed himthe bullet holes; then he was enthusiastic. He examined the back ofthe car minutely, and at the end of his scrutiny he turned to me. 

"I'm not at all sure that we were justified in giving Zalnitch a cleanbill of health so soon. It is just possible he had a lot more to dowith this than we supposed. "

While we were talking the coroner drove up. He took the bullet I hadextracted from the back of the car and looked at it as though heexpected to find its owner's name etched on it, after which he examinedthe holes in the back of the car and in the foot-board. Then I eagerlyrelated our suspicions against Zalnitch, but he shook his head. 

"This would seem to clear Mrs. Felderson but it also makes it look asthough every other suspect is innocent. Look at these holes in thefloor! The bullets that lodged there must have been fired from above. Also you will notice there are three bullet holes in the back of thecar and two in the foot-board, besides the shot that killed Mr. Felderson. Unless your friends, the Socialists, were carrying a youngarmory with them, they could never have fired that many shots in theshort space of time that it took Mr. Felderson to pass them. I shouldsay that it would take a man from--well, from fifteen to thirtyseconds, at least, to fire six shots at _any_ target, and before thattime, the automobile would have been out of range. "

"He might have used an automatic rifle, " I interposed. 

The coroner took off his hat and rubbed the bald spot on the back ofhis head. 

"That is possible, " he admitted, "but it doesn't explain how thosebullet holes got into the floor. There might have been a struggle andthe gun discharged into the floor that way. "

"That doesn't explain the holes in the back of the car, " I objected, fearing that they would again go back to the theory that Helen wasresponsible. 

"The holes in the foot-board seem to me positive proof that the shotswere fired from above, " Simpson argued. "Are there any buildings ortrees along that road where the murderer might have stationed himselfand waited for Felderson to come along?"

"There are no buildings, " I replied, "but there must be trees in thevicinity of that stream. "

"That sounds as though it might bring results, " Simpson said. "Thompson, suppose you take the coroner out there and see what you canfind. In the meantime I'll start proceedings to quash that indictmentagainst Mrs. Felderson. "

The coroner insisted he was due at an inquest that very moment, butwould go with me in the afternoon. As we walked toward the cars, Simpson asked me if I had found the papers dealing with Woods' case, and I told him I thought Woods had stolen them and repeated theinformation Wicks had given me. 

"I don't think we shall need them, fortunately, " Simpson replied. "Todd saw Woods last night. He's making a frantic effort to raisemoney and came to him, among others. He says that Woods can clearhimself of all connection with the crime. Men who were with him thatnight can testify he didn't leave the club. By the way, Woods hasn'tapproached you, has he?"

"No, " I laughed, "he knows I have no money, and if I had I wouldn'tgive it to him. "

After they had left, I decided to go out to the Blandesville bridge anddo a little preliminary scouting on my own. Eager for Mary's company, and wishing to tell her the glorious news that was to clear Helen, Idrove to the hospital, only to find that Mary had not been there andHelen was asleep; so I drove on to Mary's, hoping to find her home. 

"Miss Pendleton is just going out, but I will ask if she will see you, "the maid informed me. 

I stepped into the living-room and picked up a magazine. As I took itin my hand it fell open to a story entitled, "Who Murdered Merryvale?"I looked at one of the illustrations and quickly laid the magazinedown, conscious that I'd never again read a mystery story built arounda tragic death. Then I heard Mary's light step pattering down thestairs and turned to greet her. She was dressed in a smart, semi-military costume which she had worn while a volunteer chauffeurduring the war, and she looked simply radiant. 

"Mary, we've made certain discoveries which absolutely clear Helen ofsuspicion, " I cried, taking her hands in mine. I told her of my findof the morning, and watched her eyes widen with joy and surprise. "So, while we haven't found out yet who murdered Jim, we know that Helen hadno part in it. "

Mary was thinking hard about something, but she recalled herselfquickly, and said:

"Oh! It's wonderful, Bupps, simply _wonderful_!"

"I'm going out to the Blandesville bridge to do a little sleuthing onmy own hook. Can you come with me?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't, Warren. I have another engagement, " sheanswered. 

"Some other man?" I asked, disappointed and a bit jealous. 

"Yes. "

"Is it that young Davis?"

She shook her head. 

"It's some one you don't like very well. "

"That's natural, " I replied. "I don't love any of my rivals. Who isit?"

"Promise you won't say anything if I tell you who it is?"

"Of course I won't say anything, " I said a little haughtily. "You havea perfect right to go with any one you care to. "

"It's Frank Woods. "

"Mary, " I gasped, "do you mean to say you'd be seen with that man, after what he did to Jim?"

"Now, Bupps, you promised not to say anything. "

"I know--but this is different. Do you think I'll stand quietly by andsee that man make a fool of you as he did of Helen? Do you think I'lllet that--that rake make love to you?"

"He's not going to make love to me!" Mary answered with some asperity. 

"That's what you think. That's what Helen thought and Jim thought. That's what all of them think when he starts. Do you know what hewants to do? He asked you to go out with him so he could try to borrowmoney of you, to save his rotten hide. "

"But, Bupps, he didn't ask me to go riding with him. I asked him totake me. "

"You asked him to take you?" I cried. 

"Don't talk so loud, Bupps! The people on the street will hear you. "

If there was anything she could have said that would have made meangrier than I already was, it was that. 

"I'm not talking loud, " I shouted, "and what if I do? The people onthe street may hear me, but they will _see_ you with Frank Woods, whichis a hundred times worse. Why, it is as much as a girl's reputation isworth to be seen alone with him. "

"I'll take care of my reputation, " she replied coldly. 

"You think you will, " I said, flinging myself into a chair. 

"Warren! Do you know that's insulting?" Mary exclaimed angrily. "You're acting like a schoolboy. I have good reasons for wanting to goout with Frank Woods. "

"Reasons!" I sneered. 

She went into the hall and I followed. 

"Mary, I don't know what your reasons are, and I don't care. I'm notgoing to have that man making love to you. Either you don't go outwith him, or I quit. "

Mary turned and looked me straight in the eyes. 

"What do you mean?" she asked. 

"Any girl who is Frank Woods' friend, after the mess he stirred up inmy family, isn't my friend. "

Mary's face was white, but her little chin was set determinedly. 

"That's just as you wish, " she said, and ran up-stairs. 

I picked up my hat and gloves and left the house. 

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

THE ANSWER

The coroner and I drove out to the bridge that afternoon and I mustadmit I was mighty poor company. Mary's unreasonableness, her stupidobstinacy, when she knew she was wrong and I was right, her willingnessto break our friendship at the first opportunity, gave me little roomto think of anything else. 

That she should risk her reputation to run after that man wasinexplicable, but it was just like a woman. Show them a place theymust not go or a man they must not see and they will sacrifice life, liberty and everybody else's happiness to satisfy their curiosity. Ithas been true from Pandora to Pankhurst. 

Well, if she could get along without me, I could get along without her. I'm the easiest going person in the world, but when it comes toallowing the girl you are practically engaged to, to make a fool ofherself over another man, I won't stand for it. I knew she wouldprobably come to me afterward and say she was sorry and she didn'tknow, but I made up my mind that she would have to give me an awfullygood reason for her sudden interest in Frank Woods before I wouldforgive her. 

These thoughts held my attention all the way out. Now and again Iwould be recalled from my gloom by some question from the coroner. Hewas trying to solve the problem of who murdered Jim and I am sure hemust have thought it strange that I was so preoccupied. 

As we neared the bridge, I noticed again how scant the vegetation wason both sides of the road. Any one wishing to murder Jim would havebeen able to see him coming for at least a half-mile. On the left ofthe road was clay soil, sparsely covered with weeds and shrubs, while ahalf-mile away could be seen the thirteenth hole of the country-clubgolf links. 

When we reached the crest of the hill leading down to the bridge, oureyes at once caught sight of a tall maple tree, on the right-hand sideof the road and about two hundred yards from it. 

As he saw it the coroner gave a grunt of satisfaction. 

"There's our tree. "

We stopped the car and scrambled through the thorny bushes that linedthe road. The ground was hard clay with only burdock and weeds growingon it. There was nothing that would lead us to believe that any onehad been there before. When we reached the tree, the coroner examinedthe ground around it carefully. When he arose he seemed disappointed. 

"What did you expect to find here?" I asked. 

"I didn't know what we might find. If the man who fired those shotsused this tree, I thought we might find an empty cartridge or two. There ought to be at least some broken twigs or something to show thathe was up there, but I find nothing at all. "

"Still, the fact that the tree is where it is, makes the theoryplausible. "

He shook his head. "No. Now that I've seen how far we are from theroad I don't think it does. Those bullet holes in the back of the carwere fired from above and behind the machine. They slanted down butnot sidewise. If a tree had been at the very side of the road, ourtheory would be acceptable, but if the murderer used this tree, twohundred yards from the road, he would have started firing before thecar came opposite, with the probability that the holes would have beenfound in the side of the car. I'm sorry, for when I saw this tree, Ithought we'd struck the right track. "

"There's one thing I can't make out, " I stated, "and that is thestrange cry of my sister in her delirium. 'Look out, Jim! It's goingto hit us, ' she called out, and I would be willing to swear it hadsomething to do with the murder. "

The coroner thought a moment, then turned to me. 

"What else did she say?"

"Nothing that seemed to refer to the accident. All the rest wasapparently delirium. She begged forgiveness for some fancied wrong, and repeated that a certain man was not guilty of dishonesty. But herfirst weird cry had to do with the murder, I'm sure. "

We walked back toward the road together. High overhead we heard thedroning of an aeroplane and we both stopped to gaze at it. Suddenlythe coroner clapped me on the shoulder. 

"I've got it!"

"What do you mean?" I asked, bewildered. 

"An aeroplane, man! Who owns an aeroplane around here?"

"I don't know. There are several at the aviation grounds. What's thatgot to do with it?"

"Everything! Don't you see? The bullets fired from above and behind. The number of bullets fired. Those two bullet holes in the foot-boardof the car--everything points to an aeroplane. It was done a hundred, yes, a thousand times in the war. While I was over there with myhospital unit we used to get a lot of cases of motorcycle despatchriders who had been picked off by German aviators. They machine-gunnedmoving trains and military automobiles. It is one of the simplesttricks of a pilot's repertoire. Has Woods an aeroplane?"

"He was a military pilot in the French army and is the head of anaeroplane firm, but I don't think he has an aeroplane here. "

"He could get one easy enough. "

"The clever devil! Look over there! He had the broad sweep of thegolf course as a perfect landing ground and this road hasn't a tree onit for a mile. He could have come down within fifty feet of the groundand followed that car, pumping bullets into it all the way. He hadabsolutely everything in his favor. "

For a moment I saw red as I pictured Jim, helpless before approachingdeath. I could imagine Helen's agony as she saw that dim black shapecome closer and closer and screamed in her terror, "Look out, Jim!It's going to hit us. "

"Yes, but how are we going to prove it?" I asked. 

"That's up to us now. An aeroplane has such speed that it was easy forWoods to fashion an ingenious alibi to account for every minute of histime on the night of the murder, but there must be some holes in it;there always is in a manufactured alibi. I want you to go over to thecountry-club and check up Mr. Woods' schedule of that night while Iexamine the golf links to see if he landed there. "

We jumped into my car and drove rapidly to the club. I went into thehouse by the back way to avoid meeting people and asked for Jackson. 

"Jackson, what time did Mr. Woods get out here on the evening Mr. Felderson was killed?"

"Ah espect he got heah 'bout six o'clock, Mistuh Thompson, " the negroreplied. 

"Did you see him at that time?"

"Did Ah see him at dat time? Le'me see? Why, no, suh, Ah don' thinkAh did. "

"When was the first time you did see him, Jackson?"

"Ah guess it was at dinnah time, suh. He was heah den. "

"You're sure he was here all through dinner?" I asked. 

"Yes, suh! He must hab been, 'cause he ohdahd dinnah. "

"What time was he through dinner, do you know?"

The darky scratched his head. "Ah reckon it war just befoh he ohdahdme ter bring him dat drink. "

"And he was here all that time?" I demanded. 

"Yes, suh! He was right heah. "

"Where did he sit?"

"Lemme see. Ah recollec' now, he ask me speshul fo' dat table ovahyondah by de winder. "

"Can you find the boy that waited on that table that night?"

The old darky hurried away, but came back presently leading a scaredyellow boy by the sleeve. 

"Now, Geoge Henry, you-all quit youah contrahiness an' ansuh degenleman's questions o' Ah 'low Ah whup you. "

"George, did you wait on that table over there by the window two weeksago?"

"Ya-yas, suh! Ah ben waitin' on dat table fo' mo'n a month. "

"Do you remember waiting on Mr. Frank Woods two weeks ago last Thursdaynight?" I asked. 

The boy was trembling. He rolled frightened eyes toward Jackson whowas glaring at him. Finally he broke into a wail. "Oh! PappyJackson, da's all Ah knows. He tell me he go to de bah an' ef'nanybuddy ask whah he go dat night to sen' em in dah. "

"Just tell me what you know, George!" I said, motioning the angryJackson away. 

"He--he set down at de table but he ain't eat none, " the boy stuttered. 

"What do you mean, George?"

"He sit down an' look out de winder. Ah brung him some soup but he gotup powful sudden, lak he had a call to de telephome, an' he ain't comeback. "

"Are you sure of that, George?"

"Yas, suh, Ah ast him did he want dinnah aftah he come back but he sayhe ain't hongry. "

"What time was it when he came back?" I asked. 

"Ha'f past eight, suh. "

I gave the boy a dollar and he went away happy. Jackson had a sheepishlook on his face. 

"Then Mr. Woods wasn't here all through dinner, Jackson?"

"Drat dat boy, he make me out a liah fo' a dollah, " he grinned. 

"Are you sure, absolutely sure, that you saw Mr. Woods at half pasteight?" I questioned. 

"Yas, suh! You cain't catch me up no mo'. I saw Mistuh Woods at eighttwenty-fahv exackly. "

I handed him a bill and went into the bar. Grogan, the old bartenderwas there alone. 

"Grogan, do you remember who was in the bar between seven-thirty andeight-thirty on the night of the Felderson murder?"

"Only one or two of the gentlemen, sir. There was Mr. Farnsworth andMr. Brown and I think Mr. Woods. "

"Are you sure Mr. Woods was in here?"

"Well, no, sir, not exactly. I remember Mr. Farnsworth and Mr. Brown. There were probably some others. The reason I think Mr. Woods was herewas because he called my attention to the fact a few nights after themurder. There were a few gentlemen in here and they were talking ofMr. Felderson's death. Mr. Woods said, in view of the fact that themurderer hadn't been found, almost any one might be accused. Some oneasked him if he was worried--we all knew, sir, that Mr. Felderson andMr. Woods were not very friendly--and Mr. Woods laughed and said thatfortunately he had a perfect alibi and called my attention to the factthat he was in here at about the time the crime was committed. "

"And you're not sure that he was?" I asked. 

"Oh, his alibi is good of course, because he was around the club allthat evening. I guess he was here and I don't remember it. "

I shook hands with him and left. 

Far out on the golf links the coroner was bending over, examiningsomething on the ground. When I reached him he grabbed me by thesleeve and pointed to two barely discernible tracks paralleling eachother for almost a hundred yards. Between them ran a shallow, jaggedrut, where the spade of an aeroplane had dug up the turf. 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

THE MECHANICIAN

"We've got it! We're on the trail at last!" I exclaimed. "I justfound out at the club that Woods left his dinner hurriedly and was notseen again until twenty-five minutes past eight. "

"We've got to go slow, " cautioned the coroner. "A man who is ingeniousenough to devise this means of murdering a man won't be tripped up forlack of a perfect alibi. "

"I've found what that is too. He has the bartender at the club halfbelieving that he was in the bar at the time the murder was committed. "I told him briefly what I had discovered. 

"See!" the coroner pointed out. "If they bring him into court, thebartender won't be able to swear he wasn't in the bar and the shorttime that he was absent will convince the jury that Woods is tellingthe truth and that our theory is all bunk. "

"But we're not going to leave things as they stand, just when we arehot on the trail. What do we do now?"

"I'm of the opinion that there is a short-cut to the solution of thewhole affair. Woods must have had a mechanician with him on the nightof the murder. "

"What makes you think that?" I asked rather impatiently. 

"Because we know Woods came back to the club immediately after themurder and played cards the rest of the evening. He returned to thecity in another man's car; obviously, then, some one else must havetaken the aeroplane back to its hangar, since it would have caused toomuch comment had it been on the links in the morning. Our plan, then, is to find that mechanician and bribe or threaten him into telling thetruth. If Woods hasn't got rid of him, he ought to be around theaviation grounds. We must wait until we are certain Woods is not therebefore trying to see our man. "

"Then there is no better time than right now, for I know Woods istaking a certain young lady automobiling this afternoon. "

"Let's go quickly then, " exclaimed the coroner. 

We climbed into the car and sped toward the city. Since Eastbrook ison the aerial postal route, we have a well-equipped aviation field justoutside the city. Several of our younger set with special sportingproclivities have taken up aerial joy-riding since the war, so thatthere is always a group of mechanicians and hangers-on around the field. 

I proposed to the coroner that we stop for Simpson and he agreed. WhenSimpson heard who it was he came down at once. As we sped toward theaerodrome I told him of our findings of the afternoon. He wasastounded. 

"You know, I'll hand it to the man who thought up that scheme. That'sthe cleverest piece of work I ever heard of, if your theories arecorrect and he really did do it. "

"What makes you think Woods didn't do it?" I questioned. 

"Not a thing, " Simpson answered, "only I didn't know Woods kept a planein Eastbrook. Of course, it would be easy enough for him to get one. Lord! Think of the possibilities it opens up. It fairly takes yourbreath away. Automobile bandits aren't in it. Imagine trying to copewith a gang of thieves who add an aeroplane to their kit of tools. Suppose they decide to rob the Guarantee Trust Company of New York orTiffany's. The robbery itself would be the simplest part of the thing. It is getting the swag away that worries the criminals. Suppose theypull this robbery off and the police put a net around the city to guardagainst their escape. Mr. Thief and his gang sail away calmly over theheads of the police. Think of your diamond smugglers! Why, that bigBritish dirigible could have flooded the American market with diamondsand laughed in the face of the customs authorities. I say it gets you. "

"Yes, but in the meantime, we get Mr. Woods, " I said grimly. 

"Don't be too sure of that!" Simpson warned. "The man who thinks upsuch a scientific way of murdering people isn't going to be an easy manto catch. "

Memories of big whole-hearted Jim came to my mind and I swore I wouldget Woods if I had to hang for it. Woods--murderer of Jim, afterstealing his wife away, and now making love to Mary Pendleton, puttinghis bloody hands on her! The thought almost drove me mad. 

We stopped our machine at the entrance to the field and walked towardthe hangars. Three aeroplanes were out, being tuned up. They lookedlike birds, ready to take wing at the slightest disturbance. Thecoroner walked over to one of the helpers. 

"Can you direct me to the hangar Mr. Frank Woods uses?"

"Woods?" the man repeated with a puzzled frown. "I don't remember anysuch machine here. I know most of 'em, but I don't think any Woods hasa machine here. Wait! I'll ask Bill. He'd know if any one did. "

He walked over to a group of mechanicians and returned in a moment. 

"It's the last one down. He ain't had a machine here only two weeks. That's the reason I didn't know the name. "

We thanked him and started for the other end of the field. A pilotclimbed into one of the machines. Two mechanicians spun the propellerand the engine sputtered and roared. The plane wabbled and swayeddrunkenly out on to the field, then as the roar increased, it gatheredspeed and was off. 

At the door of the Woods hangar, a red-haired mechanic of powerfulbuild was cleaning and oiling some delicate-looking piece of mechanism. He looked up with a questioning frown as we approached, then becameengrossed again in his work. 

"Is this where Mr. Woods keeps his aeroplane?" the coroner asked. 

"Un-hu, " grunted the mechanician, continuing with his work. 

"Mr. Woods isn't here, is he?"

"No, " was the laconic reply. 

"Are you Mr. Woods' mechanician?"

"One of 'em, " the red one responded. 

"How many has he?"

"Three. "

"Are the others about?" continued the coroner. 

"One of 'em is, " said the mechanic, "and he just loves to answer foolquestions. "

The coroner laughed. "Excuse me, my friend, but I am in need of someimportant information. Will you tell me which one of the mechanicianswas with Mr. Woods when he visited the country-club two weeks ago lastThursday night?"

The mechanic scrambled to his feet and advanced toward the coroner, hisface twisted with passion. For a moment I thought he was going toattack us, but he stopped a foot in front of the coroner and snarled:"I don't know who you are, nor what you are, nor what you want, but Iain't no information bureau--See? So git t' hell out o' here if youknow what's good for you!" With that he turned and disappeared insidethe hangar. 

We looked at one another. The signs seemed propitious. 

"Would it do any good to try to bribe him?" I asked. 

"You can try it if you want to; I don't care for the job, " Simpsonsmiled. 

"No, " the coroner interposed. "He was with Woods that night and hewon't talk. "

"Shouldn't we get the police?" suggested Simpson. 

"That wouldn't do any good, " the coroner replied. "Wait a minute! Ithink I've got it. " And with that he went inside. 

Above us we heard the hum of a plane. We turned to watch it dip andglide and loop, in the afternoon sunlight. The sun, catching itswings, made it stand out against the blue sky like some fierydragon-fly. It flew up, turned a somersault and nose-dived for athousand feet, swung around in a wide circle, flew across the field atabout four hundred feet, circled again and slid downward. Closer andcloser it came to the ground, until the horizon was lost and it seemedto be gliding along the earth itself at terrific speed. Finally itnosed up, touched the earth, bounced away as though it were a rubberball, touched again, and at last came to a stop within a hundred yardsof where we were standing. 

A girl climbed from it, and with a sickening clutch at my heart Irecognized who it was. Mary had been aeroplaning with Woods instead ofautomobiling as I had supposed. At the sight of her, laughing gaily atsome witticism that Woods made as they walked across the field towardus, my head spun with hatred and jealousy of the man. 

I had no time to observe more, for there were angry shouts within thehangar and the coroner came bounding out, with the red-hairedmechanician close behind him. The coroner had in his hand what lookedlike an iron crow-bar, and as the mechanician caught him, this barbecame the center of the struggle. We hurried to the coroner's aid, but before we could reach him, the mechanician gave him a vicious kickin the stomach that sent him sprawling and helpless. With a curse, themechanic picked up the tool they had been struggling for and dashedback into the hangar. 

The coroner lay writhing where he had fallen, and could not speak. Hisbreath was completely knocked out. We pumped his arms until at last hewas able to gasp: "Get that----! Get that----!"

"It looks as though you had a little disagreement here, " a laughingvoice sounded behind us. "This isn't at all my idea of a hospitablereception for my guests. "

We all turned to look into the smiling face of Woods. As we helped thecoroner to his feet and began brushing him off Woods continued:"Gentlemen, if you are going to present me with the key to the city, please make it as unostentatious as possible. " His smile stillcontinued, but there was an odd glint in his eyes. Mary had left hisside and was walking away. She had evidently seen me and did not wantto speak to me. 

The coroner cleared his throat. "Mr. Woods, I'm not here to make anypresentation speeches. I am here to accuse you of the murder of JamesFelderson. "

Not for an instant did the smile leave Frank Woods' face, nor did hisexpression change. He looked us over calmly and slowly and then hesaid: "Why, that is very interesting, but you seem to forget that Ihave already been accused of that murder once. "

"You were accused on mere suspicion before, but now we have the proof. "

The red-haired mechanic sauntered out of the doorway and walked overtoward the aeroplane. Behind him followed another youth with a bunchof waste in his hand. The coroner pointed to the former. 

"I had the machine gun with which you did the murder until your manthere kicked me in the stomach and jerked it away from me. It's in thehangar now. But we don't need the gun, we've got enough evidencewithout it to convict you. "

Woods looked us over carefully. He was by far the calmest one of theparty. 

"Gentlemen, I have already sent to the papers a statement that I amable to produce testimony as to my whereabouts during every minute ofthe night when James Felderson was killed. When the trial comes, Ishall produce that testimony. If you think that machine gun is anyproof against me, just step inside and I'll show you that it is of anentirely different caliber from the gun that killed Felderson. "

We hesitated for a second, I think because of the brazen effrontery, the splendid calmness of the man. A doubt began to form in my mind asto whether he had anything to do with the murder at all. Woods noticedmy hesitation and turning to me said with a smile: "Surely you aren'tafraid of me, Thompson, when you so readily trust me with both yoursister and your fiancée. "

I longed with all my soul to hit the man between the eyes, to crushthat half-sneering smile into his face with my heel, but I let theinsult pass and followed the others inside. 

"Here is the machine gun, gentlemen. If you will notice, it is a 36caliber and not a 32 at all. If you will wait one minute, I'll get youthe magazine. That will prove it to you beyond a doubt. "

He left the hangar and the coroner picked up the gun. 

"I could have sworn that the gun I had hold of was a 32. The barrelseems too small for a 36. Why, look here! This _is_ a 32. Here isthe caliber marked on it. "

From outside came the sputter and crack of an aeroplane engine. Simpson caught it first and dashed to the door. 

"It's Woods' plane. He's going to escape. "

We ran out of the hangar and across the field toward the aeroplanewhich, by now, was enveloped in blue vapor. Before we had gonehalf-way, it was taxi-cabbing across the field, careening first to oneside and then to the other. Suddenly it swerved and turned in ourdirection. We stood there, a little breathless, to see what it woulddo. The engines of the plane droned higher as it came toward us. 

Suddenly Simpson clutched my arm and yelled: "Look out! he's trying torun us down. "

I ran wildly to one side of the field, not daring to look back but onlytrying to reach a place of safety. The sound of the engines camecrashing to my ears like the staccato roar of a hundred machine guns. My legs felt as if they were lead. I seemed to be standing still. Onefrightened glance over my shoulder showed the machine, like somemonstrous vulture, bearing down on me. I could feel it gaining andgaining. The heavy drone of the engines seemed to fill the air withits noise. A pitiful sense of helplessness gripped me. I knew I wasgoing to die like a rat in the jaws of a fox terrier. I screamed aloudin my terror and pitched headlong on the turf. With a roar, and a rushof wind that almost lifted me from the ground, the aeroplane passedover me, its wheels no more than four feet from my head. 

I am not sure to this day, whether Frank Woods tried to kill me or not. I don't know whether he was cheated of his game when I stumbled and thespeed of his motor carried the plane off the ground, or whether he wasjust trying to put the fear of God in me. I will swear, however, thatas the motor passed over my head, I heard Frank Woods' voice raised ina demoniacal laugh. 

As the drum of the motor passed and I knew that I was safe for themoment, I raised my head to see if the devil should be planning to comeback. With joy I saw he had risen to the height of fifteen or twentyfeet. Suddenly the plane swooped up as though Woods were trying toloop. For a second it tipped sidewise like a cat boat reeling over inthe wind, and then there was the sound of splintering wood and tearingsilk, and the plane crashed miserably to the ground. 

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

RED CAPITULATES

We hurried over to the smashed plane, the coroner leading. Woods, inhis effort to run me down, had forgotten the telegraph wires at the endof the field. Too late, he had seen them and vainly tried to lift hismachine clear of them. The wires had caught a wing and sent himcrashing to the earth. 

We found him underneath the engine, quite dead, the fall having killedhim instantly. We made an improvised litter out of one of the wingsand carried him to the nearest hangar. As we placed an overcoat overthe shapeless form, I heard a sniffle behind me and found thered-haired mechanician at my side. 

"You didn't get him, you dirty cops. He got away from you, after all. "

"Yes, he's safe now, " I murmured. 

"Sure! An' he would 'a' been always if he hadn't been daff' overwomen. He never had no luck when he played the women. His takin' thatskirt out this afternoon was what give him the hoodoo. "

The coroner came over to him. 

"Now that we can't get him, will you tell us about the night Mr. Woodskilled Mr. Felderson?"

The mechanic showed himself distinctly hostile to the coroner. 

"Oh, no you don't, you fly cop! Think I'll spill the beans and getmeself in Dutch? You can go to hell!"

"I'll promise you won't be prosecuted if you will tell us what happenedthat night. "

He looked us over suspiciously, but apparently reassured, he said:"Well, that's fair enough, especially since I didn't have nothin' to dowith the croakin', although I know pretty much how it happened. 

"The boss there come over to the plant--the International plant, youknow--about two weeks ago and had me bring that plane out there overhere. We always got along together, the boss and me. Wasn't pals oranything like that, but we understood each other. I'd seen, for acouple of months, that the boss had somethin' on his mind. I knew itwasn't any jane, because they never worried him none. He worried thema lot, but somehow he just took 'em as they come. He talked with mesome--he claimed I was the best mechanician he had over there, --and Ifigured it out at last that what he was worryin' about was money. Hespent a lot, an' was free an' easy, an' it worried him to figure thathe was goin' to go bu'st pretty soon. The first day I was here, hebrought a woman out, a swell looker--I didn't find out till afterwardsthat it was Felderson's wife--an' he kinda kidded her along abouthelpin' him over the rough spots by lendin' him a little of her dough. I sort of figured out he was goin' to run off with the woman, 'causethe next morning he come out and said we could take a month's lay-offif we wanted to, as he was goin' on his honeymoon. I thought he wasgoin' to take me along, but when he said that, I made up my mind tobeat it back to the plant to keep from goin' bugs watchin' them otherguys callin' theirselves mechanics, tinkerin' around them other busseswhen they didn't know their job. It's a darn wonder more of these fooldudes out here ain't been killed. 

"Somethin' must 'a' slipped up, because he come out late that afternooncussin' like the devil. He had one whale of a temper when he gotstarted, the boss did. He took me with him in the buss and we cruisedaround the country for a while. Every time he spotted a straightstretch of road without too many trees, he'd come down and look itover. Finally we found that straight stretch of road out by the golflinks at the country-club, an' that must 'a' suited him 'cause that wasthe only place we come to after that. He mounted that machine gun inthere on the plane, an' it was then I decided he was a-goin' to slipsomepin over on somebody. He didn't take me with him after that, buttwo or three times when he come into the field he'd swoop down on thatthere square target he made and put over in the corner and I'd hear theratti-tat-tat of that machine gun a-goin'. I ast him what was he goin'to do with it an' he said: 'We're a-goin' out one of these nights andkill a skunk. '

"The afternoon of the night we went out to the country-club he come outhere, kind of excited, but cool, if you know what I mean. You couldsee they was somethin' on his mind, but just the same he had his headwith him every minute. Get me? He told me, as soon as it begin to getdusk, to take the plane out to the country-club and land on the links, about a half a mile from the club house, an' when I got there to flashmy pocket lamp, until I see him light a cigarette on the club-houseporch. I done as he told me, an' he come out. He wasn't dressed in ajumper, but just had a cap an' a rain-coat over his clothes. He toldme to stay there, and after I started the engine, he streaked away. Heleft about eight o'clock and was back in fifteen minutes. He slippedme a fifty and told me to take the plane back an' to forgit 'at I'dbrought it out. I ast him had he killed his skunk an' he laughed an'said, 'I made him pretty sick anyway. ' I'd told the boys to have theflares out at the park as I was a-goin' to test the machine, so Ididn't have no trouble in landin'. "

He stopped and rolled a cigarette. 

"That's all you know, is it?" the coroner asked. 

"That's all I know, so help me Henry--but ain't it enough?"

He looked around at the three of us who had been listening intently tohis story. 

"I should say it is, " said Simpson. 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

I LISTEN TO MY FOREBEARS

Helen had come home. She preferred living with mother and myself, rather than opening up Jim's house, which she had been told belonged toher. Yes, her memory of past events was still gone, and each night Isat with her and repeated bits here and there of the experiences throughwhich she had lived. Every now and then a thought would come to her andshe would be able to fill in parts of the narrative, but this wasseldom. In a way, it was fortunate, for I was able to leave out all thesordid details of her past and give her only the recollections worthkeeping. As soon as she is quite strong, Doctor Forbes is going toreconstruct the tragedy for her, and he says he has every reason tobelieve that he will be successful in restoring her memory. In themeantime, she is entirely happy and content, and more beautiful thanever. 

Mary had not spoken to me for a month. Somehow we could not gettogether. I realized how hasty and peremptory I had been in commandingher not to go with Woods, and I tried in a thousand different ways tomake her realize that I was sorry. Whenever I found we were to beinvited to the same dance or supper party, I lay awake half the nightbefore, planning how I would approach her; what she would say and what Iwould say. It was a delightful game to play, because I always came outthe victor. I made her say and do just the things that would make areconciliation easy, but when we actually met, it was vastly different. 

We were both invited to the Rupert-Smiths' ball, and I made up my mindthat before the evening was over, I would be back in her good graces, onthe same old footing. As much as I hated being treated like a youngerbrother, it was far better than being treated like a stepchild. 

As soon as I saw her come into the ballroom, I hurried toward her, butat that moment the orchestra began a fox-trot and she whirled away inthe arms of young Davis, smiling into his face as though she adored him. Davis holds a girl so tightly that it is actually indecent, but sheseemed to enjoy it. 

I was by her side, almost before the music stopped, but she turned awaywithout looking in ray direction and, literally hanging on Davis' arm, made her way from the ballroom. 

I finally caught her alone while she was waiting for some yokel to gether a glass of punch. 

"Mary, may I have a dance?" I blurted out. 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Thompson, but my program is full, " she answeredsweetly--too sweetly. 

"But there aren't any programs, " I insisted. 

"Nor have I any dances left, " she countered. 

"Mary, I'm awfully sorry--"

"Oh! There you are, Mr. Steel, " she laughed over my shoulder, "I almostthought you had forgotten me. " I fled, leaving that ass, Steel, cooingthe most puerile rot about how he couldn't forget her and so forth. 

I called up Anne McClintock before the McClintock dinner and begged heras my guardian angel to put me next to Mary. She agreed on conditionthat she could put that Sterns woman, the parlor Bolshevic, on the otherside of me. I consented, and through the entire dinner, Mary talked toold Grandfather McClintock about the labor disputes although she doesn'tknow the difference between a strike-out and a lock-out. She actuallyseemed perfectly contented to shout into that old man's ear all evening, though I did everything to get her attention except spill my plate inher lap. Afterward I heard her telling that Sterns woman what acharming couple we'd make. I tried to call on Mary twice and both timesshe was out--to me. 

Finally people began to see that there was a serious difference betweenus and they avoided inviting us to small parties together, so that I sawher at only the largest, most formal and most stupid functions. 

I had told Helen one day that I would be late to dinner on account of animportant case. About three o'clock in the afternoon, however, I foundthat a certain book I needed was at the house, so I jumped into the carand went up after it. Mary's electric was out in front. For a moment Icontemplated flight, Mary so obviously disliked me, but being determinedthat no girl in the world could keep me from going where I pleased, Itrotted up the steps. 

The door opened just as I reached the porch, and disclosed Mary hastilysaying "Good-by" to Helen. The sight of her leaving, so as to avoidmeeting me, angered me and some piratical old forebear of mine came downfrom above or came up from below at that moment and perched on my rightshoulder. 

"Treat 'em rough!" he whispered. 

I hurried over to the door, walked in and slammed it after me. 

Helen laughed and said: "Warren, dear, aren't you getting noisy?"

"Helen, " I said, "will you please go into the other room?"

"Helen, stay here!" Mary ordered. 

"I shall do neither the one nor the other. I shall go up-stairs. " Sheturned to leave. 

"If you go, Helen, I'll go with you, " Mary announced. 

Another ancestral spook with dwarfed, hairy body and gorilla arms, climbed to my left shoulder, sat down on his hunkers and whispered in myear: "Treat 'em rough!"

"You're going to stay right here!" I commanded, grabbing her by thehand. 

"Let go of my hand!" Mary demanded. "I am _not_ going to stay here. "

The sight of her sweet indignant face made my heart jump to my throat. Helen laughed and went up-stairs. 

"Mary--" I began, my voice softening. 

My ancient forebears made wry faces at each other and hopped down frommy shoulders. 

"He's a fool!" announced the cave man. 

"I'll say he is, " answered the pirate. 

"I'm not going to stay here a minute longer. Will you please get out ofmy way?" Mary said coldly. 

"No, I won't!" I yelled. "I've had about enough of this, Mary. Youthink you can dangle me on the end of a string, like a damned jumping-jack, until you see fit to let me have a little rest. "

My guiding ancestors hopped back on my shoulders. 

"That's the stuff to give 'em!" yelled Hunkers. 

"Treat 'em rough!" shouted Captain Kidd. 

"You know I was right when I objected to your going with Frank Woods. It wasn't a friendly thing to do, after the way he messed up things inmy family. "

"Well, if you hadn't been so dictatorial--"

"Why shouldn't I be dictatorial?" I shouted, while my ancestors heldtheir sides with laughter, "and this being my house I'm going to talk asloud as I please. If the girl I love, as no man ever loved a girlbefore, tries to go out with a man I think is wholly unworthy of her, why shouldn't I object? I'll do it again. I want you and I'm to haveyou, if I've got to fight for you. Even if I have to fight _you_ foryou. "

Suddenly Mary buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook. 

"Don't cry, Mary! I know I've--"

"I'm not crying, I--I'm laughing, " she gurgled, dropping into a chair. "Bupps, you do look so funny when you get excited. "

I went over to her and made her make room for me on her chair, and thenI put my arms around her. 

"Mary, lover-darling, why did you go out with Frank Woods that day?"

"Why, Bupps, I was hunting the same proof that you were. I felt allalong that Frank was guilty. "

"I'm a brute!"

"You're a foolish boy, " she said, twisting one of my few locks of hair. 

She snuggled closer. 

"Dearest of dearests, when are you going to stop teasing me?" I asked. 

"Never, Buppkins!" she replied. "I just discovered that it brings outyour strong points. "

"Do you remember what you said when I tried to ask you to marry me?" Iwhispered. She shook her head. 

"You told me to wait until Helen was well. "

"You know, Bupps--the first thing I said to Helen this--this afternoonwas--"

"What?"

"'How--how well you're looking. '"

With her face so close to mine and those lovely lips smiling at me soinvitingly, there was only one thing to do, so I did it. 

"The kid's got the stuff in him after all, " said Hunkers. 

"I'll say he has, " agreed Captain Kidd. 

THE END