The Mystery Girl

into a chair, her round

r?le of dictator and with an accusing f

ou to say fo

stin, coolly, "except to in

I am only too glad to! And

oor gave a hint of her desperate intention and within f

ked sorrowfully at Anita. Something in the girl's face stayed the

se! What are you anyway?

up her hand as if to wa

ung her to a quickened sense of he

t me-won't you? I don't know wh

air and buried her

lty girl, of whom she really knew nothing, or should she dismiss her at once

e people she had known so long, and who loo

voice wavered as she saw the pathe

Where could I go? Even the

ho are you, anyway? But I don't care who you are-you mus

errand had trotted quickly to the offi

concluded to go there. Nor did this displease her. She longed to be in the lime

her coldly, for the

" Miss Bascom announced,

eper returned, "take a seat

g-room, secure in her knowledge

rdially for he saw at once t

nd unfavorable personal opinions, Liza Bascom told of the inciden

commented Cra

the queer part. We c

id she c

ws. She jus

he Adams

they

girl, y

ll with those sly things. I daresay she makes hers

know Doct

over to this house late S

vens! Are

w all over the ground, you know, and I saw her, all wr

w l

e upstairs and the lights w

her com

bout it at the time-she's

mean by a c

folks. She won't have anything

't make her

eaks to anybody at the table-and though she makes eyes at Gordon Lockwood, she snubs Mr. Tyler, who is just as

dventures

she's a thief-or how did she

or Waring gav

! Why should he give a s

s in love

bout to marry Mrs. Bates, a sweet, dear woman, of suitable age. Is he going to have

e of his life. Miss Bascom, he thought was an unsophisticated old maid, but there was certainly a

s whole matter quiet for a time. You must see that we can't work successfully

scotfree! I know you men! Just because she has a pair of big, dark eyes and a slim little shape you are ready to hide her guilt and let

talking about,

she asked the question, it was fairly evident

s name traduced, and next, if there's a girl implicated in the matter, the whole truth about her has got to come ou

ed the bewildered C

here-came over with Emily Bates and Pinky. Wouldn't condescend to be rea

thing to say of her! Whatever that girl may be she's

when Miss Austin was here?"

strange thing. When he first saw her-une

the meeting?

fterward he had never seen the girl before-but-o

said. "How could she get in,

Mrs. Peyton suggested, uncertainly. "Doc

own John Waring all my life, and he's not the kind of m

s and had spent a number of them in desperate efforts

rney Cray, who fancied that he knew men bette

Doctor Waring. That occurs tomorrow, and I want a day or so to look into this thing quietly. We would gain nothing by rushing matters. I will see Miss Austin, of course

and all that money, that is not incrimina

I forbid you to discuss the connection

e even added a hint of their making trouble for t

here Gordon Lockwood was go

mail brought letters, catalogues, circulars and newspapers that required careful attention. John Waring

tement of the Doctor's death. But others involved careful and wi

. The books that had been on the desk, including the blood-stained copy of Mart

had nerved himself to appropriate Waring's desk,

nd raised his impassive face to

e's a new way to look, which seems to promise to straighten out a lot of thin

slightly. Wh

e would suspect that his he

te Sunday night! What

it. For if she had been here I should have known about it. I was here myself, ju

com spinster te

erence to Miss Bascom, I know she is not

the girl coming over

e! What under the heavens

ith difficulty controlled an insane desire to spring at his throat. "And, beside,

t belie

I'm going over there now to inquire how she got them. Also, it just occurs to me that those small footprints leading across the

Nogi's fo

o you

over here for any reason she would have come

e the field. So I'm

aring, because I have a sharp, round penholder, and owe some large bills. Then, because a gossiping old maid come

ed in the sire

ean Miss Austin. That

ner but Lockwood's phlegmatic calm stood him now in good st

Adams house are one and all possessed to find out something against her. I only want to advise you, Cray, if

cerned," said Cray, drily, and Lockwood groun

ned to by Old Salt Adams, who had seen

he sitting room and shut the door. "I know what you're a

nd Miss Austin down here-also

now, by circumstantial evidence. You kn

to teach me my business. Ha

ife has, but she

a few moments Anita Au

experienced eye that the gi

or, and the scarlet lips were, even to his close scrutiny, also devoid of applied art. She wore

s mourning wear or not,

hort, showing thin silk sto

great dark eyes were full of wondering inquiry as she looked at t

, and he looked up quickly to find himself looking into a pair of

and secretly admonished himself t

g hand, he sat down opposite th

sed, for the first time in his l

rew longer, and her soft, cultu

vely small person that he s

meantime looking at him with eyes f

all he was worth for the pleasure of removing that lo

, but I must ask you som

le on her curved red lips, and, smoothing down her taffeta la

he felt that at his speech they would flutter in anx

, he plunged in more abru

u come from,

coming to her face, as if she thought the

ddress

Sixty-seve

e one else th

ived at both a

g. After all, Cray thought

g past history, a

or Waring's house

d, looking thoughtful. "I

in the evening-to see Doc

ed quietly, but a small red sp

w well do you-did y

l. I never saw him in my life

e sure

why, yes-that is,

me back to this house in possession of Doctor W

ay, I didn't do

in your possession

of bills that Miss Bascom pu

om put in

hat I'm not a burglar-or a bandit or a sneak thief? You know I never went in to Doctor Waring's study and took those things! So,