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y Anna McClure Sholl Copyright by W. O. OlUMUB wnu iw iim . C5=a==aB:==a=a=s==ss=?s=5* CHAPTER IX? Continued . _ ? -?*?' Too talk as if the establishment ?01? Set6 wouI^1,,t ??l anybody epy log. The psychologist in him waa up permost now, obliterating even his sense of danger In the effort to track down the curious states of mind of Gordon Haskell and hJa confederate. ??And when I find an old Christmas tree ft I1*- atand carefully preserved be hind a locked door, I know that fear la back of Its being there. Too were afraid to burn it I Somebody might be looking on, end you were afraid they would see In your face that this tree la *a horrible tree ? a tree of death.' Oh, a murderer Is always see ing trifles as huge signposts. The uni verse Is one great eye, and the eye is on him. You bring it down with Its flag on ? because you don't dare not to notice it when Jerry Is with you. If you're careless toward that tree? if you leave it up here, Its very look will tell some passerby there's something wrong with It." , Balder grunted. "You know a lot? you dor *Yes ? I know that undiscovered murderers can poison the very air about them. The Infection of small pox would be tight In comparison, peo ple weren't afraid of those figures. They were afraid of what they stood for? horror and a strange, hidden kill, ing, and a wrecking of all the Joy and innocence of life." ??Ya.ahl You've talked too much I Tou I never talk again 1" He rose alowly; then, with a spring like a jun gle beast, he leaped for his prey. Wil ton had already calculated that he had but one chance for life?to face his foe, neve*- taking his eyes from him. and, when he sprang, to dodge him with the hundredth chance of him self hurling Balder Into the whirlpool. As the huge creature Jumped, Wilton dodged. Balder had over-calculated the width of the ledge and landed on its extreme Ice-covered edges. He slipped, and for a fraction of time per formed a strange, wild plroutte, his long arms like the huge wings of a sawmill in motion. Then, with a shriek that echoed and re-echoed between ' the black walls of the gorge, he plunged into the whirl. His great body was swung around, and around lllie a cork for a moment, then disappeared, snouts at the same moment ..?everber ated above the roar of the fall "Wilton I Wilton I" ?" ^ VJ Wilton had suddenly sunk down on the rock, feeling faint, not really sure that Balder had been gulped down the black, icy throat of the whirl. He turned his head and saw Arthur and Jerry hurrying up. "Thank God, we're not too late." mt! T?? ,ater he P?,nted to the whirl. He s gone? there's no getting him out of there nowl" "You don't want him out, do you?" "He sprang at me ? he meant ? to throw me In." "That's plain enough. We saw It ail! We came up like mad? nearly fell In ourselves once.* / here?"* 0n earth ?ld yP" track trfe* up "You dropped this," he held out the J ^u by five minutes. This bit of paper was lying near the gate Looked to me like Berenice* handwriting? and I couldn't help but read It I went in and asked Jerry If you had gone to the whirl, because it seemed strange to n>e I Berenice Is sick In bed with a cold." Tj"The...?hlrn' 1 SQy8'H brok? Jerry. No man In his senses would go up that ravine In dead of wlnter it s known to be dangerous.' " " 4A man in love might,' I told Jerry, but as It happens Mlss< Bracebridee couldn't keep this appointment, If it's a genuine one." "I knowed it wasn't when I read the bit of paper. It had a Queer, fishy look to me. I says to your friend, 'Miss Berenice never wrote this note.'" ||Who did, then?" Wilton broke In. I asked that same question," said Arthur. "Jerry wanted to know if I nad seen Balder anywhere, and then we both agreed that, wftWer wrote the note, only Balder could keep an ap pointment at the whirl. Haskell has never been up the ravine since the j!2J! ?Cn,dr'ftn WGr? downed there, Jerry tells me. We decided at ?no* to come to the mouth of the gorge 'ook 'or footprints, we both felt th?r* # .ad deco*Gd ' you up there with a fake dote. It was fn* Milling short of murder. We found S?r^r,nt!i at. onc#~*Ila,der's huge foot ?2# ??.- ?J?-1* *neS knew ware^ yours. Then we hbrrted like Wilton grasped their hands. "Ood bless you I ( made him know 1 knew "*4 ""'?o ttt$ two companions gasped "? nnvo, denied the charge. There's his weapon l" He pointed to the tree Arthur gased in horror at it ** ^.i'^ys kwm "omethln* was wrong," Jerry muttered. "Be struck me first with the base? ?JJinat the shoulder: bfit l slipped on the tee and the blow glanced off ?-?_*? i**""1* ?">?>?> hi >h. "'?""it out ?gainst those Innocents gjjl Jrtrtngth to shove them <*veH Well he ha? paid. The man? back n? Balder?hasn't pgfd." Jer ty took a step toward Arthur. \ 'j/'1 "? ^ ? His kindly faes was stern and solemn. -Is Ms na tile? Gordon Haskelir : . . r "Who else? unleea Balder Ucd? He told me." kJu 0-v'- ' r ?*, "Coma straight back to the farm, Jerry commanded, cutting him short "We're got to talk, t And we cant talk against this fall. No use lookln' there," be added as Wilton glanced fearfully down at the whirl. "They never come up under twelve or eight een hours?he can swing around and around Until mornln*. I'm the sheriff of this lonesome county, and ths cor* oner of this neglected township, and ru take down your deposition by a. hot Ore. , , . Balder," he added sol* -eranly, "You Jumped too far and too fast** It was twilight When thSy reached the farm. Jerry made some steaming coffee, and over a red-hot stove, Wil ton told the whole story from his first suspicions of HaSkell to the conversa tion with Balder above the whirl. "Now," he concluded, "Is there the slightest chance of bringing this man to Justice-?" Jerry, rocking In his chair, the big gray cat on his lap, pondered the ques tion. "No, there ain't I" he answered at last "Not the ghost of a shadow. First place, he's probably? Just what Balder says? an evader. He waa an gry with those children; he wanted power, money." "Great Caesar I" Wilton ejaculated suddenly. "Arthur, do you remember what I told you about the diary; and the sums of money stolen ? and Doctor Bracebrldge suspecting Balder?" "Why, yes ? " "Suppose It was not Balder after all ? Haskell was the doctor's secretary, had constant access to the desk In the library, where money had to be kept for the servants' pay and other ex penses." "What's this ? what's this about a diary?" Jerry asked. Wilton related what Berenice had requested him to do, and of his read He Plunged Into the Whirl. Ing of her father's Journal. "And the thief was never found," he added; Jerry was looking from one to the other In astonishment "Things come risln' up In my memory-? things I'd clean forgot; X heard about them rob beries at the time. 1 remember now? an Incident just before the accident? murder, we'll call It." "And what was this Incident?" Ar thur asked. "I was down with a load of apples to the academy. Little Norman was In the kitchen, and 1 remember sayln' to him, 'Caught the thief yet?' He an* swered up right bright and. smart, *1 caught him red-banded this mornln'. We'll have fun with him now. We're goln' to keep him on the rack a bit, before we tell I' Then he laughed and ran off. I Bays to the servant, 'la It true Norman's caught the thief?* She laughed and said she guessed Norman was strlngln' me. Haskell was passln* the kitchen entrance, and I says to him 'Norman says he caught the thief red-handed.' 1 remember he gave me an awiul stare. 'He's a little liar,' he says, his fnce queer and white. The girl she looked after him and laughed. 'He hates 'em. He'd like to kill 'em all four of 'em I"* A profound silence followed thts reminiscence? then Wilton spoke. "Do you think he ? did this awful crime be* cause he was afraid, saw his finish when Norman found him? If he did find htm ? with his hand on the money till? Even so, the child might have been very much mistaken as to the meaning of the Incident Doctor Brae* bridge probably sent Haskell ae his secretary many times to unlock the money drawer In the desk. We can't say certainly that Haskell was ths thief and had four children killed to protect himself.** "No more than we can prove," Ar thur Interposal, "that Balder nun. mltted the murder at the Instigation of Haskell ? and not for his own ter rible satisfaction." ' TO Bit OONTtNUWD. PlrtUu Cookers Not New Pits which had been used aa fire Ass cookers some 25,000 years ago by the Ihhabltantir of what Is now Art* r.ona were uncovered by an expedition from the University of Arlnona. They were five feet deep and the same In diameter. Kvldehtly a fire was built In the bottom of the pit and after It died down hot rocks were placed on the bottom4 A layer of greens came next followed by the food to be cooked with a final layer of greens for ? covering. .? By CHERIE NICHOLAS BV WAY of keeping properly in formed as to the high-spots which loom on fashion's horixon, let's talk about lace. It Is not only that the fu ture of lace looks wonderfully bright and promising but lace in the scheme of styles-current is playing a most out standing role. ?? ' Lace in an endless variety of new and unusual weaves and textures Is being used in ways we would not have dreamed of a generation ago?not only for dresses and negligees, which be speak romance and leisure and pret tily: feminine wiles, but for tailored suits and blouses and various apparel for the more practical hours, lace reg isters as dependably wearable and chic, Then, too, one of the most fas cinating chapters being written into the story of fashions present and com ing has to do with shoes, handbags and gloves which are Ingeniously styled of lace, ' It goes without saying, that In this emphasis given to lace for every oc casion there needs must be a right lace for the right {line and place, as we now have laces at our disposal as filmy and fragile as cobwebs, laces as sturdy and wearable as tweeds, and in tune with the trend to elegance comes along this season rich and lus trous laces shot with gold apd silver or sparkling with glitter of sequin em bellishment Lace blouses are particularly high lighted" In the present mode. We ar? picturing three which will add varietJT and interest to the winter velvet or cloth suit, making It ap propriate for any more or less Informal occa sion. The lines are as smart and new as the, laces which fashion them. To the left In the sroup we have a trig little blouse, smart, tai lored and youthful. In teresting, too, because of the very new fabric like lace ? gold snot metal sephyr lace knit ? and It comes In a wide choice of colors such as candy beige, clay rust, Chinese coral and mahogany brown. The lace blouse with the polka dot pattern gives Just the right accent when you don't care to look too tai lored. Soft, feminine and quite new in line and medium Is this woolette lace blouse. If you want a blouse to dress up your suit for an afternoon bridge or a matinee or three o'clock muslcale, here's the very thing centered in the picture ? a fine Alejicon lace In a thoroughly wearable style. The new lace tunica are wonderfully good looking* Whether Id the modish dark colored laces, wine, hunter's green, rust brown or in the delectable Ice blue, . bluBh pink or pale cham pagne tints, these knee-length blouses are fascinating. Wear them over a velvet or crepe skirt or that which Is the last word in chic? ? sheer skirt knife pleated all around, for. evening. ' It you want to be assured of al ways looking beautifully gowned dur ing the formal after-flve hours enrich your wardrobe to the extent of one exquisite black lace goWj& The HI my Ctiantllly black laces are competing with the heavier, grandiose Spanish types at present. To varjf the appear ance of the black ^ace <fte?* of your choice have It made with a' neckline which lends Itself to ,jew<fetfed clips. 8186' to the wearing of ftirtw&rs across the front peckllbe. ? WMtwti Newspaper (Jnloa. :b>. .?Vr- v < "BLANKET" COAT fty CHBRIK NldtOl.AA Heres the latent imiiK m the way of a sport* and practical daytltae coat fichlaparelll make* this daubing mode) of a brilliant red, greeh And blue plaid blanket wool. It IS ahown here worn over a dark blue orie<pl&e wool dree*. The flaring linen am very new. -tr- it- - i' "'V i, "fi' C?p?? Curry On ' Obviously the small round cape Is carrying over for spring, llardly a day model la shown without one, and the little evening cape la practically In evitable. Ribow or waist-length is the sire of them. ' ? NET IS FAVORITE AS WINTER FABRIC , -? ' "? vi Fashion designers are well aware that many women aren't satisfied un less they are wearing furs In summer and filmy garments In snowstorms. So for winter evenings, they are recom mending the most transparent of fab Hcs. net, The most arresting model seen In al representative collection. Is designed along shirtwaist lines and has silver cross bars to decorate the net. A turnover collar with ruffled edge, short sleeves with rufTled cuffs and a skirt which bunches Its buoyancy at either side, are noteworthy features of the mode. A square dotted mesh Is the most old-fashioned of all the netted themes to appear this season. An overblouse of this quaint stuff Is recommended to cover a simple but julte formal black crepe evening gown. New p iiee Treatment It been in Late Collection* The bloused silhouette has been gradually growing to Importance and gives promise of coming through to an Important Way. Leiong and Molyneux both showed the bOdlce that Is bloused st the back. Collections prepared for resort w?er are playing np?the bloused bodies, In sll'ioiind and Just-at-the~back treat* tnents; the resort group* suggest It In sportsy versions, which will doubt less have much to do with Its ac csptance. Shlrrlngs snd smocklngs ars Important In gaining the blonsed line, introduced In yokCs and sections, the ?mocklngs not to be confnsed with tha peasant blouse type. Dainty Foolwt** If rolladjr Intends 'driving her car to the party when she Is wosrlng delicate slipper*, she would be wise to wear an Old pair of slipper* and change In Hie cit before going In to the party, 7; An unexpected smudge of oil or freaiM could rain the whole aftsrnooft. dust MISLEADING MELODY x - . ??> f - " i ? - - - ??You can learn a great deal from old songs," Remarked the light-heart ed statesman. - *T?hey may be misleading," an swered Senator Sorghum. "Wbt>n posterity revives *We Have No Ba nanas' a large number of persons may be led to Infer that with all our crop failures the most we have had a contend with was a scarcity of tropical fruit." ? Washington Star. Promising Mr. and Mrs. Penley were honest, hard-worklug farmer folks. By self denial they had managed to send their son to Harvard. One day a letter arrived. "I know you will be pleased," wrote the son, "to learn that I have won the squash cham pionship." "Well, well!" beamed Father Pen ley. "We'll make a fanner out of that boy yet, mother." Why tho Old On* It Comfy "What would your wife say if yon bought n new car?" "'Look out for that traffic light 1 Be careful now I Don't hit that truck 1 Why don't you watch where you're going? Will you never learn?" And a lot more like that," ? Boston Evening Transcript. She Wti Willing Curate (admiring a bowl of bulbs) . ? How lovely to think It will soon be opening time, Mrs. Bird. Mrs. Blnks ? Well, now, and who ever would have thought of you say in' a thing like that ! But I'm game to pop out for a quick one If you feel like It. ? London Tit-Bits. Buay Caller ? I would like to see the Judge, please. Secretary ? I'm sorry, sir, but he Is at dinner. Caller ? But, my man, my errand is important. Secretary ? It can't be helped, sir. His Honor- is at steak.? Pearson's Magazine. SHE KNEW "It eoBts me $40 a month Just to keep my hair In shape." "Yes ? petting musses one's hair terribly." Caie of Nccanltjr "What was the Inspiration for your success?" the rich man was asked. "Well, frankly," he grinned, "It was the meals my wife cooked when we were first married. I renll7/ed right off I'd have to earn enough to hire a cook If I didn't wnnt to die of indigestion." Lofty Anumptloni "You have been getting some bad advice in business." I "I have," answered Mr. Dustln Btax, "I had a highbrow group of advisers. But highbrows are always suspected of high-hat inclinations. Instead of a brain truKt I got merely a brain crust" Youthful Assumption "How 14 your soi^ getting' on in his ??w position*/" ITir^t rate," answered Farmer Oorntossel. "He knows more about the business now than the boss does. All he has to do Is convince the bow." M'-1 \ ?. * j Did Ho Get the Job 7 Kmployer ? Personal appearance is a helpful factor In business success. Wmployee ? Yes, and business suc ceSfc.li h helpful factor In personal appearance. . y . . GET SMARTNESS IN SJATIN frROCK jPATTEAN *029 Probably about now you have de cided that you Just must have a satin frock. You're right! And here la the model you have been seeking la which to make It It la a dress you can wear afternoon or evening, and always look smart The Jabot Is not Just an ordinary Jabot but some thing cut Jn one with the yoke and Joined In the bodlc* on new ana very chic principles. The sleeves, too, do things differently, and whll* there Is nothing different about tho pleats at the bottom of the skirt, front and back, they afford graceful movement for the slim panels. Pattern 2020 is available in sizes 16, 38, 20, 34, 86, 38, 40, 42, 44 and 46. Size 36 takes 4% yards 39 Inch fabric. Illustrated Btep-by-step sew ing Instructions Included. Send FIFTEEN CENTS (15c) In coins or stamps (coins preferred) for this patteru. Write plainly name, address and style number. BE SUREJ TO STATE SIZE. Address orders to Sewing Chrcl# Pattern Department, 243 West Sev enteenth Street, New York City. SHREWD POLITICIAN "What la the secret of your repu tation as a great leader?" "My skill In guessing what wai sure to occur, and then loudly advo cating It." ? Washington Star. Woof! Woof I "This 1b a retail store, isn't It," asked the old lady. "Certainly, madam," said the clerk. "Well," snld she, "some friend* gave my grandson this pnp, and It has had Its tall cut oft and I want It retailed, plense." Defined Wee Hetty ? Mother, I feel ?o 'cited ! Mother ? Excited, dear? I don't think you know what excited means. Wee Betty ? Why, it's being In a hurry all over. Couldn't Blame Him Blinks ? It always surprises me t? see a big, strong fellow like you shudder every time there Is a peal of thunder. Jinks? It always reminds me of what I get at home. If Only Our Fir?t Mother Had Mother ? \Vhy did you strike your little sister? Bobby ? Well, we were playing Ail am and Eve, and Instead of tempt* ing mo with the apple Bhe ate M herself. The Answer to That On* "Were you ever kissed?" the *14 maid was asked. "Well, If I should die tomorrow H would not bf! from curiosity," ?he re plied.? Cincinnati Enquirer. So It Goei Barney ? Did the doctor cureKellj of Insomnln? Tim ? He did. Now Kelly can** Bleep nights wondering how he's ffl Ing to pay the doctor 1