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w J ’^2 FOURTH INSTALLMENT <• WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE ' .Simou Judd, amateur detective, and WUltam Dart, an undertaker, are viahinf Jokn^ Drane, eccentric man of wealth, at the Drane place. Suddenly the household is shocked to find that John Drane has been murdered. The dead man is first seen by Joste, the maid, then by Amy Drane and SMnjtm Judd. The latter faints. Police oflRcers call and investigations begin. Dr. Blessington is called, and after seeing the murdered John Drane, makes the astounding revelation to Amy Drane that her “uncle” is not a man but a woman. NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY The announcement of Dr. Bless ington that the body of the mur dered person above stairs was the body of a woman and not of a man did not shock Amy Drane-as much as cause her amazement. The shock had come when she faced the blood stained bodjP of her sup posed uncle John and her mind was still so dulled by that shock that she did not immediately grasp what the doctor was telling her. “A woman? Uncle John was a woman?” she repeated gropingly. “But that—that couldn’t be, you know. Why, he’s always been a man. I don’t know what you mean, doctor.” ■’ "The murdered person in the bed upstairs there,” the doctor said, “is —or was—a woman. I am merely stating the fact. I vthought you should know it inimediately afc you are, I understand, the only relative here.” “I don’t understand it,” Amy said. “Why, it’s dreadful, isn’t it! Oh, it is horrible! It’s like some fright ful .nightmare! It doesn’t seem as if it could be true, any of it.” “It is only too true,” the doctor said. He looked at the girl with keen professional eyes. “You don’t 'feel that this is too much for you? The shock and the strain must be considerable, but you seem a nor mal sort of person. What I mean exactly is that if you feel too ner vous over this I can give you a sim ple bromide until our nerves re cover from the shock.” “No, thank you,” she said. “I think I’ll be all right.” "Are you going to be here awhile?” he asked Simon Judd. “I suppose you will,” he added with a slight smile, “considering the cir cumstances and that the police will have to be finding a murderer. Just keep an eye on this young lady, will you? I’ll leave my card; it has my telephone number. If she seems to be about to flop just send for me. Not,” he added, "that I think you’ll have to. Have you any one, by the way," he asked Amy, “who could stay here with you a few days? I’d suggest that you go elsewhere, but I have a notion the police will want you here, until they’ve done some questioning, at least.” “I’m not afraid to stay here, I think," Amy said. “No; Mr. Judd will be here; 1*11 not be afraid. 1*11 have Mr. Carter stay here during the days.” “That’s Bob Carter?” the doctor asked. “Yes. He’s—we’re great friends. I expect him to come this morn ing.” "’You’ve not had breakfast yet?” 1 “No; I was waiting for it when -^when I heard Josie the maid scream.” “Well, my prescription for you is that you go in now and eat a good breakfast That will help you more than anything I could give you. And as for the things to be attended to in such cases as this, ou may leave them to me. What s your name?” he asked Simon Judd, and Judd told him. “Mr. Judd, I’m sure will act for you as far as necessary. There can be no funeral,” he added, to Simon Judd, “until the law has gone through its, formalities. However, if I might just speak to you a moment or two.” Amy, as she had been advised, entered the house to try to eat a breakfast, and Dr. Blessington led Simon Judd to the far end of the veranda. ’The funeral arrangements can all he attended to later,” he said; “It was not that I wanted to speak about. As soon as possible I will gelaprQMr.dcatkcenifjcate, an<U suppose William Dart is the man Miss Drane will want to have. He is an old' friend of Drane’s—-of the dead person; one of the few close friends the dead man—woman— had, I think.” “Hold on, now!” Simon Judd said. “Wait a minute now! Is that the little feller with the beard that was here yesterday?” “I don’t know that he was here—” “Dart—William Dart—that’s the name. Old feller about seventv years old or so, ain’t he? All dressed in black. That the fnan?” [ “You have described him.” ‘Well, black my cats!”^ Simon_ Judd exclaimed. “I was tryin’ to think what that feller looked like, antFall I could think of was under taker. And he is one, is he? Well, now, maybe we won’t want him after all I don't know but what maybe he’s mixed up in this some way, doc. I don’t want to keep trade away from any friend of John’s—or whoever it is up there ^—but you might give me the name of another funeral man while you’re about it.” “Later, if necessary,” the doctor said. ‘There will be ample time. What I wanted to urge was that you keep your eye on this girl. I don’t W’ant to alarm you needlessly but until we know more about this affair it is best to try to be safe. What I mean is that we don’t know yet that this murder is not the work of a maniac; perhaps a maniac here in this house. Jf one mnrder has been done another may be attemp ted, you see? Probably there is nothing in the idea, but keep an eye on Miss Drane. Don’t let her be another victim, Judd.” “I’ll look out for her the best I can, doc,” Simon Judd said, “and you can bet on that. She’s a nice kid, this Amy is, But how about it being a murder all so sure? You of house in front—fluted pillars, approximately six feet in diameter supporting the third floor mansard projection—” *' •- ‘ His brain registered physical ob jects in this way, a result of his innumerable appearances on the witness stand against criminals he had tracked downri A silver watch was never a silver iwatch to Bren nan—it was “one white metal watch, ( hunting case No. 1,249,563, fourteen jewel movement No. 985,- 003.” For % Brennan no one ever lived at seven hundred and sixty- five South Street but at “severi six five South Street.” For Brennan no ohe ever stood on the corner of Elm Street and Grand Avenue; he stood “on South-west corner of intersecrion of Elm Street and Grand Avenue.” For Brennan gold was “yellow metal” and brass was “yellow , metal;” it was not for Brennan to decide whiqh w’as which. Not on the witness stand. In no respect, except that he re sembled thousands of detectives. l talk like you knew it wasn’t a suicide.” “It was no suicide,” said^he doc tor positively. “There are good reasons for knowing it was. not. The blow that drove the knife into the heart was a far more powerful blow than that old woman could have struck; death was so instanta neous that a suicide could not have withdrawn the knife from the wound; and, finally, there was no knife in the room. It was murder no doubt about that, sir!” "Ain’t that a shame, now!” Simon Judd exclaimed. “When this man Brennen comes,** the doctor continued, “you can tell him I wifi be back in an hour or so—I have a call I must make now. You had better get some breakfast yourself; you’re apt to have a long and hard day.” Dr. Blessington turned away, but Simon Judd called him back. “What I don’t get. doc,” he said, “is how you didnt know this was a woman all the while. You’re the family doctor, ain’t you?” ‘That’* rather peculiar, too,” he said, frowning a little. “I am the family doctor here; I have a larger bill here each month than with any house in Westcote; I’m called here again and again. But I’ve never been asked to so much as feel John Drane’s pulse or look at his tongue! The man—or woman—has never been sick, or if she has she never called me. The servants have had all my attention, and plenty of it, too.” “That colored man sure^has a bad cough,” said Simon Judd. “They’re all sick,” said Dr. Blessington. “I never knew such a household of sick help. It’s as bad as a hospital; I dont see how a person can bear to have so much sickness around. But John Drane —or this w'oman who pretended to be John Drane—^has certainly been good to them. I’ve never known her to discharge a servant for ill heaftl i ;she^8had“ meliete "TWEHty” times a month. A good woman, even if she did-choose to masque rade as a man.” “Well, I’ve read of such doin’s before,” Simon Judd said philoso phically "and I don’t know that I blame some of ’em for wantin’ to wear man clothes and let on they’re men. Sort of queer, though, some how.” “It Is queer” said the doctor. “It is Apt to be queerer than, we ima gine.” Dick Brennan, the detective ar rived by that universal vehicle, the taxicab, while Amy Drane and Simon Judd were at breakfast As he turned from the cab, after hav ing slammed the door, he cast his eye over the Drane house, regis tering certain salient features: “Three story, mansard-roofed housd ■ ■painted white—veranda full width did Dick Brennan resemble a de tective. He resembled no one in * particular except himself; you were apt to say to yourself when you saw him "I know that man!” and then, immediately, “No, I’m wrong—3 know someone who looks quite a little like that man.” You say this of people resembling the clerk, who waits on you in a grocery, or of people resembling the clerk who waits on you in the grocery. Dick Brenran’s face w^s so like thou sands of other faces that it was hard to remember. Not infrequent ly this was of value to him in his work. A man who so nearly re sembled many other men could easily make himself look unlike himself. X Dick Brennan was forty- two, but he looked not over thirty. For twenty years he had been picking up criminals. He had never “studied" crime, but the ways and habits of criminals had soaked into him; an understanding of their, probable actions and reactions had become instinctive in him; this was one reason why he was so valuable; another reason was that he had a brain that was able to recognize the times when a criminal was not act ing according to rule. 'He could think when he had to. Brennan was not particularly annoyed because he had been put on this case on a Sunday morning. He had planned to see a football 'game that afternoon but his inten tion had been to pick up a couple of pickpockets there, if they were still working the football crowds, and a murder was apt to be more interesting. He followed the cir cular drive to the veranda, glancing past the house toward the back where the drive curved farthest and ^ when he had mounted to the veranda he rang the bell. Norbert, the colored houseman, came to the door. “I’m the detective assigned to this case.” he said without flourish^ •The body upstairs or downstairs?” — “Upstairs, sir; yes sir,” Norbert assured him. “Two cops up there; you can go right-on up. Should I take your hat/sir? No; you goin* take it with you. Right up these stairs. Yes sir!” At the head of the stairs one of the officers greeted him with a “Hello, Dickr and Brennan re plied ' ; Hello, Joe!” “Mean piece of business this is, Dick,” the officer said. “Stabbing, is it? What was that about it being an old lady?” Cootmned Next Week To Iron Soft Collars Iron men’s soft collars on a Turk ish towel folded four times and the collar will be smoother and shine like apw when MAI GEN. ALLEN LEADS VETERANS SWPlMif . Accepts Pott at Hoad of ex* . Soldiers’ Bureau in Smith Campaign. t Major General Hepry T. Allen, Obui- mending General of the Ameiieam Army of Occupation in Germany and a popular national military figure, is directing the activities of the Veter ans’ Bureaa of the Democratic Na tional Committee. Major General Al len agreed to head the bureau follow ing a talk with Chairman John J. Raa* kob. “I know the soldiers would have a very good friend in Governor Smith,” said General Allen. “Moreover, f ‘think Governor Smith appeals to them in a very striking manner by reason of his personality and record. 1 feel that the soldiers haven’t had a very large say in the affairs of the country as compared with what they ordinar ily have had after every great war, but, of course, it would be impossible to keep down all the husky mqu who were organized during the gre&t war and they will be heard from during the coming years.” “The Veteran’s Bureau is a division of the campaign which is of very great importance,” Chairman Raskob said in announcing the appointment “The veterans are entitled to know all about the candidate, what he stands for, and the policies of the party, and we are keenly anxious to have an opportu nity of telling the veterans what we know about Governor Smith’s record and character.” Major General Allen served as Com manding General of the Army of Occu pation in Germany tor three and one- half years. He was later advisor to the American Ambassador to Great Britain at the conference of Ambassa dors in Paris during the Harding ad ministration. After a distinguished military career General Allen was promoted to Major General just before the United States entered the World War and organized the Ninetieth Division, which he led in the major offensives at St. Mihiel and the Argonne-Meuse. As Comman der of the Army of Occupation he was a member of the Inter-Allied Rhine High Commission. FARM HEAD DEFENDS BOIT TO GOV. SMITH Peek Tells Gov. Hamill Demo cratic Party’s Pledge Is Ample. The Democratic party endorsed the equalization fee in principle in the Houstpn platform, George N. Peek, of Moline, 111., the chairman of the Com mittee of Twenty-two of the North Central States- Agricultural Confer ence, declared in a letter to Governor Johj Hamill of Iowa. Mr. Peek challenged Governor Ham- ni to call another conference of Gov ernors of the states represented In the North Central States Agricultural Con ference to sit in judgment upon his action in declaring his support of Governor Smith. The letter was in reply to one*from Governor Hamill to Mr. Peek in which the Iowa Governor accused him of having gone beyond the power vested in the Committee of Twenty-two in bolting the Republican Party. Governor Hamill In his letter to Mr. Peek said farm relief legislation had been blocked by “politics.” Mr v Peek in his letter to Governor Hamill as serted the legislation was blocked by an “unsympathetic” President, with the approval of Mr. Hoover and Sec retary of ^he Treasury Mellon. * “You say that the Democratic party failed to endorse the equalization fee,” wrote Mr. Peek. “To be sure, it did not by name endorse the equali zation fee or the ^cNary-Haugen bill, but it very definitely endorsed the principle of the equalization fee when It said: ‘We pledge the party to an earnest endeavor to solve this prob lem of the distribution of the cost of dealing with crop surpluses over the marketeer unlts bT fhe crop whose pro ducers are benefited by such assist ance. The solution of this problem would avoid government subsidy to which the Democratic party always has been opposed and will be a prime and immediate concern of a Demo cratic administration/ ‘These principles have formed the basis of farm relief that twice passed Congress in legislation, that would have furnished the opportunity for the farmers to get the benefit from tariffs on crops of which we export a sur plus—legislation that was passed only to meet twice with the veto of an un sympathetic President who never ad vanced a constructive proposal him self addressing the proMem. And this In the face of the platform pledges of his party upon which he was sleeted *to take whatever steps are necessary to bring about a balanced condition between agriculture. Industry and labor.’ ” ’wx/.v.t':. vjcurgc n. Harvey, form er Ambassador Great Britain, and. famous as the maker of two presidents, haring had a prominent jn th$ selection of both Wtison and Harding as candidates, died jf a heart attack at Dublin. N H Summerton, Aug. 26^—The _ ing incident would fit admtnsfctr the “Believe It or Not” cohzmn* 1 McCloud, a negro farmer near 2 merton, made complaint several < ego that the squirrels from J. F. son’s woods enjoining his field destroying his cotton bolls, considered a huge joke until Mr. son with other reliable men visited spot and saw proof of the The little creatures had eaten an and other bolls they had stored email piles for future use. > COTTON! CHAS. G. HOUSTON COTTON! COTTON FACTOR _ AUGUSTA* GA. WISDOM! COMMON SEN SB! ARE YOU GOING TO USE EITHER? The old method of each person selling their own cotton by getting buyers to make a bid, and then just taking the “Highest Pktce,” is as bad business. For the simple reason the “Highest Bid” may be dollars under the market value. How many people can grade cotton? There are 26 different grades the money difference between them is great. The present age specialists and having been in this business all of my hfe, besides' a competent organization, I can assure you each bale sent to me will be ed in such a manner you will get its FULL VALUE—and not juat tfcw “highest bid.” Liberal advances at any time. $1.00 covers t^e expense of selling bale and if you hold your cotton, only 50c per bale per month ia whifch covers everything. A SUCCESSFUL SIX NOW WINNING EVEN GREATER SUCCESS imBCMEiD in Color ** Enhanced in Style and Offering Even ^Greater Performance • / Beautiful as Pontiac Six hat been in the past— great as its performance has proved— —today’s Pontiac Six is even more beaurifuly even more thrilling than ever to drive! To the beauty and rtyle of bodies by Fisher, Oakland has add A the swagger touch of smaller, smarter wheels and larger tires. Mechanical advancements result in greater speed and power. 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