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VU rnCeN Lvei9ier. %~~'OLU ME~ X X X V. L A U R E N S , SO U T J-I C A W L N , W D E A Y JU E 9 1 20N M B R 4 1&Willi~ ( Johns (Continued from Last Week.) As re n to mily own aprtineiit upstairs, nenring the top of the short flight of steps between the floors I was astounded to see a female figure flitting across the hail and entering the Bradford apartment. Though I had opportunity for only a brief glimpse. I recogn:zed her at once. It was Claire Bradford. The door of my apartment was standing wide open. I renembered that as I iad run downstairs a few mo ments ago, I had neglected to close it after me. From the direction in which she had come. It was plain that Claire Bradford had been paying nn other surreptitious visit to miy (uar ters. What coul haave heen her pur pose? There must have been some strong impelling motive to make her dare the perilous Journey along the window ledge. and now, at the iml minent risk of discovery, to pay me a second visit. I began seriously to doubt whether the explanation shle had offered me was the true one. I was beginning to feel that there was more than a possibility that she was again In the clutches of the unscrupulous rascal who had once been her hus band. Greatly puzzled, I made a hasty sur vey of the apartment, but could find nothing that appeared to have been disturbed. Going back to my own room I hastened to place a handkerchief out of my window as a signal to Barbara, for I knew she would 1e anxious to know the meaning of the sounds we had heard below. In a very few mo ments I heard the tap of her riding crop on my sill and hurried to answer. "What was It?" she asked In an excited whisper. "Daisy Lutan, an actress, who lived on the floor below, has been murdered -shot." "Who did It?" "I don't know. Mr. Wick and I went into the apartment together. There was no one there." "Ilow terrible I" she exclaimed. "It is, indeed," I answered, "but it J may help us." "What "do you menn?" "With the police in the house mak ing Investigations, there'll be no more threats from the blackmailers for a while. They won't dare bother you for the present." "Do you really think so?" she ques tioned with a little sigh of relief. "Im sure of it." "Have. the pollee been called in?" "Yes; two detectives are downstairs now." "I'm glnd," she said. "With the de tectives here, they won't dare molest us, will they?" "Of course not," I answered. "Is your sister at homeir?" "Yes," she aanswered. "Our guests have just gone. Mother has retired, and Claire is in the living room writ lag a note. They0~ heard nothing, so I (lid not t('ll t hem anything about it." "That was wise. Thiey'll hear it soon enough. Hlas your sister been in tho apartment all evening?" "She hasn't been out all day unless she went out just to drop thme letter she was writing dlown the mail chuto In the hall. Why (10 you ask ?" "I was merely wondering if there was any way she could learn of tho mnurder." "flow could she? Isn't that too ter rible about Miss Lutan? hiut I mustn't talk any longer. Good night." "Wait a moment," I cried. "There are seome things I must discuss with you before I meet Gorman. Ilow about meeting me at the Astor at eleven?" ,"I can'.t promise, but I'll try. Good tiight I" There was nothing further that I could~ do, and I felt sadhly in need of "rest. Throwing of' mny coat and waist coat I began making preparations~ for bed. The notion took me to once more Investigate the secret passageway. I pushed sharply on the panel as I had done before, but this time I could not budge it. I tugged and worked and pounded, but It stuck fast in spite of all my efforts. As I was struggling to force it open, there came' a sharp ring at the bell of the apartment. As I was, -in my shirt sleeves, I answered it. The two detectives I had seen downstairs stood there. "What Is it?" I asked, "'I arrest you for the murder 'of Dat syt',ien," said one of them, and with The ispers Im- Musink4ofte ton mm irwiMiyers my arms. "Why, this is absbr'd," I laughed in their faces, conscious of my utter in noeence of the crime. "I had nothing to do with it." "That remains to be seen. Put on your coat and come along." Still holding me fast, they went back with me to my bedroom. Clutch Ing mo tight they made me put on my coat, anl(d no sooner ha0d I done so than one of them snapped hand cuffs on me. "Look at this, Jim," said one of them, psonting to a spot on the front of my coat. "That'n blood all right," said the other, after inspecting it. "I got that when I was helping 51r. Wick lift the body to the couch," I protested. "Tell that to'the judge," the de teeive called Jim scoffed. "Better look around for the gun, Cullen." "You'll find no gun here," I crieA. "I never owned one." Nevertheless Cullen began rummag ing through the drawers of my dresser. Suddenly lie gave a triumphant excla mation and drew something fronu be neath a pile of shirts in the second drawer. "Here it is," he announced, holding "Here It Is," He Announced, Holding Up Before My Astonished Eyes an Automatic Revolver. up before my astonished eyes an au tollatic revolver. "I never saw it before," I glnsped. The detective merely laughed. "Ther0's ono bllliet gone," said th1e man ilwho was exallilling it. "Come along, young fellow," said the other detective grutily. "'I'lle hill let se1ttles it- We've got tile righlt party." CHAPTER IX A rprisonler in a police station cell, I p05ssed a sleepless nlighlt. Conrselouls as I was of sny ultter Innlocenlce and1( confid~ent of m~y specedy release, neover thieless 1 had( to admit that tile de tectives from their inllt of view were perfectly justified ill placing tino un dher arresi. F"or a blurglar* to have galined access to thle apalrtmlents withiout the conly nnce of the empllloyees sC1eme almiost an imnposslbllity. lFor him11 to hatve esen ped froml tile bildin g after hay in~g mulrdered Aliss Luttan without be0 lng dletectedl seemed0 also) highly im-. prohnhle. Thlen, too, t,here was tile damnling evidensce of tile blood( on my coat and1 the fact thaft I 11ad b)een found at thle door of tile apartment. I had( nlot observedl the stain on my clothling until tile detectives discov' ('redl it. Miy explanation of how It had( gotten thlere was tile true one, yet I could readily realize that it might sound fishly to others. On tile taco of it the tragedly in the Gransddeck lookledl like an inside job. The11 revolver, with onle bullet missing, wvas the strongest sort of evi dlence that I was tihe mnurderer. Yet I never had seen tile weapon before and could not imagine who could have placed it there. There wvas only one explanation possible. It had been pur posely planted there with the definite object of thlrowing suspicion on me. The one person-the only person whom I knew to hlave been in my rooms after the murdler was committed was Claire Bradlford. Could she have done it? I remembered that nabara had showed me a revolver in her pos session. I wondered If this could be the same weapon. I did not think it possible that Claire herself could have used it. I could imagine no motive why Claire 14pdford would want to kill Miss Lutan, yet it must have been she who had hidden the revolver in my dresser. What had been her motive? How had she got possession of the re volver after the murder? Come what may, I had no intention of telling any one-not even Gorman -of Claire's second visit to my apart ment. For Barbara's sake I made up my mind I would keep my lips closed about that bacident, even if I had to stay in prison indeflnitely. At the po lice station when the detectives had brought me in, I had quietly but firmly refused to answer any questions, al though they had badgered me for near ly two hours before they let me alone. "Where did you live before you came to the Granddeck?" "Where did you work?" "Where is Rufus Gaston?" "Where do your people live?" Bat Our Specie customers las and it will b Re; Every Drem partment has them over. F over expense Hosiery E No. 815--15 lozen Woier I 41e, big Juwine Spevial on! No. 1]8- -Iilek Silk I rose, sizc $1.50, for. Juine 1-pecia! or I lot Feiln-e Silk I lose, grey, w. No. 1900 -Oynx Ilo-se, lVibre brw only, worb1 $1.50, Big Special Nol. I l i \'iainier's lInust tod'(ay. 1)1l~o n't miss tis I No. 11)25 Ir'iiset I ir'ii L; $5.00. to elose outi this la' LOOK 'T] ~Children' Dress pat terns. big special, onl 82-iml1n(1h Kh blyClt, thne kin 36t-iineh Silk maIIl ('ot lin l'o'p1 .J lst receive one lo~ t Ill-inchI ( Swil Mail Orders Filled' "Why did you kil IDaisy Lutan?" "Where did you get the money you have?" "We've got the goods on you. Why don't you confess?" These were the sort of questions that were flung at me, first by one dind then the other. ividlently at first they had had hopes of breaking mne down. "I have nothing to say," had been my unvarying answer to all their ques tions. Finally tlAy gave it up and locked me in a cell for the night, leaving ie thankful that the honor of being a sus pected murderer relieved me from sharing a cell with some of the frowsy prisoners I saw brought past my barred door. "Haven't you any friends you would like to have notified?" was the last question they asked as they left me. "I have nothing to say," I repeated on ce mo:e. Nor was this answer this time mere stubbornnews. Who was there that I e gamis d offering for JI t week. Many e to your advan 3dy-to-W 4 is Suit and Coat been reduced. Leduce your cos by buying ther Other S lepartment )se, white only, worth today .... .... .............25c s 8 1-2 to 9 1-2, wort today .... .... .... ......$1.00 iite an1d oeam only, worth ino pair .. . . . . . .75c -;ilk. lave stripe, bla-k .1nd big dunhe SpeCial oinly . .$1.00 in Corsets rool'( Cors~et . w orthI $1.51) ot. Onily ......... ....$1.00 I, only...... .... .... ..$3.50 -IS OVER s Dresses 9 (G to 1-l. all new spi~ir .......... .... .... .... ..$2.50 Goods ood1 <mhl ity. all new sprin .... ... .... ....35c ni, aill shadeIs, worthl tiIodayI only .... .... .........$1.00 ..... .... .... .... ....85c LzerC Laurenm eould notify of my plight? Birge and Roller, my two Intimates, were softie where on the high seas. The men whom I had known in the office where I had worked, for obvious reasonms, Were not to be called on. I had no idea of the wlflereabouts of my aged relatives beyond the fact that they were somewhere in Maine. I had no intention whatever of com municating the fact of my arrest to my mother. Indeed, I was hoping that she would not hear of it until after may innocence was established. I thought of Gorman. I would hnve been glad of his counsel, but I rein bered thnt I did not know where he lived. Ile had told me he was giving up his position at the hotel. It would be useless to try to find him until morning. Yet in spite of my apparent friend lessness, although to all appearances there was no one in Now York to whom I could turn in this time of trouble, it was a wonderful comfort Continued on fourth page, this sect.lon. for Ju ne attracted rn of these items tage to inspect .ar Departr in our Ready-t We do not wis t of living and n now. pecials .II I................... Extra June Specials in Si1 ,n liiisi m e Oloi' l .. . .. . $1.1)( kiw EnliOxd .... j ls Ititt t t .... .... .... -i 1 1 .\ l i T x br- . .\leS cias innHe xrrs Mpenia .\Iin's \\'hiti ('anvas, lxtois, speii ., S. C.i Citation for Letiers of Administration State of South Carolina, County of Laurens. By 0. G. Thompson, 'Pirobate Judge: Whereas Eiliza A. MeDill has made suit to mne to grant her betters of Ad Imini.itration of the Nstate and effects of 'Mrs. .ary .. MeI)ill. TPhese are. thlerefore, to cite and admonish all and singularm the kindred and Creditors of the said Mrs. Mary .M. Mel)ill, deceased, that they be and appear before mue. In the Court of Probate, to he held at. Lauirens Court flouse, Laurens. S. C., on the 7th day of June next. after publication here of, at II o'clock in the forenoon, to show cause, if any they have, why the said Admtin ist ration should not be granted. Given undei my hand this 24th day of may Anno Domini 1920. 0. G. TIIOMIPSON, 4-2t-A J. P. L. C. The Quinine That Does Not Affect the Ha82 Becat.se of its tonic and laxative effect, LAXA. TIV11 nROMO QUINJNItsbetterthan isrdinary Quinine and does not cnuse nervou-,uess not rinusing In head. Remembcr I he full namne and 'ool for the signuture of L. 'V. GROVE. 30c. tne any pleased still remain them. n.ent D-wear De h to carry our carry . .... .... .... .... 50c 5., f41. ttu \ peCial . .... .... .... ....6 5C Ladies' Oxfords .... .... .... ....$9.90 .... .... .... ....$9.90 .... .... .... ....$9.90 ....... .... .... ..$8.45 ....... .... .... ..$8.45 ....... .... .... ..$5.95 ......... .........595 ........ .... .... ..$5.00 .. ......... .... ...5.00 ....... .... .... ..$5.00 (H Vs to closne ouIt at $1.00 ps sie 2 1 -2 to) h. to) ........ .... ......$1.95 s Oxfords ........ ......$7.90 ts to14 sell .,i Inly $1.00 at ... . . . .. . . $3.00 44d .. . . .. . . $3.00 O'e t a t .. . . .$2.95 my W~aiI Orders Fsilmd