EN ER Qy INC -- - COPy RIGHT S.S.VANDINE w.n.o. SERVICE. CHAPTER VI—Continued He was a tall man. despite his stooped shoulders; and, though he was very thin, he possessed a firm ness of bearing which made one feel that he had retained a great meas ure of the physical power that had obviously been his in youth. There was benevolence in the somewhat haggard face, but there was also shrewdness in his gaze; and the con tour of his mouth indicated a latent hardness. He bowed to us with an old-fash ioned graciousness and took a few steps into the study. “My son has just informed me,” he said in a slightly querulous voice, “of the tragedy that has occurred here this afternoon. I'm sorry that I did not return home earlier, as is my wont on Saturdays, for in that event the tragedy might have been averted. I myself would have been in the study here and would probab ly have kept an eye on my nephew. In any event, no one could then have got possession of my revolver.” “I am not at all sure, Doctor Gar den,” Vance returned grimly, “that your presence here this afternoon would have averted the tragedy. It , is not nearly so simple a matter as * it appears at first glance.” Professor Garden sat down in a chair of antique workmanship near the door and, clasping his hands tightly, leaned forward. “Yes, yes. So I understand. And I want to hear more, about this af fair.” The tension in his voice was patent. “Floyd told me that Woode’s death had all the appearance of sui cide, but that you do not accept y that conclusion. Would it be asking too much if I requested further de tails with regard to your attitude ‘ in this respect?” “There can be no doubt, sir,” Vance returned quietly, "that your nephew was murdered. There are too many indications that contra dict the theory of suicide. But it would be inadvisable, as well as unnecess’ry, to go into details at the moment. Our investigation has just begun. By the by, doctor, may I ask what detained you this after noon?—I gathered from your son that you usually return home long before this time on Saturdays.” “Of course, you may,” the man replied with seeming frankness; but there was a startled look in his eyes as he gazed at Vance. “I had some obscure data to look up before I could continue with an ex periment I’m making; and I thought today would be an excellent time to do it, since I close the ’aboratory and let my assistants go on Satur day afternoons.” “And where were you, doctor,” Vance went on, “between the time you left the laborat’ry and the time i of your arrival here?" “To be quite specific,” Professor Garden answered, “I left the uni versity at about two and went to the public library where I remained until half an hour ago. Then I took a cab and came directly home." “You went to the library alone?” asked Vance. “Naturally I went alone,” the pro fessor answered tartly. “I don’t b take assistants with me when I have research work to do ” “My dear doctor!” said Vance placatingly. “A serious crime has been committed in your home, and it is essential that we know—as a matter of routine—the whereabouts of the various persons in any way connected with the unfortunate situ ation.” “I see what you mean.” “I am glad you appreciate our difficulties,” Vance said, “and I trust you will be equally consid erate when I ask you just what was the relationship between you and your nephew?” The man turned slowly and leaned against the broad sill. “We were very close,” he an swered without hesitation or resent ment. "Both my wife and I have regarded Woode almost as a son, since his parents died. He was not a strong person morally, and he needed both spiritual and material assistance. Perhaps because of this fundamental weakness in his na ture, we have been more lenient with him than with our own son.” CHAPTER VII Vance nodded with understanding. “That being the case, I presume that you and Mrs. Garden have pro vided for young Swift in your wills.” k "That is true.” Professor Gar den answered after a slight pause. “We have, as a matter of fact, made Woode and our son equal beneficiaries.” “Has your son,” asked Vance, “any income of his own?” “None whatever,” the professor told him. “He has made a little money here and there, on various enterprises—largely connected with > sports—but he is entirely dependent on the allowance my wife and I give him. It’s a very liberal one— too liberal, perhaps, judged by con ventional standards. But I see no reason not to indulge the boy. It isn’t his fault that he hasn’t the temperament for a professional ca reer, and has no flair for business.” “A very liberal attitude, Doctor,” Vance murmured: “especially for one who is himself so wholehearted ly devoted to the more serious things of life as you aie . . . But what of Swift: did he have an in dependent income?” “His father,” the professor ex plained, “left him a very comfort able amount; but I imagine he squandered it or gambled most of it away.” “There’s one more question,” Vance continued, “that I'd like to ask you in connection with your will and Mrs. Garden’s: were your son and nephew aware of the dispo sition of the estate?” “I couldn’t say. It’s quite possi ble they were. Neither Mrs. Gar den nor I have regarded the subject as a secret . . . But what, may I ask,” — Professor Garden gave Vance a puzzled look—"has this to do with the present terrible situa tion?” “I’m sure I haven't the remotest idea,” Vance admitted frankly. "I’m merely probin' round in the dark, in the hope of findin’ some small ray of light.” Hennessey, the detective whom Heath had ordered to remain on guard below, came lumbering up the passageway to the study. "There’s a guy downstairs, Ser geant,” he reported, "who says he’s from the telephone company and has got to fix a bell or somethin’. He’s fussed around downstairs and couldn’t find anything wrong there.” Heath shrugged and looked in quiringly at Vance. "It’s quite all right, Hennessey,” Vance told the detective. “Let him come up.” Hennessey saluted half-heartedly and went out. “You know, Markham,” Vance said, “I wish this infernal buzzer hadn’t gone out of order at just this time. I abominate coinci dences—” “Do you mean,” Professor Gar den interrupted, “that inter-commu nicating buzzer between here and the den downstairs? ... It was working all right this morning— Sneed summoned me to breakfast with it as usual.” “Yes, yes,” nodded Vance. “That’s just it. It evidently ceased functioning after you had gone out. The nurse discovered it and report ed it to Sneed who called up the telephone company.” "It’s not of any importance,” the professor returned with a lacka daisical gesture of his hand. “It’s a convenience, however, and saves many trips up and down the stairs.” “We may as well let the man attend to it, since he’s here. It won’t disturb as.” Vance stood up. “And I say, doctor, would you mind joining the others downstairs? We’U be down presently, too.” The professor inclined his head in silent acquiescence and, without a word, went from the room. Presently a tall, pale, youthful man appeared at the door to the study. He carried a small black tool kit. “I was sent here to look over a buzzer,” he announced with surly indifference. “I didn’t find the trou ble downstairs.” “Maybe the difficult, is at this end,” suggested Vance. “There’s the buzzer behind the desk.” The man went over to it, opened his case of tools and, taking out a flashlight and a small screw-driver, removed the outer shell of the box. Fingering the connecting wires for a moment, he looked up at Vance with an expression of contempt. “You can’t expect the buzzer to work when the wires ain't connect ed,” he commented. Vance became suddenly interest ed. Adjusting his monocle, he knelt down and looked at the box. •‘They’re both disconnected—eh, what?” he remarked. •‘Sure they are,” the man grum bled. ‘‘And it don't look to me like they worked themselves loose, either.” “You think they were deliberately disconnected?” asked Vance. ‘‘Well, it looks that way.” The man was busy reconnecting the wires. ‘‘Both screws are loose, and the wires aren’t bent—they look like they been pulled out.” ‘‘That's most interestin’.” Vance stood up, and returned the monocle to his pocket meditatively. ‘‘It might be, of course. But I can’t see why anyone should have done it . . . Sor ry for your trouble.” ‘‘Oh, that’s all in the day’s work,” the man muttered, readjusting the cover of the box. “I wish all my jobs were as easy as this one.” Aft er a few moments he stood up. ‘‘Let’s see if the buzzer will work now. Any one downstairs who’ll answer if I press this?" "I’ll take care of that,” Heath in terposed, and turned to Snitkin. "Hop down to the den, and if you hear the buzzer down there, ring back.” Snitkin hurried out, and a few moments later, when the button was pressed, there came two short answering signals. "It’s all right now,” the repair man said, packing up his tools and going toward the door. “So long.” And he disappeared down the pas sageway. Vance smoked for a moment in silence, looking down at the floor. "I don’t know, Markham. It’s dashed mystifyin’. But I have a notion that the same person who fired the shot we heard disconnected those wires ...” Suddenly he stepped to one side behind the draperies and crouched down, his eyes peering out cautious ly into the garden. He raised a warning hand to us to keep back out of sight. “Deuced queer,” he said tensely. "That gate in the far end of the fence is slowly opening . . . Oh, my aunt!” And he swung swiftly into the passageway leading to the gar den. oeckoning to us to follow. Vance ran past the covered body of Swift on the settee, and crossed to the garden gate. As he reached it he was confronted by the haughty and majestic figure of Madge Weath erby. Evidently her intention was to step into the garden, but she drew back abruptly when she saw us. Our presence, however, seemed neither to surprise nor to embarrass her. “Charmin’ of you to come up, Miss Weatherby,” said Vance. “But His Eyes Peering Cautiously In to the Garden. I gave orders that everyone was to remain downstairs.” ‘‘I had a right to come here!” she returned, drawing herself up with almost regal dignity. “Ah!” murmured Vance. “Yes, of course. It might be, don’t y’ know. But would you mind explainin’?” “Not at all. I wished to ascertain if he could have done it.” “And who,” asked Vance, “is this mysterious ‘he’?” “Who?” she repeated, throwing her head back sarcastically. “Why, Cecil Kroon!” Vance’s eyelids drooped, and he studied the woman narrowly for a brief moment. Then he said lightly: “Most interestin’. But let that wait a moment. How did you get up here?” “That was very simple. I pre tended to be faint and told your min ion I was going into the butler’s pantry to get a drink of water. I went out through the pantry door into the public hallway, came up the main stairs, and out on this terrace.” “But how did you know that you could reach the garden by this route?” “1 didn’t know.” She smiled enig matically. “I was merely recon noitering. I was anxious to prove to myself that Cecil Kroon could have shot poor Woody.” “And are you satisfied that he could have?” asked Vance quietly. “Oh, yes," the woman replied with bitterness. “Beyond a doubt. I’ve known for a long time that Cecil would kill him sooner or later. And I was quite certain when you said that Woody had been murdered that Cecil had done it. But I did not understand how he could have got ten up here, after leaving us this afternoon. So I endeavored to find out.” “And why, may I ask,” said Vance, “would Mr. Kroon desire to dispose of Swift?” The woman clasped her hands the atrically against her breast. “Cecil was jealous — frightfully jealous. He's madly in love with me. He has tortured me with his attentions ...” One of her hands went to her forehead ir a gesture of desperation. “There has been noth ing I could do. And when he learned that I cared for Woody, he became desperate. He threatened me.” Vance's keen regard showed nei ther the sympathy her pompous re cital called for, nor the cynicism which I knew he felt. “Sad—very sad,” he mumbled. Miss Weatherby jerked her head up and her eyes flashed. “I came up here to see if it were possible that Cecil could have done this thing. I came up in the cause of justice!” “Very accommodatin’.” Vance’s manner had suddenly changed. “We’re most appreciative, and all that sort of thing. But I must in sist, don’t y’ know, that you return downstairs and wait there with the others. And you will be so good as to come through the garden and go down the apartment stairs.” He was brutally matter-of-fact as he drew the gate shut and directed the woman to the passageway door. She hesitated a moment and then followed his indicating finger. When we were back in the study Vance sank into a chair and yawned. “My word!” he complained. “The case is difficult enough without these amateur theatricals.” Markham, I could see, had been both impressed and puzzled by the incident. “Maybe it’s not all dramatics,” he suggested. "The woman made some very definite statements.” "Oh, yes. She would. She's the type.” Vance took out his ciga rette case. “Definite statements, yes. And misleadin’. Really, y’know, I don't for a moment believe she re gards Kroon as the culprit.” “But she certainly has something on her mind,” protested Markham. “Oh, Markham—my dear Mark ham!” Vance shook his head sadly. “However ... As you say. There is something back of the lady’s his trionics. She has ideas. But she's circuitous. And she wants us to be like those Chinese gods who can’t proceed except in a straight line. Sad. But let's try makin' a turn. The situation is something like this: An unhappy lady slips out through the butler’s pantry and presents herself on the roof-garden, hopin’ to attract our attention. Having succeeded, she informs us that she has proved conclusively that a certain Mr. Kroon has done away with Swift be cause of amorous jealousy. The la dy herself, let us assume, is the spurned and not the spurner. She resents it. She has a temper and is vengeful—and she comes to the roof here for the sole purpose of convincing us that Kroon is guilty." "But her story is plausible enough," said Markham aggressive ly. "Why try to find hidden mean ings in obvious facts? Kroon could have done it. And your psychologi I cal theory regarding the woman’s motives eliminates him entirely.” "It doesn’t eliminate him at all. It merely tends to involve the lady in a rather unpleasant bit of chican ery. The fact is, her little drama here on the roof may prove most illuminatin’." Vance stretched his legs out be fore him and sank deeper into his chair. "Curious situation. ‘Y’ know, Markham, Kroon deserted the party about fifteen or twenty minutes be fore the big race—legal matters to attend to for a maiden aunt, he ex plained—and he didn’t appear again until after I had phoned you. As sumed immediately that Swift had shot himself. Doubt inspired me to converse with the elevator boy. I learned that Kroon had not gone down or up in the elevator since his arrival here early in the afternoon • l “What's that!” Markham ex claimed. “That’s more than sus picious—taken with what we have just heard from this Miss Weather by.” “I dare say.” Vance was unim pressed. “The legal mind at work. But from my gropin’ amateur point of view, I’d want more—oh, much more. However,”—Vance rose and meditated a moment—“I’ll admit that a bit of lovin’ communion with Mr. Kroon is definitely indicated.” He turned to Heath. “Send the chap pie up, will you. Sergeant?” Heath nodded and started toward the door. “And Sergeant," Vance halted him; “you might question the ele vator boy and find out if there is any one else in the building whom Kroon is in the habit of calling on. If so, follow it up with a few discreet inquiries." Heath vanished down the stairs, and a minute or so later Kroon saun tered into the study with the air of a man who is bored and not a little annoyed. “I suppose I’m in for some more tricky questions,” he commented. After glancing about him, Kroon sat down leisurely at one end of the davenport. The man’s manner, I could see, infuriated Markham, who leaned forward and asked in cold anger: “Have you any urgent reasons for objecting to give us what assistance you can in our investigation of this murder?” Kroon raised his eyebrows. “None whatever,” he said with calm superiority. “I might even be able to tell you who shot Woody.” “That’s most interestin’,” mur mured Vance, stud> mg the man in differently. “But we'd much rath er find out for ourselves, don't y’ know.” Kroon shrugged maliciously and said nothing. (TO HE CONTINUED) Earliest Paints It is unknown who first mixed and used paints since paint has been employed from a very early period. White lead was mentioned by The ophrastus, Pliny and Vitruvius, who described its manufacture from lead and vinegar. Yellow ochre was used b. the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Pots of it were found in Pompeii. Naples yellow has been found in the yellow enamel of Baby lonian bricks. Verdigris was famil iar to the Romans. Indigo has been employed by the East Indians and Egyptians from an ancient time. HO$7>RE 7/bwJ®DAY /DR. JAMES W. BARTON T.IL. About ® Getting Rid of Fat. IT IS hard for some of our over weight friends to understand why fat can cause any harm to the body. To them It is simply a layer of fat lying under the skin which gives the body a nice roundness instead of having bony parts stand out too prominently. 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This failing to greatly reduce weight after "starving” themselves one or two weeks has confused and discouraged many overweights who have faithfully followed the reduc ing diet prescribed by their physi cian. However, "careful studies have established that water may be retained to an extent that will keep the body weight constant or at the same level when the individual has cut down his food intake by as much as one-third to one-half for as long as sixteen days.” The Water Balance. Weight, day by day, will give no sign that reduction is being accom plished. This is because what is called the water balance must be established. At the end of the six teen day period the individual may suddenly lose sufficient water to reduce his weight by the amount ex pected as judged by the amount of food eaten. Thus instead of losing 2 to 3 pounds each week — the usual rate of loss — there is no loss for sixteen days and then 5 to 7 pounds is lost within a few hours. Others will cut down on all kinds of foods, fail to eat enough meat or eggs to sustain their strength, and will feel so weak in a few days that they give up the reducing diet in despair. There are others who would like to try “short cuts” to reduce weight —dinitrophenol, thyroid extract, pit uitary extract—which if not taken under proper supervision, often bring misery and ill health. The proper method is to be examined by the family physician and if pro nounced “fit” to undergo the diet outlined, then follow it faithfully, reporting at regular intervals to the physician. Whether, it is because “misery loves company” or that seeing oth ers as fat or fatter than oneself faithfully following rules and regu lations, it is a fact that in sanita riums, spas, or “watering places” many overweights get better results than can be obtained by themselves. The thought then is that when the overweight has difficulty work ing alone, finds it hard to "stick” to the reduced diet, feels very weak at times, going to a spa or similar institution and seeing others cour ageously fighting their battle may give him or her the needed courage to fight their battle also. Because it is a battle. Foods That Cause Distress. One of the points one suffering with indigestion must remember is that because a food disagrees with him it doesn’t mean that it is not a good food. There is nothing wrong with the food but there is something wrong with the individual. Dr. Albert H. Rowe, San Fran cisco, in Southern Medical Journal reports an analysis of 2,000 students at University of California, and also his results in private patients dur ing a period of fifteen years. Of 270 patients showing stomach and intestine disturbances due to certain foods, 30 per cent were male and 70 per cent female. 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A pretty and colorful motif can be had in the use of velvet for the buttons and belfc Mono tone broadcloth, black or royal blue, with the collar and cuffs of white linen, is a startlingly chic material for this model. It is available in sizes 12 to 20 (30 to 40 bust). Size 14 requires 23/4 yards of 54 inch fabric plus % yard of 39 inch contrasting. Pattern 1210— Which would you have, Madam, an artistic smock or a glamorous house coat? This pattern allows you to make this interesting choice and it has what you’ll need to make either of the models illustrated here. The house coat has become woman kind’s most desired “at home” Of INTEREST TO | 1 ItOTOIffl Wipe and core apples. Put in baking dish and fill centers with sugar. Add small quantity boil ing water. 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