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THE HAILEYBURIAN Page 7 THURSDAY, MAR. 19th, 1931 i Sis The Crime 2 Leslie McFarlane / Cat "THE CRIME CAT" appears in these columns by special permission of the edi- tor of the All-Star Detective Stories, in which magazine the story originally ap- peared, Leslie McFarlane's mystery tales appear regularly in All-Star Detective Stories. _ Chapter IX THE CHESHIRE INN had once been all that its name im- plied, a quaint little wayside hos- telry providing food and shelter for man and beast, It had been built and operated by a huge, stolid Englishman, who was one of the best customers of his own bar. In 1919, because he took prohibition seriously, he went back to the tap-rooms of his nat- ive land whereupon the Cheshire Inn became a roadhouse under the management of successive dynasties of bootleggers. Abrupt dismissal of a friendly Federal agent was followed by a series of visits from officials in the guise of customers, these vis- its culminating in the melan- choly appearance of a padlock on the front door of the Cheshire Inn. Thereafter the long, gabled building was no more a place o revelry by night, and if occasion- ally shadowy cars drew up at the rear door and obscure figures could be seen flitting about per- haps the ghosts of other times persisted in their old haunt. The Inn stood back some dis- tance from the highway, beyond a discreet barrier of fir trees, with a semi-circular driveway. Padlocks now ornamented the rusty steel gates which had nev- er been closed until the shadow of the law fell upon the hostelry, but an open gate at the rear gave access to a lane which, in turn, entered the main road some dis- tance away, so that it was still eb _ possible to drive a car to the very ack door_of the Inn without at- tracting more than casual atten- tion. Dusk had fallen whena shabby man whose peaked cap and turn- ed-up coat collar obscured his face trudged in the ditch along the highway. The headlights of an approaching automobile illum- inated him for a moment, hands thrust deep in his pockets, head bowed against the cold wind. The car whisked by and when anoth- er car zoomed down the highway a minute later in futile pursuit of a bright radiance that cast every detail of road and ditch into mo- mentary brilliance, the trudging figure disappeared. He left the ditch and plunged into the friendly shadow of a clump of trees. Within twenty yards he encountered a wire fence which he promptly scaled. Then, in the gloom, he stood for a mo-~ ment gazing at the dark mass of the roadhouse. There was not a glimmer of light. He stalked through the tall grasses that whispered in the wind. The battered signboard above the entrance, erected by the departed Englishman as a professional gesture toward the late Lewis Carrol, creaked uneas- ily. The man was no more than a shadow, and then this shadow melted into the deeper shades at the side of the Inn. The whisper the creak of the of the grass, signboard, the rustle of leaves drowned any sounds that may have followed, with the exception of a sharp, sudden snap and the distant tinkle of glass. A cellar window opened exped- itiously enough and silently en- ough save for the accidental dis- lodging of a piece of broken glass had been removed. The man struggled through the aperture; a hand appeared; the window was replaced. He was now in the basement of the Cheshire Inn. enveloped in blackness. He waited a while, listening, peering about, before switching on a small electric flashlight, the beam of which stabbed the gloom and revealed a flight of steps only a few feet away. The man snapped out the light, made his way cautiously to the stairs and slowly ascended. At the top he paused, listened, then tried the door. It was locked. There was a faint jangle of keys. 'He made several attempts; fin- ally there was a click. He thrust ,;the door slowly open. The man stepped into the dark- ened room. He stood less, then crossed the floor like a phantom. The stabbing ray of light flickered for a fraction of a second, revealing the doorway to a kitchen. In here, with its range, its ovens and ice-boxes, he felt his way toward the back stairs. He was groping for the first step, his ears sharpened for the first murmur of a human voice he had heard since entering the Inn. Someone was talking in an upper room. This neither sur- prised nor startled him. He had known from the cicumstances of one tiny streak of light at the bottom of an upper window as seen from outside that there was someone in the building. Furth- ermore, he knew that the Chesh- ire Inn had been secretly tenant- ed since the padlock had been af- fixed to the front door. The sound of the voice, instead of frightening him, reassured him. He placed his foot against the bottom step. And in that moment, from be- ing a scarcely visible shadow in the gloom of the kitchen the man became the centre of a brilliant aura of radiance, like an actor in the spotlight. He was drenched, bathed in a vividly luminous beam. Every detail of his shabby clothes and his rigid figure became instantly visible and clear. A fierce and pitiless light beat upon him and as he whirled about, an automat- ic appearing in his hand as if by magic, his pinched, vicious face with a ghastly scar branding one cheek, was cast into bold relief ag he faced the source of that relentless glare. His shadow, gigantic and menacing, was like a threatening monster against the wall. But nothing happened. Rapid- ly, the room fell into darkness a- gain. The beam of light swept across the room, past the man, shone momentarily on the back door and vanished. Outside there was the crunching of tires upon gravel, the throbbing of an en- gine, a faint rasp of brakes. The light that had startled the man had been cast by the headlights of an automobile turning into the yard at the back of the Inn. Shin- ing through the uncurtained win- dow it had glared full upon him and passed by. He was a shadow again. He went up the stairs so rapid- ly and silently that he might have been a ghost. At the top of the stairs he paused, gazed down a long corridor broken by a band of yellow light that streamed ac- ross the floor, and went on, cat- like. The light emanated from a room, the doorof which was part- ly closed. The voice he had heard when he was in the kitchen droned on. There was an interruption, in a harsher tone, and then the other voice resumed. Two men were in this room, talking, and the other rooms along the corridor were deserted. The intruder drew closer to the door through which streamed the band of light. Now he could hear other voices, down at the back door of the Inn. He heard the rattle of a key in a lock. Suddenly, he disappeared. One moment he had been in the cor- ridor; the next he was not. Hav- ing gone as near the band of light as he dared he had slipped into the adjacent room and hidden himself behind the half-open door. F He was none too soon. Voices echoed downstairs, the back door opened and closed. He heard one of the men in the next room say- ing; "That's him now." and the other answered; "It's about time." Thudding footsteps. Two men were coming up the stairs. "Remember!" came the voice from the next room. "It's all through him that Sam Bodansky was killed. He's got to pay." "We'll make him pay." Then they were silent. The newcomers tramped down the motion-|' corridor and entered the next room. "Good night, Luigi. Good night Bill. All on deck, eh?" said a gen- ial voice. : "When it-is a matter. of money said the one who had reminded his companion of Sam Bodansky. His voice had a slight accent. He was evidently the man addressed as Luigi. Perhaps Luigi Rapallo, who owned the Cheshire Inn. "When it's a matter of dough, you're here ahead of time, huh? Well it won't be long now." "Where is our other frien'?" "He'll be along later." "We shall drink?" The soft splash of liquor clink- ing in the glasses. A general shuffling and scraping of chairs. Whispering. -- The man behind the door pres- sed forward. He was trying to identify the voices of the new- comer who had greeted Luigi and Bill. He had heard that voice--- somewhere--- sometime--- but the connection eluded his mem- ory. "We have run many risks in this business, sighed Luigi. "My good friend Sam _ Bodansky is dead, and we are all in danger. It is too great a risk to run--- for the price." "Trying to back out of your bargain?" snapped the newcomer "T don't see where you have any call to start talking about risks. Sam is dead. Could we help that?" "Tf he had not been sent there he would be still alive." "Maybe. Sam ran risks every minute of his life. If he hadn't fallen off that fire-escape he might have lived to be caught at some bit of second storey-work and knocked off by a cop tonight, tomorrow night, the next night. It's too bad, but it was just one of those things." "Five hundred dollars is not much money if it brings me to the electric chair," objected Luigi. "You? The chair! You didn't kill Heath. You didn't kill Seel- ey, did you?" "No, but---" "Then, why worry? Let this guy Arthur Vale do the worry- ing. Héis the one who will burn if anyone does. I'll bet he has seen the hot seat in front of him all day." "I kinda hope they don't get him," growled one of the others. "Tf they do get him, are you figuring on stepping up and yap- ping for your share." "You know damn well I would- ee "Get this into your heads---all of you. Vale killed those two men and if any of you talk you'll be in just as deep as him. If he is nabbed, that's too bad for him. Vale killed them, remember. That right?" "Yeah, that's right. You don't need to be scared of us talkin'." "Why should we argue?" ask- ed Luigi, wearily. "Lét Mr. Vale fix up his own troubles. Ev- erything is fine as it is. But the money----" The man behind the door in his anxiety to hear every detail of the conversation, leaned forward a trifle too far. The door creak- ed a little. Instantly, at his very ear, he heard a snarl: eee out with your hands Hype No one had left the other room, to his certain knowledge. But now the barrel of a revolver was pressed against the narrow open- ing between the door and the wall, and beyond the weapon loomed a_ sinister shadow who seemed to have materialized from the gloom of the corridor. He was helpless. Silently he emerg- ed from behind the door, his hands raised. The man in the corridor step- ped back, warily, his revolver still covering the intruder. There were sounds of confusion in the next room. "What's that? What's that?" Luigi was shouting, excit- edly. But the man who appeared to dominate the gathering mer- ely replied; "It seems we have caught a spy." And he called out "Got him, Soapy ?" "TI got him!" "Bring him in." The captive, with the revolver thrust against the small of his back, was urged into the room. He faced four men, three of whom had leaped to their feet, startled and frightened. The other man, who lounged indolent- ly in his chair ang who looked up with calm approval, merely stroked his chin with a slender hand. He was Mr. Donlin, legal acquaintance of Sol Pincus, whose appointment with Herb- ert Seeley that morning had been unfortunately cancelled by the client's death. (To be continued) DACK'S Out-of-Town Customers! Dack's York Model $12.50 '2/ Thousands of men throughout Canada order Dack's by mail and enjoy the quality, comfort and long wearwhich have been a trad- ition of Dack shoes for over a century. The many repeat orders of these men is your assurance of complete satisfaction. Write today For catalogue and read in itour broad guarantee. We will also be glad to send you a self-measurement chart. Dack's custom-grade shoes are priced from $12.50 to $14.50. "Bond Street" for young men, at $10.00. D VOC Rs, DS-831 SHOES FOR MEN 73 KING ST. W., TORONTO MONTREAL HAMILTON WINDSOR WINNIPEG CALGARY UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF Power (ORPORATION or GANADA Limite Canada Northern Power Corporation, Limited Preferred Dividend No. 25 Nec is hereby given that a Dividend of 1%% (being at the rate of 7% per annum) has been declared on the 7% Cumulative Pre- ferred Stock of CANADA NOR- THERN POWER CORPORATION LIMITED for the quarter ending March 31st, 1931, payable April 15th, 1931, to shareholders of record at the close of business March 31st, 1931. By order of the Board. . C. HASKELL, Secretary. Montreal, Feb. 24th, 1931. sing ! WHEN BABIES fe R E THERE are times when a baby is too fretful or feverish to be sung to sleep. There are some Dains a mother cannot pat away. But there's quick comfort in Castoria! For diarrhea, and other infantile ills, give this pure vegetable prepara- tion. Whenever coated tongues tell of conslipation; whenever there's any sign of sluggishness. Castoria has a good taste; children love to take it. Buy the genuine--with Chas. H. Fletcher's signature on wrapper. HAILEYBURY LODGE No. 364 LOLCat Meets 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month in the 1. 0. O. F. TEMPLE at 8pm N.G.--Thos. Curry Temiskaming ®% Northecn Ontario Railway TRAIN SERVICE The CONTINENTAL LIMITED, Trains Nos. 1 ana 2, between Montreal and Vancou- ver, daily. operating through Sleeper between Cochrane and Toronto These trains use Canadian National Railways station at North Bay. TRAINS Nos. 46 and 47--Throughb ser- vice daily, between Toronto and Timmins, al- so to Rouyn and Noranda, Que., operating Par- lor Cafe Car Service between North Bay and Swastika Through Sleepers operated be- tween Toronto and Timmins, also between Toronto, Rouyn and Noranda, Que. ' t Trains use Canadian National Railways rN tion at North Bay. TRAINS Nos. 17 ana 18--Daily except Sunday service between North Bay and Coch- rane, operating through Sleeper between Tim mins and Montreal. These trains use Cama- dian Pacific Railway station at North Bay. LOCAL SERVICE between Cobalt, Foun- tain Falls and Silver Centre. Monday, Wed- nesday and Saturday Connections at Earlton Jct. for ELK LAKE daily except Sunday. Connections at Englehart for CHARLTON daily except Sunday Connections at Swastika daily with Nipis- sing Central Railway for KIRKLAND LAKE, LARDER LAKE, CHEMINIS, ROUYN, and NORANDA, Quebec, and Intermediate Points. Connections at Porquis Jct. for IROQUOIS FALLS, daily. Improved service on the Porcupine Branch, making close connections at Porquis Jct. with Trains Nos. 1, 2, 17 and 18 for points east, west, north and south. This service wiil be im addition to Trains Nos. 46 and 47 and will provide three trains each way on Sundays. The: establishment of this service will enable those desiring, to conveniently make round trip | from Timmins to Cochrane on Sundays Mixed Service daily except Sunday, between Cochrane, Isfand Falls Jct., Fraserdale and Coral Rapids. Northbound, leave Cochrane 8.30 am., arrive Coral Rapids 2.55 p.m. Southbound, leave Coral Rapids 8.30 a.m., arrive Cochrane 2.30 p.m See current Time Table or apply to any T @ N. O. Rly. Agent for full particulars A. J. PARR, Gen. Frt. and Pass. Agt., North Bay. Ont. Sell It By Advertising ! Rec. Sec.--J. A. Ruttan Want Ads. Bring Results NO) WV NO) H.A. CARLSON have We always Patterns and Styles LADIES' AND GENTLEMAN'S TAILOR the most up-to-date and seasonable goods to choose from to Suit Every Taste Fit and Workmanship of the Best CLEANING AND PRESSING FERGUSON AVE. Liggetts' old stand orceceeo Frederick Elliot BARRISTER and SOLICITOR Ontario and British Columbia INVESTMENTS, LOANS, ETC. GIBSON BLOCK, HAILEYBURY W. A. Gordon, K.C. BARRISTER, SOLICITOR and NOTARY PUBLIC MYLES BLOCK, MAIN STREET HAILEYBURY, ONTARIO Edwin W. Kearney BARRISTER SOLICITOR NOTARY PUBLIC GIBSON BLOCK HAILEYBURY Telephone No. 10 F. L. Smiley, K.C. BARRISTER, SOLICITOR, NOTARY PUBLIC CROWN ATTORNEY Conrt House Main Street Haileybury CG Es. iuee BARRISTER SOLICITOR NOTARY PUBLIC Bank of Nova Scotia Building HAILEYBURY, ONT. PHONE 360 Ross Business College COBALT, ONTARIO Commercial, Stenographic Secretarial Courses Day, Evening and Mail Classes Write for Information Eric E. Smith PIANO TUNING Practical Instruction in Violin Playing givep at your home VIOLINS SOLD AT REASONABLE PRICES BOX 556 NEW LISKEARD and BUSINESS and PROFESSIONAL CARDS ---- K. M. Stephen Life, Health, Accident, Fire, Automobile INSURANCE The Mutual Life Assurance Co. of Canada The General Accident Assurance Co. of Canada Several First Class Fire Companies Probyn Street HAILEYBURY Phone 322 Dr. J. 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