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. Me went to a chair and seated himâ€" _ self and motioned Simon Judd to sit â€" near him. He fumbled at his beard, wot knowing exactly what to say. â€" Simon Jddd spoke first. _ . "I tald Bremnan you didn‘t kill her," â€"anid. "I told him you wash‘t the such a thing, Abner." Judd‘s words; his only expression was "So did I Abner," Simon Judd said, John Drane and his sister Emily grew grinning at the little man. "I been UP together out there in Riverbank. wantin‘ to have a good old talk with| John never did get married and in you ever since we shook hands last 1883 he went west and we lost track night. Been a long time since we| Of himâ€"I did anyway. What did he seen each other, ain‘t it?" : do outwest, Abner ?" surprise, he attempted no evasions. He was not even annoyed by Simon got to decide whether he‘s goin‘ to The_ little man pulled at his beard, admit he knew John Drane was a f!'?wnmg at his feet. woman or not; he‘s got to decide‘ .. ""t now, hold on a ‘minute" whether he‘s goin‘ to admit he‘s John | S‘M°" Judd said suddenly. "We ought Drane‘s husband or not; he‘s got to | {9 !¢t this Amy girl hear this, accordâ€" decide when to say they were marâ€"‘ ‘" !° MY nation. Seems like she has ried, and why he never told. He‘s a| 2 TZht to know, ain‘t it so, Abner?" busy man right now, Richard, you bet| ,. Y€5; she‘ll know it anyway," the your boots! And he don‘t want to> !lttle man said, and Simon Judd went take no time off to have to think of| ‘Nt? the house to send Norbert to no funeral preparations." | find the girl. She came presently, "Ill call him up and tell him to| Robert Carter with her, and Sithon come here," Brennan said, and he 7930 told her why she had been sent went into the hall and did so. "He| {0": She and young Carter seated will be here immediately," he said themstives and the girl looked anâ€" when he returned to Simon Judd.| X°08!Y froth face to face. But the "You meet him and keep him down ""J°"taker did not speak. | here; I‘m going up and see if the| . "AMY," Simon Judd said, when the officers have found anything new.") SJenNce had lasted a few moments, The undertaker drove his own car| "!‘" £Oin‘ to start this off, because at times and he arrived in it before| YN#t ! know I know. John Drane and long, and Simon Judd met him on the ""° W# boys together, born close to veranda. The fat Towan was standâ€"| !"¢ S@me time, away back in 1853. ing at the head of the steps as the‘ YOh" Was born in 53 and Emily, his smaller man mounted and he pushed ©St¢": dead upstairs there, was born his hat back on his head and put his | th¢ N€Xt year, 1854 That‘s all the hands in his pockets, jingling his coins | P"20°% there was; there wasn‘t nol and keys. { Daniel Draneâ€"he‘s fairy story. Who | "Brennan wanted to see me," the Y°" 2"¢ I dan‘t know, but maybe Abâ€" "Brennan wanted to see me," the undertaker said, pulling off the gloves he wore when driving. "Because he don‘t want to be worâ€" ried with it," Simon Judd explained. "He don‘t want a funeral on his mind whilst he‘s got to think what he‘s goâ€" ing to do and say about bein‘ marâ€" ried to John Drane. He‘s got a lot of thinkin‘ to do, Richard, that underâ€"! taker has. There‘s a terrible lot of questions in his mind right now. He‘s got to decide whether he‘s goin‘ to admit he knew John Drane was a| woman or not; he‘s got to decide whether he‘s goin‘ to admit he‘s John Drane‘s husband or not; be‘s got to | decide when to say they were marâ€"‘ ried, and why he never told. He‘s a / busy man right now, Richard, you bet | your boots! _ And he don‘t want to" take no time off to have to think of | no funeral preparations." g ‘You‘d better telephone," Simon Judd advised. "That Dart feller ain‘t comin‘ ‘hete to take charge of no funeral." "Sort of unprofessional, I guess," Simon Judd said. "Sort of like buildin‘ up trade in an unethical way. It ain‘t done, as the fellér says. Are you goin‘ to telephone him to come here, or are we goin‘ to his undertakin‘ shop?" "I think he‘ll be coming here," Brennan said. "Dr. Blessington has probably asked him to take care of the funeral." "No," Bremnan agreed, "I don‘t reâ€" member of a single case where an unâ€" dertaker did a murder." All the servants in the household are sick, it is noted, and it is found that Drane never discharged a serâ€" vant for ill health. Dick Brennan, detective, arrives at the house and makes thorough investigations. Siâ€" mon Judd tells him the story of the actual John Drane with whom he (Judd} was acquainted in Riverbank. Judd proposes to Brennan that he "go partners" with Brennan in the solution of the crime. Brennan acâ€" cepts, then Judd declares that Amy is not John Drane‘s niece or any relaâ€" tive of Drane. Mrs. Vincent, houseâ€" keeper, tells Brennan that Drane picked his servants from among the chronic patients at the hospital. Dr. Blessington is asked if he had ewer moticed any special change in Drane. More servants are questioned, but are unable to give much information, being intoxicated. Judd then proâ€" pounds the belief that the undertaker is the husband of Drane. He also tells Brennan: "You‘ve been thinking perâ€" haps Dart murdered Drane. You‘re Dr. Blessington has but little inâ€" formation to give. The talk veers to Drane‘s employment of chronic inâ€" valids, and suddenly Judd astonishes the doctor by asking when "Drane murdered the first of those hired hands of his!" "Because, back my cats! I was thinkin‘ the same thing, Richard," Simon Judd explained. "But it ain‘t; so. I don‘t take no stock in that noâ€"| tion. That little old shrimp wouldn‘t ; murder nobody. In the first place he ain‘t got the gall to do it and in the| second place I ain‘t never heard of! an undertaker murderin‘ anybody.| Did you ever?" j WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE _ [ cheer the undertaker much; perbapl{ quinched Simon Judd, amateur detective, and he did not rightly hear what Simon| more tha William Dart, an undertaker, visit! Judd had said. of that, John Drang, an eccentric man o!l "‘Sime," he said, "I knew you knew{ Drane c wealth, at the Drane place. Suddenly| me last night. I was scared last night, see the « John Drane is murdered, and Dr.; Sime." i "He co Blessington, after examining the‘ "Yeh? Thought I‘d got track of "and he body, makes the astounding revelaâ€"| somethin‘ out home, huh? Why, you| We carri tion to Amy Drane that her "uncle"‘ poor old feller!" a stretch is a woman and not a man. ' |â€"_"‘When you said Yoi were ening tal ._a u. NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY "Why not?" showed no "He made a million between 1883 and 1892," Simon Judd said. "But his sister Ella stayed right there in Riverâ€" bank and in 1884 she married a man that came to town and started in the undertaker business. His name was Abner Dart, wasn‘t it, Abner?" ‘"Yes, 1 married her. June 6, 1884," Abmer Dart said. . "And after awhile she got to be a naggy wife," Simon Judd said. "She bore down pretty hard on Abmer and | ‘"She was a terrible woman, Sime!" | ‘ the little undertaker said, shaking his ‘ head. "I don‘t know that there ever| ‘ was another such woman except where | you read about them in books. Sime,’ | I wish you were on my side of this | ! business; I wish I had you or someâ€"‘ | body to be a friend to me right now. ) I don‘t know anybody in this townâ€" | not anybody. I‘m alome. I‘m the! | most friendless man in the world. She | | wouldn‘t let me know anybodyâ€"she , , was jealousâ€"jealous and afraid, I‘m! all alone, Sime, and I‘m scared. I can‘t | | think right; my head don‘t seem to ; | work right today." | do outwest, Abmer?" _ _ _ "He got into copper and silver, Abner said. "He made a million." ner here can tell us that. _ _ "Anyhow, Amy, we threeâ€"me and John Drane and his sister Emily grew up together out there in Riverbank. ! cheer the undertaker much; perhaps quinched his spirit till he was no |he did not rightly hear what Simon| more than a worm. About eight years | Judd had said. of that, until 1892, and then John | “‘Sime," he said, "I knew you kne‘-,{ Drane came home to visit her and said. "Dart about it. He whole thing, way. Go ahe how it was." "I don‘t knowâ€"I don‘t know!" the little man mourned, but Brennan came down then and out upon the veranda, and Simon Judd spoke to him, half turning in his chair. "Always sayin‘ she wished she was a man, I bet you!" Simon Judd said. "That kind of woman does wear a man down, Abner, black my cats if she don‘t! Well, she had her wish." "When you said you were going to be a detective," the undertaker exâ€" plained. "Yes, I thought sure you had got on the track of something. You had, hadn‘t you Sime?" vou "Come on over & Whajt havg §ou ne on over here, Richard," he "Dart wants to tell you all it. He knows purty near the thing, up to the murder anyâ€" zo ahead now, Abnerâ€"tell him ALLUSTRATIONS BY EEWATSON ceeping ! _ "He came home sick," Abner said; t track of "and he came when Ela was sick.|" Why, you| We carried him up to the house on |‘ a stretcher and put him in the bed.l h e going to and Ella got out‘of her bed and went | £ rtaker exâ€" and sat in a chair by his bed and’ sure you they talked, just the two of them.| â€" something.| He had had a hard time in the west | " f" there, and sometimes he went for| " Judd said.‘ days without food, prospecting the| ‘ d, to study | hills with a man named Jarling, his*" n here. 1; partner. Then they found copper, and ; P Abner, not it was when they were both pretty © en 1 only| well played out; it was a question . " ome down whether they would either of them ; ne. And at) last until they could reach civilizaâ€" ‘ k anything tion. So they drew up a couple of; t ome when! papersâ€"if either of them died all ; " t you was the other had was to go to the one b out." _ | Jeft alive. John told Ella that as he | undertaker lay there dying, and then he died." * e, I never _ "Tha; night," said Simon. Judd. ; RdectBKINE | "Yes, he died that night," Abner | Riverbankâ€"| Dart said. . "So Ella went back . my mind: to her bed and sent for me, and she | , _ wife; Sbe" told me what to do. You remember : awful ma8â€"| old Doc Worley, Sime? Always | } Jdrunk. He was drunk when we sent â€"" d she *3 ! for him, and we got him drunker, and | '1 Judd "‘“H he signed a death certificate and endâ€" | " eS We@r 4) cd up that spree with the tremors| . | The rest was easy enough. You were| ""\ | at the funeral, Sime. You never| "";,"°¢" | guessed it was John we were burying "The ‘,when we said it was Ella." | Part s _"No, it fooled me easy enough,") :')]n((:;eâ€"c | Simon Judd said. "Typhoid was what| â€" He 4 | Ella had had and they had cut off her ‘ hand ! hair a';:d none of us had seen her# “Qim | since she was took sick. I though f | how bad she looked, but that was unfl't'} Judd s see the old town. Hey, "So we had ‘John‘ get well," Abner mmrmmmjmuifi i ty You are invited to look at some beautiful wooded ravine NMtsâ€"at ORCHARD STREET, corner of Waukegan Ave. and on NAIDA TERRACE, just one short block south of Orchard Street. Tracts are about oneâ€"fourth, oneâ€"third, oneâ€"half and threeâ€"fourths acres and all are on ravines which will lend themselves to beautiful landscape efâ€" fects. All lots have large oak trees and a variety of other trees and shrubbery. Beautiful locations for homes. Prices low and terms if desired. For information and plats write Residence Studio, 820 Ridge Terrace, Evanston. Tel. Greenleaf 802 COAL and SOLYVAY COKE JOHN ZIENGELER Teacher of Piano Accompanist HERMAN DENZEL, President s 1205 Deerfield Road at Blodgett * ‘Telephone 335 Ravine Lots For LOUISE M. Building Material Highland Park Fuel Company O. A. LEWIS â€"> 314 So. Wood Street, Chicago, IIL Or to your broker. Cleaner and Dyer 25 North Sheridan Road We Operate Our Own Plant in Highland Park Telephone Highland Park 2801 Abner ?" "That‘s what worried her," Abner | Dart said. "She got so she thought , more of money than of ber life. And "And if Jarling knew the real John was dead he could claim a million or so, hey?" Simon Judd asked. ‘"She poisoned the first one," Simon Judd supplied. 4 Dart said. "We had ‘him‘ sick for a couple of weeks and then we had ‘him‘ get well enough to walk around with a cane, and presently he was will enough to leave town." "I went to the station with him myself â€" hauled him in one of my tigs," Simon Judd said. "We ulked} whout when we were kids. I was\ fosled, black my cats!" { ~<he went to Chicago, Ella did,"[ Almer continued, "and after awhile,| when she had gathered up the loou‘ ends of John‘s affairs, she came down | to New York and got settled‘heref wul I failed in business the way we | bud arranged and came to Weltcotol and she gave me money to start in | wpa‘n. For a month or two we preâ€"| tended to be strangers to each other;‘ then we ‘got acquainted‘ and I was | the only close friend she had, and she | was the only close friend I had. She ; boegan speculating in Wall Street and | did wellâ€"she was a wonderfu) woman | that way. But all the while she was | worried. That old partner of John‘s, | Jarling, kept her worried all the.time. | She could never find himâ€"a word of | him now and then and then he was‘ lost. It might be five years or ten | years between times and then she would hear he was alive and then no‘ more news of him for another long stretch." | He &opped and hid his face in his (Continued Next Week) CLARENCE B. Teacher_of Violin Viols, Ensemble Press Wanted Ads Bring Results Nowhere else in Chicagoâ€"and but alimited opportunity Now is the time to have us do your planting. We have a complete assortment of fine evergreens, fruit and shade trees and peremnials, all carefully grown in our own nursery located on Route 22, one and oneâ€"half miles west of Milwaukee Avenue. Our Catalog Gladly Sent on Request Telephone Highland Park 523 With every purchase of 100 shrubs during the month ending Of‘.?"" 15 we will give 25 shrubs free. 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