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THE STORY THUS FAR Thé key to the closet door was al- ways kept on the outside, Margaret Odell's maid told police the morning her mistress' strangled body was found in the apartment. But this day the key was on the inside. The "Ca- nary" had gone out early in the even- ing with a man. The next morning when the maid came to work Margaret Odell was dead. A baffling mystery, Vance declares, r. devilish one "And, Markham, those fingerprints you found have nothing whatever to do with the murder." i CHAPTER VIIL Heath shot Vance a curious look. Then, after a moment's frowning con- templation 'of the knob, he waved his hand to the detective who had brought the maid in. "Take her back to the reception- room, Snitkin, and get a detailed de- geription from her of 'all the Odell jewelry. . . . And keep her outside; Tl want her again." When Snitkin and the maid had gone out, Vance lay back lazily on the davenport, where he had sat during the interview, and sent a spiral of eigaret smoke toward the ceiling. "Rather illuminatin', what?" he yemarked. "The dusky demoiselle got us considerably forrader, Now we know that the closet key is on the wrong side of the door, and that our Jady of joy went to the theatre with one of her favorite lovers, who pre- sumably brought her home shortly be- fore she took her departure from this wicked world." "You think that's helpful, do you?" Heath's tone was contemptuously tri- umphant. "Wait till you hear the erazy story the telephone operator's got to tell." "All right, Sergeant," put in Mark- bam, impatiently, "Suppose we get on with the ordeal." "I'm going to suggest, Mr. Mark- bam, that we question the janitor first. And I'll show you why." Heath went to the entrance door of the apartment, and opened it. "Look here for just a minute, sir." He stepped out into the main hall, and pointed down the little passage- way on the left. It was about ten feet in length, and ran between the Odell apartment. and- the blank. rear wall of the reception-room. At the end of it was n solid oak door which gave on the court at the side of the house, "That door," explained Heath, "is the only side or rear entrance to this building; and when that door is bolt- ed nobody can get into the house ex- eept by the front entrance. You can't even get into the building through the other apartments, for every window on thie floor % barre'. I checked up on that point as soon as I got here." He led the way back into the living- room. "Now, after I'd looked over the sit- uation this morning, he went on, "I figured that our man had entered through the side door at the end of the passageway and had slipped into this apartment without the night erator seeing him. So I tried the side door to see if it was open. But it was bolted on the inside--net locked, mind you, but bolted. "And it wasn't a slip-bolt, either, that could have been Jimmied or worked open from the outside, but a tough old-fashioned turn-bolt of solid frass. . . . And now I want you to hear what the janitor's got to say about it." Markham nodded acquiescence, and Heath called an order to one of the officers in the hall. A moment later a stolid, middle-aged man, with sullen features and high cheek-bones, stood before us. His jaw was clamped tight, and he shifted his eyes from one to the other of us suspiciously. Heath straightaway assumed the role of inquisitor. "What time do you leave here at night?" 'He had, for some reason, assumed a belligerent manner. "8ix -- o'clock--sometimes sometimes later." The man spoke in a surly monotone. He was obviously resentful of this unexpected intrusion upon his orderly routine. "And what time do you get here in the morning?" "Eight o'clock, regular." "What time did you go home last night?" « "About six--maybe a quarter past." Heath paused and finally lightéd the cigar on which he had been chewing at intervals during the past hour. "Now, tell me about that side door," he went on, with undiminished aggres- siveness. "You told me you lock it every night before you leave--is that right?" "Ja==that's right: The man nodded his head dffirmatively several times: "Only I don't lock it--I bolt it." 'All right, you bolt it, then." As Heath talked his cigar bobbed up and down between his lips: smoke and words came simultaneously from his mouth, earlier, : gestion him," he ordered. ~ '| suggestion of military training. He | walked ided limp hit as usual about six o'clock?" "Maybe a quarter past," the janitor amended, with Germanic precision. "You're sure you bolted it last night?" The question was almost ferocious. "Ja, ja. Sure, I am. night. I never miss." The man's earnestness left no doubt that the door in question had indeed been bolted on the inside at about six o'clock of the previoys evening. Heath, however, belabored Fre point for sev- eral minites, only to be reassured dog- gedly that the door had been bolted. At last the janitor was dismissed. "Really, y* know, Sergeant," re- marked Vance with an amused smile, "that honest Rhinelander bolted the door." ® "Sure, he did," sputtered Heath; "and I found it still bolted this morn- ing at quarter of eight. That's just what messes things up so nice and pretty. If that door was bolted from six o'clock last evening until eight o'clock this mornings, I'd appreciate having some one drive up in a hearse and tell me how the Canary's little playmate got in here last night. "And I'd also like to know how he got out." "Why not through the main en- trance?" asked Markham, "It seems the only logical way left, according to your own findings." \ "That's how I had it figured out, gir," returned Heath. "But wait till you hear what the phone operator has to say." "And the phone opera'or's post," mused Vance, "is in the main hall half-way between the front door and this apartment. Therefore, the gentle- man who caused all th disturbance hereabouts gst night would have had to pass within a few feet of the op- erator both on arriving and depart- ing----eh, what?" i "That's it!" snapped Heath, "And, according to the operator, no such per- son came or went." Markham seemed to have absorbed some of Heath's irritability. "Get the fellow in here, and let me Heath with a kind of malicious alacrity, - (Tuesday, Sept. 11, 11 am.) Jessup made a good impressi 1 do it every "y, , |i he had any doubt as ii 5 " a there are things night's tragedy that you can tell s, sir." There was no douk Amt and ato tha a8 to the correct- ness of this information, he would frankly say so. He all the anything | "And last night you bolted it | ualities of a careful and well-trained witness, he First of all, what time did you come on duty last night?" "At ten o'clock, sir." There was no, qualification to this blunt state- ment; one felt that Jessup would ar- rive punctually at whatever hour he was due, The day man and myself alternate in long and short shifts." "And did you see Miss Odell come in last night after the theatre?" "Yes, sir, Every one who comes in has to pass the switchboard," "What time did she arrive?" "It couldn't have been more than a few minutes after eleven." "Was she alone?" "No, sir. There was a gentleman with her." "Do you know who he was?" "I don't know his name, sir. But I have seen him several times before when he has called on Miss Odell." "You could describe him, I suppose." "Yes, sir. He's tall and clean- shaven except for a very short gray mustache, and is about forty-five, 1 should say. He looks---if you under- stand me, sir--like a man of wealth and position." Markham noddec. And now, tell me; did he accompany Migs Odell into her apartment, or.did he go imme- diately away?" ¥ (To be continued.) dunia The Happier Thing For eight hot hours I face a grimy wall And type "Dear Sirs, We cannot yet agree. , . " Fer eight dull hours with rough dis cordant sound 1 type "Dear Sirs, We are Yours faith- fully." But when, long after noon, The interfering sun Pokes a thin finger through the win- dow pane 4 And runs it swiftly over the stiff keys, Why then I see a narrow high-bank- ed lane That leads me to a cliff where 1 can lie Between green springing corn and the grey sea, Where I can hear the merry lisping waves Teasing tho" lark in careless rivalry, And there, pressed close to earth, It seems more beautiful To be a singing lark or blade of corn, A happier thing it seems to be a tree Than just a woman sitting by a wall Typing all day "Dear Sirs, Yours faithfully. --Florencg Lacey in the London Ob- server. eb emt Vinegar Cruet Art New York Sun: A remarkable ser- fes of sunny days, coupled with a spreading passion for new skin tones, is producing a new jes of vine- garroons 'on the bathing beaches. The whip scorpion, known in Mexico and the lower edges of Texas as the vine- garroon, gets its name from the odor it exhales when alarmed, -The same malty scent of vinegar is heavy on the sands of Long Beach, the Rock- aways, Southampton and the Jersey coast. The snouts of the bottles stick up all between boardwalk and tide- water, Interminable discussions go on as to the most effective brands and the merits of other astringents. Like other scorpions, the female vine- garroon is more deadly than the male, but the dirls darkening themselves with the assistance of the fermented liquors would be just as dangerous in the fair shins th atnature gave them. i m---------- Our Bookish Statesmien Many younr struggling young writ- ers must have groaned aloud when they learned that Mr. Ramsay Mac- Donald read Hazlitt's "Table Talk" on a recent aeroplane trip. If only it had been one of their books, what a derful advert t it would have received! Like Mr. MacDonald, Mr, Stanley Baldwin 1s a book-lover, and his re- marks on a story by Mary Webb somé time ago led to a "boom" in that writer's work, though it came, unfort- unately, too late to be any use to her. As a general rule, however, states men do not talk in public about the books they enjoy in private. from the moment he entered the room. He was a serious, determined-looking ~ |man in his early thirties, rugged and well built; and there was a square- ness to his stoulders that carried a wi do rie their ite authors don't public men prefer detective stories to any other kind of literature, and Mr. Edgar Wallace, who would possibly come first on a good many lists, do n't need to be advertised. "It was. my* short shift.} "Holding Up" the Motorist There are certain qualities that run in tamilles, and the devising of clever ideas for, getting money for hospitals seems to be one of them, For the suggested a "Hold-up Day," on which motofists would be asked to contrib- nte to the expense of accident cases in hospital. And Mr. Holland-Hibbert is the 'brother of Lord Knutsford, chairman of the London Hospital, who has raised more money for the work of our hospital than any other man. It the "Hold-up Day" idea js adopt ed, it will probably do something to solve the difficulties of which many country hospitals have been com- plaining during recent years. They have to take in accident cases as a result of motor smashes, and In many instances they receive no payment. This causes financial trouble--and it also may mean that cases of local hospital--who live in the district have to be turned away. : A generous response to a special appeal to motorists might help to sol ve this ditficutly by' enabling badly needed extensions to be put in hand. Bi rei Climbers - You will never lead souls heaven- ward unless climbing yourself. be climbing. --Bishop Walsham Ho air semen Hon, A. H. Holland-Hibbert has just Surprises There is no period of life at which we ought to say that there are no more glad surprises for "us in the future, Life is hard enough, but not bso hard as some would make it, and its rewards come to those who have worked for them more often than many would have us belleve--W. Robertson Nicoll. In France a woman threw all of her husband's_ clothes out of an up- per window. him follow suit. Then she tried make people--perhaps subscribers to the! Permanent Waving By Experts When you visit Toronto don't fail to have one of our famous Permanent Waves at the Reduced Rate of $5.50. Fare to Toronto the Price of Your $5.50 Ycu need not be very far up-but you must With or without appointment." Specialists In the Shur Wave Method w.| of Permanent Waving. (For ladies who care.) Perhaps | need "boosting"--many of our famous| TYPICALLY SUMMER. It's just the prettiest dress imagin- able for summery wear, It's cool, com- fortable and wearable! It's an oppor- tunity to have it, for it will take about two hours to make it, and the cost will be about the same as an ordinary house frock. Style No. 578 with rip- pling circular skirt, snug hips that suggest peplum silhouette and simple molded bodiee with collarless Vionnet neckline, is designed in sizes 16, 18, 20 years, 86, 38, 40 and 42 'inches bust. It is an enchanting shade of orchid in cotton voile, so becoming to sun-tan complexion, for cotton fabrics lead the daytime mode. 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EMPIRE YEAR the Worlds TORONTO ~ ONTARIO Aug237SeptT The 1929 Canadian National Exhibition . . . the fifty first . . . celebrates Empire Year; and 'the brilliance of the entire two 'weeks' presentation will provide hoi Sh to-be-remembered spectacle for the more than two million visic tors, Low yates by rail and boat, a ee dation, Send: jor. illustrated ets describing Se Lom pie Year Calebration. [OMAS BRADSHA' . WATERS, ™ \ATSHAWS BT, Fourth Wigley Marathon Swim n us, soetay (Fidons Aug. 23, for women, Wed, Aug. 28, for men and winners of women's race) for the world champion ship and $50,000 purse--the great- est sport tions, place the pan by the sidé-of the: fire, and let the conte: me very; lslowly to boiling point; ne occa sets quickly when tested on a cold plate. Pour it into pots, cover closely,. and store in a cool place. Time-- From 1 to 1% hours, Ars RHUBARB JAM -Ingredients.--% pint . of double cram, % oz. of castor sugar, or to: taste, 1 teaspoonful of sherry, 1 tea spoonful of brandy (the wine and brandy may be omitted), the juice and tinely-grated rind of % a small lemon. Method. --Put the sherry, brandy, su- gar, lemon-juice and rind Into & basin, and stir until the sugar is dis. solved. Add the cream, and whip: slowly at first and afterwards more: quickly until firm Serve as required. | Raisin or other sweet wine may res place the sherry nd. brandy, or an equal quantity of raspberry or straw- berry syrup. Time.--About 15 min- utes. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. PINEAPPLE SOUFFLE Ingredients.--Preserved pineapple, 4 oz. of best flour, 4 oz. of castor su- gar, 4 oz. of butter, % pint of milk, 8 eggs, 2 Inches of vanillapod, angelica. Method. --Briag the milk and vanilla- pod to boiling-point, then draw the stewpan aside for about % an hour for the contents to infuse. Mean- '| while heat the butter in another stew- pan, stir in the flour, cook over the fire for a few minutes, then add the strained milk, and stir and boil well Let it cool slightly, then beat in the: yolks of eggs, add the sugar, 2 good bl fuls of pi le cut into small dice, and very lightly stir in the stiffy-whished whites of eggs. Have ready a well-greased sopuftiemould with the bottom decorated with strips or circles of angelica "and pineapple, greased paper, and steam very gently, from 45 to 60 minutes. Unmould, and serve with pineapple or other sweet sauce. Time.--~From 1.to 134 hours. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. 70 CURE HAM ~ Ingredients.--For 2 hams, weighing each: about 16:or 18 1b, allow 1 1b. of moist sugar, 1 1b. of common salt, 3 oz. of saltpetre, 1 quart of good vin. - egar. Method.--As soon as the pig is. cold. enough to be cut up, take the 3 hams, rub them well with common galt, and leave them in a large pan for 3 days, When the salt has drawn out all the blood, drain the hams and throw the brine away. Mix sugar, salt, and saltbetre together in th above proportion, rub the hams well with these, and put them into a vessel large enough to hold them, always keeping the salt over them. Let them Cm po . Trots and featuring al Bier International Outboard Motor Boat Regarta and Yacht Races. Government Exhibits e Ce ras, Grand Stand Military and Naval Pageant, " Britannia's Muster"; 500 performers onthe World's b Toran State First Shoisin ng 2% 1930. May National Aircr + wnival of the Sky. 4 Concerts-by 2000 Voice Bw _ hibition Chorus. a |ear,: salt, pepper. I the d s our Gran mothers and. : Great Grandmothe hers for 8 days, then pour. over them 1 quart of good vinegar. Turn them in the brine every day for & month, then drain them well, and rub them with bran, Have them smoked over a wood fire, and be par- ticular that the hams are hung ag high: as possible from the fire; other. wise the fat will melt and they will become dry and hard. Time, --To be pickled, 1' month; to be smoked, 1 month. Sufficient for 2 hams of 18 1b. each. MUTTON COLLOPS stock, ) Method.--Cut the: meat into round elices about 2% in. Shes In sionally meanwhile. Boll until the jam: pour in the mixture, cover with a™ _ -~