The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

roy Coo Fen SB aa cy nw \ 4 $.VAN DINE THE STORY THUS FAR | Margaret Odell 1s found strangled, Skeel's finger prints are found in the apartment, but Vance believes Skee! had been hiding in a closet while ths strang.e. did his work. The thing that baffles police is the side door to the alley, which had been bolted 'on the inside the night before and was found the Some way in ths morning. Man- nix, Dr. Lindquist and Cleaver all lie about their whereabouts the night of the murder. Spotswoode who had cally ed on the girl, had rushed to her door at the sound of a scream, but had been reassured that everything was al] right. Then Skeel is found strangled, after promising to tell who murdered the girl. Heath arrests Jessup, believ- ing him the only one able to manipu- late the side door, but Vance demon- strates how Skeel could have done it. $. CHAPTER XLV, (Monday, Sept. 17, noon.) " When Vanes finished speaking, there was several minutes' silence. Markham sat deep in his chair glaring into space. Heath, however, was watching Vance with a kind of grudg- ing admiration, The corner-stone in the foundation of his case against Jessup had been knocked out, and the structure he had built was tottering precariously. Markham realized this, and the fact played havoc with his hopes. "I wish vour irspirations ware more helpful," he grumbled, turning his gaze upon Vance. "This latest revela- ~tion of yours puts us back almost to where we started from." "Oh, don't be pessimistic. Let us face the future with a bright eye. . . , Want to hear my theory ?--it's falrly bulging with possibilities." He arranged himgelf comfortably in his chair. "Skeel needed moneya-no doubt his silk shirts were running low --and after his unsuccessful attempt to extort it from the lady a week be- fore her demise, he came here last Monday night. "He had learned she would be out, and he intended to wait for her; for she had prot ¢ refused to receive him in the custom'ry social way. He knew the side door was bolted at night and, as he didn't want to be seen enter- ing the apartment, he devised the little scheme of unboliing the door for him- self under cover of a futile call at half-past nina, "The unbo!ting accomplished, he re- turned via the alleyway, and let him- self into the apartment at some time before aleven: When the lady return- ed with an escort, he quickly hid in tha clothes closet, and remained thers until the vt had departed. Then he came forth, by his and the lady, startled nee, screamed. "But ing him, she told Spotsw s now hammering at the ( it was all a mistake. So Srotow e ran along and played poker. A financial discussion between Skeel an the lady-- probably a highly acrimor'ovs tiff--ensued, In the midst of it the talenhone rang, and Skeel snatched of the receiver and said the Canary was out "The tiff 'was resumed; but present. ly ancther suitor appeared on the scene, Whether he rang the bell or let himself in with a key I can't say --probably the latter, for the phone operator was unawa'e of his visit. Bkeel hid himself a second time in the closet, and luckily took the precaution of locking himself in. Also, he quite po a WRIGLEYS Drowsiness is dangerous, Vem, miles seem shorter (and the day is brightened whea you have Wrigley's with you. So -- |ting away and covering up' his tr | His Sind in this a i MURDER CASE AUTHOR OF THE BENSON MURDER CASE naturally put his eye to the keyhole to see who the second intruder was." Vance pointed to the closet) door, "The keyhole, you will observe, is on a line with the davenport; and as Skeel peered out into the room he saw a sight that froze his blood. The new arrival--in the midst, perhaps, of some endearing sentence--seized the lady by the throat and proceeded to throttle her. , . Imagine Skeel's emo- tions, my dear Markham, There he was, crouching in a dark closet, and a few feet from him stood a murderer in the act of strangling a lady! "I don't wonder he was petrified and speechless, He saw what he imag- ined to be maniacal fury in the stranger's eyes; and the strangler must have been a fairly powerful crea- ture, whereas Skeel was slender and almost undersized. . . « . No, merei. Skeel wasn't having any. He lay doggo. And I can't say that I blame the beggar, what?" He made a gesture of interrogation, "What did the strangler do next? well, well; we'll probubly never know, now that Skeel, the horrified witness, has gone to his Maker. But I rather imagine he got out {lat black docu- ment box, opened it with a'key he had taken from the lady's handbag, and extracted a goodly number of incrim- inating documents, "Then, I fancy, the fireworks began, The gentleman proceeded to wreck the apartment in order to give the effect of a professional burglary. He tore the lace on the lady's gown and sever- ed the shoulderstrap; snatched her orchid corsage and threw it in her lap; stripped off her rings and bracelets; and tore the pendant from its chain. "After that he upset the lamp, rifled the escritoire, ransacked the. Boule cabinet, broke the mirror, overturned the chairs, tore the draperies. , . And all the time Skeel kept his eye glued to the keyhole with fascinated horror, afraid to move, terrified lest he be discovered and sent to join his erst- while inamorata, for by now he was no doubt thoroughly convinced that the man outside was a raving lunatic. I can't say that I envy Skeel his pre- dicament: it was ticklish, y' know. Rather!--And the devastation went on, He could hear it even when the operations had passed from out"his radius of vision. And he himself was caught like a rat in a trap, with no means of escape. A harrowin' situa- tion--my word!" Vance smoked a moment, and then shifted his position slightly. "Y' know, Markham, I imagine that the worst moment in the whole of Skeel's checkered career came when the mysterious wrecker tried to open the closet door behind which he was crouching. "Fancy! There he was cornered, and not two inches from him stood, appar- ently, a homicidal maniac trying to get to him, rattling that thin barri- cade of white pine. , , an you picture the blighter's relief when the murder. er finally released the knob and turned away? It's a wonder he didn't collapse from the reaction. But he didn't. He listened and watched in a sort of hyp- notie panie, until he heard the invader leave the apartment. Then, weak-knee and in a cold sweat, he came forth and surveyed the battlefield," Vance glanced 'about him. "Not a pretty sight--eh, what? And there on the davenport reclined the lady's strangled body. That corpse was Skeel's dominant horror, "He staggered to the table to look at it, and steadied himself with his right hand--that's how you got your finger-prints, Sergeant. Then the real- ization of his own position suddenly smote him, Here he was alone with a murdered person. He was known to haye been intimate with the lady; and he was a burglar with a record, Who would believe that he was innocent? And though he had probably recogniz- ed the man who had negotiated the business, he was in no position to tell his story. "Everything was against him--his sneaking in, his presence in the house at half-past nine, his relations with the girl, his profession, his putati he hadn't a chance in the world. , . . . I say, Markham, would you have ere- dited his tale?" "Never mind that," retorted Mark- ham, "Go on with your theory." He and Heath had been listening with rapt interest sumed Vance, 'is what you might term self ng. It proceeds on its own inertia, so to speak. Skeel was oon- fronted by the urgent-problem Ao 4 _ became [keen and highly active; his fs: |pisht, would have suggested [ner of unbolting the.door! . . No, that event, to be suspected of the murder, "My theory 2m this point on," xe- life was. i |torteit it ho didnt succeed. Ho began] to think furiously. at once without being seen; but then, the deor would have been found un- bolted, And this fact, taken in con nection with his earlie 'method of escape wouldn't do--decid- edly it wouldn't do. , He knew he was likely, in any in view of his shady association with the lady anc his general character. Motive, place, opportun.ty, time, means, conduct, and his own record-- all were against him. Either he must cover up his tracks, don't y* know, or else his career as a Lothario was at an end. A sweet dilemma! He real- ized, of course, that if he could get out and leave that side door bolted on the inside, he'd be comparatively safe, "No one could then explain how he had come in or gone oub It would establish his only possible alibi--a negative one, to be sure; but, with a good lawyer, he could probably make it hold. Doubtless he searched for other means of escape, but found him- self confronted with obstacles on every hand. The side door was his only hope. How could it be worked ?" Vance rose and yawned. "That's niy theory. Skeel was caught in w trap, and with his shrewd, tricky brain he figured his way out. He may have roamed up and down these two rooms for hours before he hit on his plan; and it's not unlikely that he appealed to the Deity with an occasional 'Oh, my God!' "As for his using the tweezers, I'm inclined to think the mechanism of the idea came to him almost immediately. Y' know, Sergeant, this locking of a door on the inside is an old trick. There are any number of recorded cases of It in the criminal literature of Europe. Indeed, in Professor Hans Gross's handbodbk of criminol there's a whole chapter on the devices used by burglars for illegal entries and exits. "But all such devices have had to do with the locking--not the bolting of doors, "The principle, of course, is the same, but the technic is different. To lock a door on the inside, a needle, or strong slender pin, is inserted through the bow of the key, and pulled down- ward with a string. But on the side door of this house there is no lock and key; nor is there a bow in the bolt- handle, Now, the resourceful Skeel, ! while pacing nervously about, looking for something that might offer a sug- gestion, probably espied the tweezers on the lady's dressing-table--no lady nowadays is without these little eye- brow-pluckers, don't y' know--and im- mediately his problem was solved. "It yemained only to test the device. Before departing, however, he chisel- od open t! e jewel case which the other chap had merely dinted, and found the solitaire diamond ring that he later attempted to pawn, "Then he erased, ss he thought, all his finger-prints, forgetting to wipe off the inside door-knob of the closet, and overlooking the handmark on the table. After that, he let himself out quietly, and rebolted the side door the same as I did, stuffing the tweezers in his waistcoat packet and forgetting them." (To be continged.) --------i THE WAY You say, "Where goest Thou?" I can- not tell, And still go on. "If but the way she straight I cannot go amiss; before me lies Dawn and the day; the night behind me: that Suffices me, I break the-bounds: I see And nothing more; believe and noth- ing less, My future is not one of my concerns, ------r---- "He could have left by the side door | - V| own very best work." Edward Slater," she added, thinking SMALL DUTIES Great principles and small dutles is the secret of all noble and ¢alm life. a Minard's--50 Year Record of Success. | hard to arouse him. = I say, 'Why can't you be like Edward Slater? Bd- ward is,at the head of his class and 1 am sure he is no smarter than you are.' I even offered George a dolar it he would beat Edward's record in arithmetic. But it's no use. He does not even try." Vi "Don't you think that may be one root of Your trouble?" responded her friend, Sarah. "When you set out to get one child to 'outdo some other Child, you make it doubly hard for him to do so. For insta of cannot help being given from every- thing. --Whitney, ' | -- ar Use Minard's in the Stable, George putting his entire energy into his school work, a good part of it is spent in watching Edward, trying to The Cruisabouts Are Boat Value! | ST IMAGINE -- a a find out what it is that gives Edward! JUST J the lead, and perhaps in copying the home's! igh oT ULL least important things that he does,| wide ana 3" In other words, you are urging him to fy a is be an imitator, and you know that an| deck space 'or more imitator seldom produces anything as| Hany low' prise of q good as the thing he imitates." 33.585 at the factory, "Well, then, if you don't approve of what I've done, tell me what you would do to interest George in his school," Ride. Shit of Clear demanded Polly, slightly aggrieved. M ogany beau full nis! "Perhaps you can find out what is the matter with his arithmetic. It may be only carelessness in 'setting down the problem. Or he may be slow in setting down his problems and that gives him a low mark in all the speed tests, But at any rate, I would 5 8 of 13 miles per hours Write for booklet son 29' Cruisabouts. Becauss of stand- dization Richardson uisabouts are low in Gray Marine gives a Sales and Ser 371 Bay Street A little jogging puts a clock or waten | Vish ot of frame; 30 v lise pasion ic) T son, R i On, ots vice by T. B. F. BENSON, N.A. Toronto, Ont. . be careful not to suggest to him a comparison with any other child. To improve on his own record would be a better incentive. Just let him know that you only expect him to do his "l am surprised that you 'think it is so terribly important that I should not sugest any rivalry with another child. But I am willing to try out your plan, at least, for a while. George simply hates school at the present time," said Polly regretfully. "There isn't any fun in imitating other people--at least not to any one with as active and original a mind as George has. Can't you imagine how it would be if you and I were asked to write an essay in imitation of Ma- cauley or a play like Shakespeare's and do them.better than the originals? The very idea of imitating and at the same time excelling the work of a person of ability would appall us, dis- courage us, and we should hate the task with all our might." "And we should hate Macauley and Shakespeare with all our might, too," sald Polly. "I believe George hates out her problems. "He is hating his school, hating Edward and envying Would yourob your children ? CANADIAN GOVERNMENT HON. PETER HEENAN Minister ; It is not fair to your children if they are com- pelled to support your old age. It is bumiliag to you. Avoid the possibility. Take ing of the Canadian Gover System, and at 65 you will years self-respecting and secure with asteady income for life, nment Annuities face the remaining ANNUITIES Mail this Coupon today POSTAGE FREE Annuities Branch Department of Labour, wa Dept. TWL-1 Annuities Branch, Department of Labour, Ottawa Please send MPLETE INFO! Sorat Can SOM NEORMATION Print Clsasiy Addr. ACKED BY THE WHOLE DOMINION SAFE AND ECONOMICAL Noman of good a anos goes out Without w collar fave a safe, pure, sve and the best - z A big value line. Svan ounces of od tissue = « o "COTTAGE" ~The aristocrat of Sterilized Tis. sues, . Wrapped Rolls, "e o THESE STERILIZED EDDY TISSUES SK for it by name, and you will get soft, Sterilized Tis~ valve for money in any one of these Eddy Rolls ® Full weight -- full count --in o Quality tissye worthy of the finest bathroom, =~. « THE E. B. EDDY COMPANY LIMITED HULL =m Te CANADA | Just as most of our dreads are those They do not say to wish a rich million pounds, er that they themgelv need be, in order to achieve it. But the others will not wish for one thing only. They will go on wishing. for anything that strikes thelr fancy. The lure of a moment's amusement, the impulse to this or that self-indule gence, the innumerable side-alleys of interest and compromise will distract them as if they were gossamer in the wind, . : All wishes, to these people, are of equal importance. All are equally ire resistible, so that the habit of wishing becomes second nature. They long to live in a fairy world: They try to es- cape from reality. They think that if only this or that magic thing would happen they would be for ever happy, rich, successful, fa. mous, and contented, These are the people who wait on circumstances. They do not understand that wishes turn sour. They do not know that as time goes on such wishes become apologies for failure. They cannot face the fact that while they are still saying "I wish 1 had--" they are beginning to say "I wish 1 had had--!" Time passes quickly. The man who the rest of his life' in regretting, In his old age, his oné thought is: 14 could only have my life over again!" Even when he is dying, he is wasting his remaining hours in wishing that he had not spent his life in wishing. For the only thing to do with a wish is to use it as a spur. If we really wish for a thing, what is to prevent us from having that thing? Ah, I shall be told, much will stand In the way. Much fige, much hardship, much | bi won Supp g much does stan In the way: what does that matter? It is to be supposed that these others whom we see around us, whom we envy, have not had to overcome ob- stacles Is it to be supposed that they have not had their failures? Of course they have had to overcome obstacles. It is not possible for any man whol- ly to avoid mistakes, embarrassments, humiliations. But it is one thing to fail, and quite another thing to sub- mit to failure. The wise man, having failed once, is not discouraged. He picks himself up again, and goes for- ward. The wishmonger looks back, His spirit falters. He remains where he has fallen and wishes he had never ventured, He begins to pity himself. | He says, "If only--" © We know his song. He wants to be- gin life all over again, and go a dit ferent way. Where the brave man cuts his losses and pushes on. to his goal, the timid one wastes his time and his energy in regrets. He tells himself that he has failed. isnot his own fault, he says, but the fault of circumstances. He has taken the wrong.path, He has been misled. Wishes galore have been his life! How he hates the thought that it is 'approaching its end. What an outcry he makes against the cruelty of fate! He is in despair. You see that he has not learned any- thing at all from experience. If he had learned, he would realize that Nis moans are as useless as his wishes, for they are the wishes gone rancid. Haying for so. many years said "I wish," in such a way as to repudiate responsibility for his own actions, hey now says "Why didn't 1?" in an' effort to shirk responsibility. What folly! It is not, even now, a question of "Why didn't I?" but of "Why shouldn't I?" There Is still time to retrieve the battle. There is time and to spare, if only, instead of yielding he sets his '| face against the sin of admitting de- feat, and resolves to use well what- ever period of life remains to him. 'What can be done? First of all, are as they seem? Never! lot wht a gloomy ear id hav, th Bower to past is gone: hon I kn © as me Srow Shier ey tend more ) ® past, but that Is because they have Dect risimungent, They have wished and women things have RLY uncle would leave : pen to thems to make' spends his: youth in wishing spends in g more to live In