Evening Star Newspaper, November 27, 1921, Page 70

. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. 0., NOVEMBER 27, 1921-PART 4. time. About all the makes is to convert paw’ for a few days." And really it was remarkable to see how adroitly he handled both lnlfs and fork with only the single nd. “Why, you're ambidextrous!" claimed lele:. Coombs nodded Indifferently. In- deed, his mouth was too full to do much more, and evidently he regarded it as better employed than a discus- sion either of his disabilitles or his talents. The meal consequently pro- d almost entirely in silence, un- S:l t last the coffee appeared; and en, difference it ALLACE RAMSEY'S aoc- into a ‘south- 4 quaintance with Coombs dated from one of the most perilous moments of his career. Rather proot agalnat any manifes- tation of “nerves,” he yet could never Teview the circumstances without a sensation of chill running down ‘his spine—the evening rush hour in a subway station; the packed throngs along the platform; the deep rumble of an oncoming express train. As is i rounded the curve, he thought of it availing himself of Wallac fancifully as a mighty dragon with 2“’5’“"“5. he became more loqua great green and yellow eyes emerg- ex- st real food I've had in quite a ing thunderously from its black cav-[While,” he observed thoughtfully. Fee ‘Had a long streak of bad luck— bad luck all around.” There was a sudden surge forward “Well,” smiled Ramsey, “the only out him elbow headlong, sprawling across the tracks. He heard dully the clamor of confu- sion ab him—hoarse shouts and a woman's shrill, hysterical scream— muffled by the roar of the approach- ing express. He felt the rush of wind stirred up In advance of the train But half-stunned, he was satill inci pable of action. Then, almost as quickly he_ fell, a man, swift and agile as a cat, leap- ed from the platform and seizing! Ramsey under the arms, dragged him into the narrow space between the supporting pillars at the side of the tracks. The long string of black cars came to a grinding stop, and trainmen| swarmed and shouted about them. With the aid of these, Ramsey and his rescuer got back to the platform; and when he had satisfled inquiring officials that he was neither bent on suicide nor claiming any damages, Wallace was glad to get away from the jostling press and to limp up an exit stairway on his companion’s arm. Although pretty well shaken and bruised, he had escaped any nasty cuts or sprains, and he drew a grate- ful breath of relief as they emerged into the electric-spangled animation of the Broadway evening. “Feel safe now.” The man relaxed the steadying hold he had maintained on sey. “Or would you rather have me tag along?’ He glanced around a bit warily. “They’'re not apt to start anything on the street, of course; still—" ‘“They?” Ramsey questioned sharply. *“Sure, you don’t think the 'shove that sent you off the platform was an accident, do you? I tel' you, I saw the fellow's arm go out. I didn't get to see any more of him than that; I went after you. But you can take it from me. some one was trying to bump you off. EEES AMSEY frowned. The assertion unpleasantly strengthened an im- pression he had gained from two or three recent experiences—nothing so obvious as this, yet close shaves from accident or injury which it was hard to attribute wholly to chance. He had tried to put the suspicion away from him, had refused to consider it seriously; the idea of a vendetta against hym seemed so utterly fan- tastic. But here apparently was a positive and definite confirmation. Involuntarily he cast a quick look OUNSEL FO 8| of shintn, raising the shades and wheeling the tea table up to Ramsey's bedside. Insensibly, Ramsey found his doubts and ill-humor vanishing under the influence of these cheerful, capable ministrations. The food, too, when he came to taste of it, was delicious, & change indeed from tho soggy, half- congealed breakfasts he had been in the custom of having sent up to him from the restaurant It began to seem as If instead of the incubus he had feared he was harboring. an angel unawar And as time went on he inclined more and more to the angel-unawares theory. His apartment became a place order; he no longer wasted in searching for h! belongings and cureing the perve sity of inanimate things: his m invariably appetising and on Coombs was easy and unob- , and his conversation, when Ramsey was in the meod for it, had a racy tang which his employer found refreshing and amusing. In this agreeable atmosphere Ram- sey found, too, that his own efficiency was increased. He was an American who had spent a good share of his life abroad, and was now in this country, he let it be known; doing some special work for one of the French periodicals. Not that he was dependent upon this, he explained, for he had inherited a fair-sized for- tune; but he was an energetic person with & talent for obaervation, and the billet suited his somewhat nomadic temperament. Indeed, the very smoothness and tranquillity of his life after Coombs came began to pall a little. Waxing fat like Jeshurun, he was inclined to kick. His days were without thrill or excitement; everything that he FOR AN IMPERCEPTIBLE MOMENT HE PAUSED, SURVEYING RAMSEY, WHO SAT IN THE STRONGER LIGHT. about him as the other man hadlgyre thing about luck, they say, is|needed was always at his hand; all done, then jerked his head toward a ding at the curb. get out of this.” had an engagement for dinner, but don’t feel in_the mood to keep it now. And you offered to see me on my way. Suppose, if you've nothing else on hand, that we dine together to- night: then we can talk things over at our leisure. My name is Ramsey, by the way—Wallace Ramsey.” that it is bound to change. I can help turn the tide.” The man seemed to consider, twist- fingers. he scrupled. you off those tracks,” But I'm “That was nothing much. Ramsey; and I would*like a job around New York here for a while. “Mine's ~Coombs.” returned theflave you a valet?” other. “And ‘dine’ sounds good tol"% vilet: That explained his cos- e mopolitanism, the near-gentleman air He gave an appraising glance at Ramsey as he spoke. taking in the latter’s general alr of prosperity and well-being, which only money in the rockets and the certainty of more to draw on if needed can bestow; then he followed the other to the waiting cab and helped him aboard. Inside the taxi Ramsey leaned back a little dizzily against the cushions and closed his eyes; he still felt the shock of his recent experience, and the revelation connected with it nat- urally did not add to his peace of mind. Only once did he break silence dur- ing their short drive of five or six blocks, and then it was to voice Inquiry regarding his assailant. Y of him, but yet not wholly. Ramsey to classify Coombs; even the valeting fitted him “I don’t know. kel bious. I've one so far. You see, although I'm I travel a good deal, and I've learned to do pretty well for myself. To tell the truth, I'm afrald find enough to occupy you.” “I think I could make myself use- ful” urged Coombs. “I'm a pretty good cook, too—nothing fancy, you , | sure. ' I could also,” with that half- ou say you only saw the man's|impudent cock of his eyes, “wear any arm?’ he probed. “But you could|haif-worn clothes you have. We're tell something from that, couldn’t|near enough of a size to be twins.” you? Was he young or old? Well or: roughly dressed? Would you," with a suggestion of eagerness, “describe him as a professional man—a lawyer, perhaps?” Coombs shook his head. “I couldn’t_answer, not if I was under oath. You see,” apologetically, “it was all over 3o quick, just like a flash; and my mind was more on sa: ing you than taking notice of him. “Of course,” Ramsey agreed grate- fully; “and small chance of a_quarrel bstween us on that score. It's due entirely to your presence of mind and pluck that I'm sitting here alive and whole, and don’t think that I forget it._ I can’t thank you—not in words. was only,” he reverted, “that T thought you might have caught some sort of snapshot impres- sion of the man that would aid us as a clue in fixing his identity.” “No.” Coombs _again shook his head. “It might have been a lawye: it might have been a longshoreman. For all I can say, it might have been a Chink or an Indian in full war paint. I'd like to help you, Mr. Ram- sey, but honestly I qan't.” * kX X TH!! subject was dropped; and a moment or two later they drew up before the place to which Ramsey had directed the chauffeur, a restau- rant not too smart, but where the food was excellent, and they could talk without the interruption of ‘music. By this time Ramsey had recovered suficiently to take a less absorbing interest in his own sensations and to feel some stirrings of curiosity in re- gard to the man who had so intrep- idéy risked his life to save that of a stranger. After he had led the way to a small table in a secluded alcove and had ordered a substantial dinner —Coombs' tastes, he found, were most catholic; anything suited him that could be served quickly—he tried to appraise his new acquaintance with- out appearing to make too close a scrutiny. He had already been struck by a sort of indefinable resemblance in the man to himself, but now he came to the conclusion that it lay more in outline than in feature. They were of about the same height and build, and the shape of the head and face was similar, but there the likeness ended. Ramsey was dark, but Coombs was swarthy. Ramsey's eyes were steady and contemplative Coombs’ were quick and glancing, roaming everywhere and seeing everything. He was a thoroughly urban speci- men, conveying the impression, some- how, that he knew more of cities, especially on their seamy side, than of the open country. His was the cosmopolitanism of the born rover, with a ready adaptability to what- ever circumstanc came his way. His clothes, although well-made, were shabby; his boots were broken, and there as a yellowish pallor on his face and a sinking in of the.cheeks which suggested that he had known a recent season of rigorous fasting, a fact which was further attested by the famished way in which he fell upon his food when it was brought. Ramsey noticed, though, after the soup was finished and a thick, juicy steak which followed had been served, that Coombs winced in attempting to manipulate his portion. and trans- fcrred his knife from his right hand to his left. "?‘:‘i:t-‘d my elbow a bit back there in the subway,” he explained in re- sponse to theother's inquiring glance, sey. pretty bad service all around. do you want to start?” ‘Now,” replied Coombs promptly. ‘Nowhere else to go; I was planning on a night up in Van Cortland Park when I ran into you. And I'm carry- ing everything I'vesgot on my back.” Ramsey was surprised. He had not imagined it was anywhere near so bad as that with his companion. But Coombs only laughed at his expres- sions of solicitude. He had evidently been in tighter corners. “You'll come with me tonight, any- how,” said Ralmsey decisively., “Then you can leave or stay, as you please. My life may be worthless enough to others, but it's distinctly valuable to me; and since you've saved it, I want you to let me—" He reached for his bill-fold, but Coombs stretched a deprecating hand across the table. “No need of that, Mr. Ramsey,” he protested. “If you gave me money.” twitching his nose whimsically, “it would be just a roundabout way of presenting it to a lot of poker sharks and handbook men. I'd rather keep fit. and earn it. I want to keep fit.” His face became serious, even dark for a moment. “And really I'm not a bad_valet; I can pull all that, ‘Beg pardon, sir’ and ‘Do you wish your morning_coat? stuff all right, if I have to.” “Besides,” he added as a clinching voice, “you oughtn’t to be alone, sir. Whoever was responsible for that business tonight isn't going to rest satisfled with a failure. They'll be trying it again, and you might find it very convenient to have some one close at hand.” * %k Xk ALLACE started. Diverted by Coombs’ chatter, that ominous phase of his late adventure had tem- porarily slipped his mind. Nor could he dismiss it as a mere bugaboo, a trumped-up or imaginary danger. The more he reflected upon the chain of events which had culminated in that evening’s attack, the more he was convinced that he was the object of a directed and deliberate hostility. After all, it would be rather com- fortable to have within call a fellow 8o alert and resburceful as Coombs had shown himself. So the bargaln was concluded, and in their new relatlonship of master and_man the two betook themselves to Ramsey's flat with a feeling of mutual satisfaction. But the next morning when he awoke Wallace began to gquestion what he had let himself in for. He had taken under his roof a fellow of whom he knew nothing, and who, al- though he talked a good deal and on all manner of subjects, vouchsafed precious little information regarding himself—a vagabond certainly; per- haps a thief, a drunkard, or & - tive from justice. It would have been more the part of common sense to have paid the man a reward and have ended the matter then and there. He- could hear Coombs stirring about in the kitchen, and called to him with a half notion to rescind the ar- rangement they had entered into. Al- most immediately Coombs app L carrying a perfectly appointed break- fast tray. “I rather thought you wouldn’t feel like getting up this mornln"it sir, after that jolt you had last night; hn e E x l l 5 fred Ramsey urged him Ut Ao ooeer. “It's nothing.” he |l had everything ready for you.” e Ao well By itmelf in no' expinined as be busied him ing his cigarette about in his slimof scraped~ along without [which seemed i | | l | Perhaps his wants were anticipated and pr vided for. Even that sinister hap- pening in the subway faded as a hint impending menace. The weeks passed, and there was no further cir- “I don’t want to be paid for pulling; cumstance which could, even by con- jecture, be twisted into a move against him. There were times when up against it, no denying that, Mr.| Wallace questioned pretty strongly whether Coombs, in spite of his posi- tive assertion, might not have been mistaken, or might not for his own advantage have exaggerated the ac- tual facts. * & And then one day sometfiing oc- rather prided himself on his abllity | curred which suddenly broke the even to guess a man's calling at a glance,] tenor of existence, and had but so far he had been quite unable |reaching effect upon the lives of both trade of | R chi a far- amsey and hia valet A 7 It started wi r which Ram- ®y received EEbAaakrast time, and 2o exért .a peculiarly perturbing influence upoa him. He living now in a bachelar apartment.|rose abruptly from the table on read- ing it, although his meal was scarcely halt finished. and passed &t once into you wouldn’t|his study. Not to work, however, al- though the morning was the time he usuallyt spent at his desk. Coombs could hear him inside, pacing up and down the floor and moving restlessly know; but I could please you, I'm!about. ; Precisely at 12 o’clock he closed the door of communication between his study and the rest of the apartment, another unusual thing for him to do, 've noticed that, t0o,” sald Ram-!and shortly thereafter answered a “Well, if you want to come with | telephone call, speaking in so guarded me T'll not say no; I've been getting|a tone that what he said would have When | been quite Indistinguishable six feet i from the instrument. 1 argument, significantly lowering his ¢ After this he was more like him- self, but still showed a sort of pre- occupled excitement, and started up as on an impulse in the middle of luncheon to hurry away te his bank. Returning & half-hour or so later, he spent the rest of the afternoon fidgeting uneasily about the apart- ment until 5 o'clock, when, as if un- able to stand the inaction any lon, he seized his hat and stick and went out, telling Coombs that he was go- ing for a long walk and would not be back for dinner. * %k % x T a quarter after 6 he was swinging around a corner into one of the cross streets of the upper West Side, his quick, nervous stride undiminished, when hi= foot encoun-, tered 2 banana peel dropped by some careless urchin, and he went down with a crash to the sldewalk. A sharp, sickening pain at the knee half numbed him for a moment, and as he struggled to arise the agony became S0 intense that he slumped back, white-lipped and impotent. Then a strong arm was thrown around him as a support, and he heard a familiar voice making solicitous in- quiries. Even his suffering gave way or a minute to incredulous amase- ment. “Coombs!” he gasped. “How &d you happen to be here?’ “Oh, I often follow you about,” con- fessed the valet. “You're so reckless, Mr. Ramsey. And I've never been able to get over the sight of that fellow pushing you into the subway. But tell me,” he interrupted himself, “are you badly hurt, sir?’ “It's my knee,” Ramsey groaned. A crowd had collected by this time, and with the aid of one or two husl fellows he was lifted to his feet. don’t believe I can stand on it.” He w the grasp of his sup- porters with another twinge of pain. Then, as a church clock in the neigh- borhood chimed the quarter hour, he steadied himself and set his teeth. “No matter about that,” he said, feverishly. “I'll manage eomehow. Coombs, get me a taxi.” 3 “Oh, you mustn’t, Mr. Ramsey,” Coombs protested. “You mustn’t think of it A thing of that kind might cripple’ you for life unless you glive it immedjgte attention. There's a doctor’s office right across the way here. At least, see what he has to say about it.” But what the doctor had to say was anything but ' encouraging to Ramsey's purpose. The injury was pronounced a severe wrench, in vh|:a some of the ligaments hdd been to: loose, and which, unless immediate treatment were given, might result in the most serlous consequences. “But I have an important engage- ment,” expostulated Ramsey; “some- thing that simply cannot be post- poned. I'll be back here in half an hour.” He struggled to get uj only to sink back with face convulsed and the sweat beading out across his forehe: “I can't do {t!” he exclaimed, de- spairingly. $ Coomb ned forward with an odd, little glint in his eyes.- . - “Isn’t it something that I might be able to .nen’:nta .gor u:idr‘;" o Ramsey glanced up sharp! esl- tated a second, them, t-m? ‘to the| doctor, asked if Coombs and himself might be left alone for a moment. seif la| But even .after the doctor had e O e L -} as he spoke, |1 stepped aside it seemed difficult for Ramsey to bring himeelf to speak. Finally, his face growing scarlet, he plunged into an explanation. “Coombs,” he said, “at one time in my life I was fool enough and cad enough to write some letters to a lady who had gfven me absolutely no encouragement to do g0, They wete harmless in intent, the mere outpour- ings of a lovesick boy, but so open to misconstruction that to have them &0 astray might result in terrible co;:x-equex(cel." ply between his teeth, whether from physical suffering or in reproba- tion of his folly it would have been hc'r'a‘!‘hto imaid, and drew his breath Y. e letters were stolen by a he went on, “who has finally agreed to return them for a price, and it was to meet her and close the bargain that T wi bound tonight lwhen I had to run into this. And the Ideucfl of it is" he writhed, “that ishe has threatened, unless I appear promptly and pay over the sum de- i manded, she will dispose of the ters to—well, in another quarte It's simple enough, then, Isn't it, air? All I've got to do is to see her in your place, and after explaining how you've been prevented from com- ing, tell her that she’ll have to make a new appointment. If you'll just let me know where you were to meet her, and how to pick her out, I'll—" “No,” Ramaey broke in impatiently. “She's a suspicious creature. She'd think I was trying to play some trick on her, and be apt to disappear as she did before. I've been trying to get in touch with her for months, you see. She left the place whel she was employed without notice, and, either through revenge or with the 14, of realizing on them, she took the letters with her. Ever since I have been endeavoring to trace her. I have advertised and employed pri- vate detectives and followed all sorts of clues, but without success until this morning, when she sent me a letter arranging for a telephone con- versation, in which she stated her terms. * ¥ *x ¥ uNo‘" he repeated emphatically; “I can't lose this chance. I must have those letters. If I disappoint her or ask for a postponement, there's no telling what she’ll do. I've got to 80, I tell you. I've got to get there!” “Let me do it for you, offered Coombs; “that is, if you're not afraid to trust me with the money." Ramsey dismissed any idea of that sort with a contemptuous sniff. Coombs' honesty had been proved on too many occasions. Nevertheless, he shook his head. “She insists on dealing with me in person. She stipulated those two con- ditions—that I come myself, and come alone.” “Even ®0, 'sir, it might be man- aged.” Coombs' tone was almost ur- gently pérsuasive. “Half the time the people down at the apartment house don’t know which of us is which; the hall boys are forever calling me Mr. Ramsey. It's the clothes and the general resemblance; and then, if 1 do say it myself, sir, 1 have caught quite your alr. Where were you to meet this woman?’ he added. Ramsey gave a street number not more than a dozen blocks distant from where they were. “It's a drug store” he explained, “and T am to wait for her beside a revolving bookcase which contains the circulating library.” “That's easy.” Coombs displayed mounting enthusiasm for the adven- ture. “T'll stand with my face to- ward the books, picking them out of the case and glancing them over until she shows up and comes toward me. Then she'll either do business with me or else I'll follow her and find where she hangs dut. Trust me not to_let her get away.” - Ramsey pondered a moment. After all, it was not so wild an expedient as’ it sounded. He could remember little of the maid's appearance except that she was tall and light with gray eyes, and was it nog fair to suppose that she remembered as little of him | and might readily be deceived by the more than casual likeness of Coombs to himself? Faced by his disabllity and In the absence of any better sug- gestion, he yielded a reluctant consent and handed over the envelope con- taining the money. “Yo#l must be careful, though, and make no mistake,” he cautioned. “The woman's name is Sands—Ella Sands.” And he added with this such identifying data as he could recall. Coombs’ attentiorns however, seemed to be more concerned with the money in the envelope. He was running his thumb over the inclosed sheaf of bills as he counted them. “Five thousand!” He glanced up. “Isn’t that pretty steep, sir?” “Of course, it's steep. If it was only myself that was threatened, I'd see this Sands woman—" He broke | off abrutly as he noted a significant tightening of the lines about Coombs’ mouth. “But no haggling, mind,” he ad- jured sternly. “If she turns over the letters, pay her and let her_go. There are two of them, in my hi and on my special note can't make a mistake. After all, { a cheap enough price to pay for free- dom from the sleepless nights and all the anxiety and worry that the things have been costing me. “And now"—he glanced hurriedly at his watch—"on your way. You've 3 He call s he started for the door. “It seems absurd, I know—a perfectly respecta- ble drug store in a quiet, residential quarter, and in broad daylight—but it has struck me that the thing may possibly be a trap. There's a con- nection—I can’t stop to explain it now—between this woman and the person I suspect of responsibility for those attacks against me( Better take this with you.” He opened his hand to show a small automatic which he had drawn from his coat pocket. But Coombs backed away with a quick shake of the hand. “I'm safer without it, sir. They'd get me just the same If that's the idea.. And having a weapon would make it look black for me in case of trouble. But there won't be any trouble,” he laughed reassuringly. “T'll have my eyes peeled and my ear: lopen, and at the first funny mo [itn be ‘safety first' for me and a quick get-away.” So with a gay wave of the hand and a promise to be back in less. than no time, he started away, making such good speed that it still lacked ten minutes to the appointed hour when Ihe arrived at his degtination. * ¥ k% HE drug store, Coombs found, was on a corner and occupled the ground floor of an apartment house. It had two, entrances—one at the in- tersection of the two streets and ome at the side. To enter at the front door it was neceesary to go down two or three steps, while the side door was flush with the street level, which at this point followed a rather steep incline. Sauntering in, he bought himself a cigar, and, having time to spare, oc- cupled himself in taking note of his surroundings. The bookcase holding the thumbed and limp volues of the circulating. library was, he saw, on the right of the store and directly opposite the side entrance. He also observed t the windows being below the of dewalk, it was impossible for what was going on 1t ol . He did ot forget, though, to keep an eye on the clock, an@ as its hands approched seven he strolled ocare- essly back toward the bookcase and began idly glancing over the variots titles. - Presently he took a book from the shelves and apparently became absorbed in its contents. As _he stood there a’ woman, tall and fair, came in at the front door. She went directly” to the counter where tollet articles were displayed and made one or two small pu She was ‘mme quiet and com- as walted for her parcels and her change. ere handed to her she turned and walked back toward the circulating library. ‘ h g3 0] bes 1a that great ovel vo"d' rchases. mockingly R THE DEFENSE Coombs did not turn or even lift his head as she approached behind him, but he was watching her every move- ment in a mirror on one of the show- cases, with which he caretully placed himself in line. A minute or two. later there wis the thud of a body falling to the floor. A clerk and two customefs ran forward. They thought the woman had fainted. But as they bent over her they saw the handle of a long, thin knife pro- truding from her chest and the blood making a widening circle on the floor. As they lifted her, it was plain that she was already dead. She had been stabbed to the heart. In the momentary, startlied hush, the sound n_automobile moyin, door throbbe: 1llnes: then, as by magic, the store filled with an excited crowd of peop “Hold that man!” the cigar clerk shouted as Coombs pushed toward an “He was talking to he In an instant Coombs was seized, and although he made no effort to rve- ist, held in a grip of iron by willing nds. He looked dased; his breath was coming rapidly. “What ~happened?’ he gasped. “What's the matter with her?” “Gu you kno criew a dosen voices. “It's murder: “But it can't be,’ he stammered. “I—— There was no One NeaAr us— just her and ‘me. She started to go. and then I heard her fall” The policeman on the beat came shouldering through the press, and with curt authority relieved the vol- unteer posse of their captive. He ran his hands over Coombs’ person in a recautionary rch for weapons, ut finding none, stood listening to the excited babble of the clerks and spectators while he waited for the wagon. On its arrival with a squad of police and two plain-clothes men, he summed up the matter to his im- mediate superior in a single terse comment. “Open-and-shut case, Sarge,” he ad- vised out of the corner of his mouth. “This is the guy, all right.” Then they took the prisoner away. At the station house the letters he had been commissioned to securs were found on him, and with the ex- planation he gave for his possession of them, Ramsey was naturally sent for. Mystified at the summons, for he had as yet heard nothing of the tragedy, and had been impatiently awaiting the return of Coombs, Ramsey was still more taken aback when he came hobbling into the station on his crutches, to be conducted into the captain’s office and there subjected to a grilling. s * * ¥ FOI\TL'.\'ATELY. the -t'ary he tuvld coincided in every essential detail with that previously related by Coombs. Fortnately, too, the repre- sentative of the district attorne, of~ fice who was questioning him hap- pened to be a social acquaintance of his. The latter, when he had taken Ramsey backward and forward over his movements of the day several times without shaking in any degree the straightforward nature of his an- finally acquainted him with s of the case and unbent role of inquisitor. “I hope I don’t need to how delighted I am,” he sald, “that you have come through so clean. I was afrald when I first tackled this thing that you were pretty seriously involved and that we were in for nasty scandal; but your story tallies perfectly with that of your valet, and is further confirmed by the fact that the dead woman had the exact sum you mention, five thousand dol- lars, in her bag. I must hold these letters, but 1 shall put them under seal, and ‘unless the court insists upon it or unless the case shows some rew angle, I see no reason why gither the nature of them or the name of the person to whom they were ad- dressed need ever be divulged.” Ramsey thanked him, and then asked eagerly if he might be allowed to see Coombs, and, consent being granted, the prisoner brought in. Coombs still seemed rather stunned by the disaster which had overwhelmed him, but insisted Yehemently that his arrest was a terrible mistake. “Why, what reason would I ha Mr. Ramsey? I'm not crazy. Wi should T go and kill a woman that I never saw before and never expected to see again?’ “Of course you didn't do {t.” sald Ramsey. “But,” with frowning re- flectio! “who did? Think hard, Coombs; was there no one lurking about s Coombs shook his head. ‘No one that I saw,” he said slowly. “It might be that some one slipped up very quickly and quietly; my atten- tion was diverted for a moment. You see, she had just puj the money in her bag and was enapping the catch and T was slipping the letters into my inside coat pogket. One of them caught against fhe pocket lining and bent over. I looked down as I stral, ened it out. In that instant the was done. “As I say,” he repeatéd, “I saw no one either before or affer. But that is_how it must have happened.” tell you t- ng Ramsar caught up his theory eagerly. “Yes.” he agreed, “that is undoubt- edly the explanation. And we'll provs it, too, before we are through. Don't let yourself get down-hearted for a 1 got you into this I can secure, and not a stone will be left unturned to establish your com- lete innocence.” & He turned to his friend from the district attorney’s office. “Who is the best criminal lawyer to be had?” he asked. “The best? Why, Heywood Achison, of course, if you can get him. He stands head and shoulders above any other man I could mention.” “No!” Ramsey’s brow darkened as he demurred to the suggestion. * % ¥ ¥ BU‘I.‘ later in the cab as he men- tally canvassed the flve or six other names given him by the lawyer, struggling meanwhile against a grow- ing despondency over the outlook, he caught himself dwelling on the brilli- ant capabilities of the advocate first proposed. And finally he tapped on the pane in front of him and gave his driver a new address. ‘The man turned about, swung over to the Grand Central viaduct, and after covering several blocks stopped in front of one of the apartment hcuses of upper Park avenue. Hard- ening his resolution, he allowed him- self to be helped out 4 assisted into the bullding. There he asked for Mr. Heywood Achison, and, learning that the latter was at home, sent up word that he wished to see him on a matter of urgent business. After & brief delay, s message was returned requesting him to come up. On reaching the apartment Wallace found a servant waiting to inform him that Mr. Achison was busily en- ged in his study at the moment, but he would be with him in a few min- utes, and he was accordingly ushered into a small and very beautiful re- ception room. The rich, dim light from concealed glol lay softly over its crimson dulled to flnlsl‘mlnd its violets with the bloom of crimson on them. Pink and saffron petals were falling from a bowl of roses whose perfume filled the air. A gray cat was curled up on an orchid cushion, and it sleep- {ly opened its eyes and then closed them again Ramsey wearflly sat down. Almost immediately s curtain w pushed aside and Achison stood in the doorway. He was & tall, imposing man, with & grace and quickness of movement which even his increasing flesh could not mar. His heavy, iro; eray halr was tossed back, from tinguished brow. His eyes had the cold, clear glint of steel, but his ex- pression was uniformly benign. r-an imperceptible moment he surveying Ramsey, who sat n the stronger light. From the alight curl of his lip, be might have been rasing to himself that of Ahab’s to Elijah: “Hast und me, O mine enemy?" He spoke in that thou “Ah. Ramsey." A Thrilling Story by Mrs. Wilson Woodrow suave, mellifluous voice which had swayed many a jury, and which now was pointed with a faint surprise and hauteur. ‘Then, notlclnr hig visitor's pallor and the effort it was costing him to rise, he added quickly: “What_ is it? Have you had an accident?” Ramsey sank back in his chair, eas- ing his knee. The twingle occasioned by his attempt to get up caused him to scowl, and the scowl remained as he gased at Achison without endeav- oring {n‘any degree to veil his hostil- ity. He was too young to have ac- quired the art of which the lawyer was master, that of concealing his feelings. - “Yes,” he said shortly; “I've man- aged to bang up my knee. That's an unimportant thing in itself, but it spread consequences. You may mot have heard of the murder which oc- cured this evening?”’ “Murder?’ repeated Achison in his GCEE tones. “Who was murdered?’ “Ella Sands. She was stabbed in a drug store over on the West Side, and my man, Coombs, has been arrested or jt. He went 'to meet her in my stead, after 1 had slipped on a bit of banana peel” He made a disgusted grimace at the thought of his misad- venture. “I was on my way to see her,” he sald now with sharp em- ph “for reasons which you prob- ably know and under circumstances of which you are doubtless aware.” There was a_ quick narrowing of Achison's eyes, but his poise was un- shaken. He was invulnerable to sur- he said again. and the astonishment in his tone was un- feigned, or would have'seemed so to any ome less skeptical of him than Ramsey. “And by—what did you say name was? Ah, Coombs.” He paused. “S80,” he added reflectively, “Ella Sands is dead, killed by your valet.” The inflection of the words, slight as it was, gave them the effect of a sin- ister innuendo. *“How did this—er— Coombs happen to be in your employ? Tell me all the circumstances of the case, if you will be 8o good. And, by the way, you are looking very badly, Mr. Ramsey. Let me order you some Scotech. 1 still have a fair stock.” “Thanks, no.” Wallace declined the ofter with a negative gesture. Then as succinctly as pogsible he told his story. Achison followed it with profound attention. “Very strange,” “he mut- tered abstractedly when Ramsey had finished. “Very strange. What is your theory regarding it?" Ramsey leaned forward in his chair. The stronger light accentuated the lines of pain and anxiety in his face. His hair, damp with perspira- tion, streaked across his forehead. “I'll give you my theory,” he satd in a hard voice; “but there's a preface to come first. You may remember that in the fight tc a finish that's on be- tween you and me, I once had you ¥airly cornered, and you wiggled out by holding over me the possession of those letters in the hands of Ella Sands. For the sake of the lady in- volved, I was forced to refrain from exposing you.” * ok x % CHISON had lifted the cat to his knee and was smoothing its fur with even, gentle strokes. His head ‘was thrown back and he was looking at Ramsey disdainfully through half- closed eyes. “Are you still nursing that absurd delusion that you once caught me in a questionable transaction?’ he asked in bored scorn. “Me!” It was rather superb, the Caesarlike way in which he sald it. He sighed and shook his head, “Such obsessions are dange ous. They should be resolutely ex- cluded from the mind.” “I am well aw: that my knowl- edge is dangerous,” Ramsey answered significantly. His face was paler than ever; his eyes were burning. “I have eral occasions. of Coombs. To any with the facts, it is ridiculous to be- lieve that he is gullty of this murder. 1 know it, Mr. Achison, and so do you. Then who is guilty? Why, obviously some one who knew beforehand that Ells Sands was to deliver those letters Lo had some pretty serious and wide- |1 ‘Therefors, and slso because 1 want Coombs_to have the best obtainab counsel, I am asking you to take the cass.” Achison was silent. Apparently he e study of & n eng-ossed in th scarab ring upon A T, “I don't believ: Ramsey leaned forward, “you would particularly care to have your affiliation with the S8ands ‘woman disclos or the fact that you had turned over to her letters to be used in the levy of blackmail.” Achison glanced up from his con- templation of the ring and nodded. “You are quite right,” he admitted sily. “And ye he continued half- ingly, “I h of circumstances, and, to my mind, fully justified. You must understand, amsey.” he squared back in his chair with an ajr of thoroughly unbosom- ing himself, “I have known Ella Bands for a long time, off and on. 1 once cleared har of a charge of rob- bery when she was little more than a girl, and she has ever since looked to me as an adviser, and has made me to some extent her confidant. It was due to this re ion or quasi-relation between us that I was able to secure from her and hold in my keeping your letters; but only on condition that I should not destroy them and would deliver them to her on demand at any time she could convince me no injury would inure thereby to the lady involved. “Poor thing' He shook his head contemplatively. “She had a good many hard knocks from life, and I suppose they had taught her to drive & sharp bargain. “At any rate” he resumed, “she came to me not long ago and insisted on a performance of the covenant. She told me that she was no longer young, and felt that she ought to establish herself in a settled position. Her brother, she said, a successful truck farmer, would buy more land and take her in as & partner if she could furnish the required capital She thought then of the letters, and, knowing that you had been seeking to locate her, looked to you as a likely purchaser. “I told her if she could give me proof that you were the person buy. ing them she could have the letter: and accordingly the telephone conve sation you had with her, in whieh the terms - were arranged, was held from my office, with me_ listening on an other instrument. Regarding it as transaction beneficial to both =sid he smiled benevolently, “I gave her the letters without further question, and supposed that ended the matter.” “I can quite believe what you say!" Ramsey, who had been frowning throughout the recital, exclaimed bit- terly. “Your story is worthy of you in every respect, and confirms me in my suspicion that you had a hand in the later developments.” Achison shrugged his with supreme indifference. shoulders matters, the case sessions MM t.hn:":u;ngl ‘l‘:u ] dacity of Achison s " trial lawrer, foun: nted. To his mind, & raw novice himaself bitterly disa; e practical isplayed but up‘lz of the jury, per- botgllld almost : , he , hardly .roust = nllmm.m’nsprza:u o examining the various wi Again and lflh he let 'p‘o'l‘:l: to which he might the talk of the wum;hm o8, spectators—he heard but sion, that Achison umu?m-’"fy to_be threwing his case away. The representative of the district st- torney, on the other hand, was full of confidence and vigor. He evidently be- lieved, with the policeman who had !lkMI‘ Coombs into custody. that it was an “open-and-shut case,” in which cen- viction was a certainty. But he did not on that account remit any effort to pail home his contention in the minds of the ury. He pictured for them th - timony "of the clerks and. bystanders that scene in the drug store, with the full daylight of early evening on the streets outside, and the interior brightly {lluminated by ‘a acore of electric giobes. He made them seo the man and woman standing apart, and within constant view of at least a dogen people—no pos- sible place of concealment near them-— the side door a good ten paces away. :'n inference that Coombs alone couid have struck the blow that killed Elia ands was inescapable, unless one chose to go back to the days of en- chantment and believe that the assassin had come in a cloak of darkness. The crime being established with the circumstances which pointed to- ward Coombs as its perpetrator, k- cleverly skirted that Jack of metive which ‘was the weakest link in his fn‘;':‘;'ro-"?: which with all ite efforts ecution had fi - the prosecut ailed adequate *x %% UNAB!,E to prove a previoss ac- quaintance between valet and vict!m, or to show any of the personal incitement to murder—jealousy, ha- tred or revenge—he fell back on rob- bery as the cause, and from the 8le circumstance of the $5,000 in the Wwoman’s bag built up a plausible argument. By innuendo, by sugges- tion and by direct mum..f' he painted Coombs as a crafty, scheming fellow, who, realising that he would undoubtedly be arrested if he made off with the money before paying the woman, had planned to get it by “Ahave no apologies to make.” he|killing her, and th y said, his tone Still satirically cour- | ment cffecting o quick disappemmoite teous. “Granting that my action in It was a flimsy theory, but by his the premises was perhaps not strictly | very persistence in pre: i ethical, you must yet admit that it|made it stick; yet lllplhl':l:l’!'lll‘e .(Ate:lf was human, very human. * % ¥ % “HOWEVER," he broke off, speak- ing more briskly, “as you say, the question of importance at present is not what you think of me or I of you, but how to deal with this situa- tion that has arisen. If the attitude of the district attorney’s office is what you tell me, I have no doul¢ that the letters can be successfully suppressed. But as to securing an acquittal for this valet of yours, that is a horse of another color. The circumstantial evidence — the best evidence in the world, by the way, lay opinion to the contrary notwithstanding—seems all against’ him. The one thing in hi favor is the apparent lack of motive. “And isn’t that enough?’ demanded had ‘satisfying proof of that on -av-lx.m“y. “Why should he kill a wom- But it is not my peril|an utterly unknown to him, and do that is bothering me now; it i{s that: it in such a manner that there was no one ' conversant | chance of escape?” “Why, indee Achison echoed thoughtfully. “Unless his devotion to his employer was such that her ac- tion roused him to a homicidal fury, and that is scarcely plausible. How- ever,” he gave a wave of the hand as U v “QPEN-AND-SHUT CASE, SARGE,” HE ADVISED OUT OF THE OORNER OF HIS MOUTH, “THIS IS THE GUY, ALRIGHT.” to me at & certain time or place, and ‘who upon it as an opportunity to kill 'two birde with one stone—te get rid of Ella Sands, who probably knew too much, and at the same time fasten upon me the crime of murder. Until she encountered Coombs in the drug store she thought, and therefore the other persons thought, that I was to be there. It was & very shrewd scheme, but it miscarried because Coombs turned up—e man who had no earthly reason or excuse for kill- ing the woman. The orders, however, were carried out as given, and hence the muddle.” o He lifted his head slightly arid Sent his gaze upon Achison accusingly. “Those letters were in your control, and when I heard from Ella Sands I knew that she was selling them with your knowledge and connivance. My letters!” “I beg your pardon” corrected Achison punctiliously; “the lady’s let- tors. trieve them from an unscrupulous maid, in whoss power it lay to wreck the home and happiness of her blame- as | loss mistress solely through the me- dium of these cubbish and caddish effusions of your calf-love.” Ramsey's hands clenched until the nails bit into the flesh; his head dropped toward his chest, and his face was flushed with shame. “Your condemnation is cotllln‘ be- side my own” he sald th a choked volce. “But my fault or folly not the issue now, Neither is it material to inquire ther your motives obtaining the leiters were not altruistic than you claim. You have not altered my opinion in regard to that, Ths ght at present, however, is this: I was fortunate enough to re- T it to dismiss further speculation, “there's no use raising questions or trying to outline a defense until I have seen and talked to the man hl!nYulf." A 'z “You are goin, take the case, then?’ asked Ru‘n Achison inclined head, evidently tarting to ent; but checked him- self and pi at some suggestion which seemed to tickle his sense of | s, humeor. The corners of his wide, flex- ible mouth curled upward, and there ‘was a flicker of malicious amusement ‘Ramsey. in the glance he bent upon d “I wi said, “but 1 take the case,” he only on one condition.” “What {s that?" Ramsey drew back. “That on the evening after 1 have succeeded in acquitting your man, you dine with me at my club. Oh, don’t be alarmed!” he added ironically, as Ram- sey stared at him, trying to fathom the reason of so singular a *“There will be no knock-out genmen or other unusual cidents while inside.” Ramsay still hesitated, ing before he committed h “1 can flatter myself,” he slowly, “that you wish merely to the pleasure of my you make it a stipulation. for the sake of poor Coombs I agree. Otherwise— He finished with an eloquent silence. 8o, the next day when Ramsey visited the prisoner, he was able to bear to him the gratifying intelligence that he was to be represented by, as Coombs elatedly expressed it, “the best in the ' the latter Settied Gvin 10 await the outcome of the ose letters, if possible, | trial. have et to be kept dut of the trial. Following the recular routine of such son did nothing to stay the tide of accusation, or to alter the unfavor- able impression whioh one saw gath. ering in the minds of tl nEann he jury against To Ramsey, deject it dly folle o amee edly following the it seemed that the prosecutor had iron-bound and rivet- ed his case when he called to the stand an officer from Scotland Yard, in America, on another case, and through him positively identified Coombs, even to the fingerprints, as one William Orth, who had been ar- rested in London seven years before for burglary and had served a term in Dartmouth prison. And then Achison arose. His list- lessness and indifference were e; but there was nothing aggressive in his manner, no suggestion of being hard-pressed. Serene, suave, smiling, he seemed simply to above the odds against him. He dominated the entire courtroom, judge, jury and spectators alike. he 'commenced to speak there was hush of ab- sorbed attention. Even Bamsey paid a grudging tribute to the power of his_magnetic personality. With a carel wave of the hand he admitted and swept aside Coombs’ criminal record. If the man was a burglar, so was the woman a black- determined to v a new Jleaf and had sedulously held to that resolve, she had met her end while in the very act of consum- mating felon But they were not there to question whether the defendant in his youth had committed a criminal error for which he had already paid the full penalty, or EJla Sands in her matur- prosecu ‘| lack of poise, the you w-mm%t&fu ity had engaged upon the more des- picable offense of blackmail. They were there to decide if it was the de- fendant’s hand which had struck her down, and it was the task of the learned counsel on the other side to convince the jury of that fact beyend a reasonable doubt. On the prosecu- tion rested the burden of proof. His client must be regarded as an inno- y. cent man until proved gui! “But 1 shall not stand on at pro sion of the la He flung his leonine head, and his voice rang out over the courtroom. “I shall show you beyond question that my client never struck the blow that killed Ella Sands.” Then he Ramsey to the stand and, skillfully led by Achison, Ramsey told how Coombs at the risk of his own life had saved him at the time of the accldent in the subway, and in their subsequent association had always shown himself steady, sober and honest as well as cheerful and efficient. He also showed how absolutely fortuitous and unforeseen were the circumstances ‘whica led to Coombs meeting the woman instead of himself. By an arrangement between counsel the nature of the let- ters which had figured in the transac- tion was not gone into; but naturally at this point the witness became a littie nervous and embarrassed, and much of the good effect which his earlier testi- mony had created on the jury was lost. tor noted his momentary and took advantage of it. “You consider that this man saved your life, Mr. Ramsey 7" “I don't consider so. I know ft. “And naturally you would do a great deal for him in return?” There rescuer.” But it almost seemed that Achison had been awaliting this interchange in order to score. Quick as a flash he came back. “You id even have given him lS.O_f!!I. 1t he had asked for it, Mr. Ram- “I_certainly would, had left his home about 7 o'clock, while walking up the Xill toward corner occupied un.’_ side the side entrance of the place turn suddenly, dash scross the sidewalk, into a motor car standing at the curb and drive hurriedly away. A mo- ment later he saw the crowd commenc- to gather, and, when he reached the i enjoy g’nen learned that a murder had ‘committed. Asked why he had not reported this before, he replied that he had at- tached no importance to the circum- stance. He was told when he reached the ocorner that the murderer had Dbeen oaptured, and this was confirmed by. the socount in the next morning’s m‘fl- Besides, he was positive man had not coms out of the' g _stors, but had bdeen merely (Continued on Sixth Page.)