Evening Star Newspaper, October 4, 1925, Page 41

Who Stole the Bride? And Why! The Night of By C. N.and A. M. WILLIAMSON, Authors of “The Lightning Conductor” and other fascinating Tomances of mystery and love Copyright, 1925, by Public Ledger Company. The Davxis Mystery. {4 OW terrible!” the girl groan- ed. Think of Ken agoniz- ing about her, almost mad with grief. Think of Don accused of murdering her! "Think of that masked beast scattering | blood and finger prints about, and | Vurning skeletons to fix the guilt on Don and get him hanged, while here she is all the while!" It seemed to Pandora that she must | do something for the two men she Joved. She had done her best, but she must do more. If Eve were imprison- ed here, the Masquer would not let her go free until Don was ruined or dead—perhaps for his own protection 10t even then. She and the girl she $ad hated—but did not hate now— ‘would be got rid of, unless—unless she could think of some way out. With all Dagon's keenness and diplo- macy, he failed to learn what had be- come of the late butler at Hidden Hall Court, Barring Mariantl, who had_ taken Davis’ place (Marianti Dagon did not care to ask), there was nobody likely 10 know the man’s address, unless one of the two old servants who remained the head gardener and a lodge keeper. | Making friends with these, the detec- | tive learned without direct inquiries that neither had any knowledge of | Davis’ private life. He was a - none had not mentioned where he was go- ing. Dagon had no better luck in the small village a mile away, where, jeg iried the post office and the inn, and the town of Ardry-le-Mare was too far ©ff to offer much hope. The more diffi- cult became the game, however, the more firmly Dagon determined to lay it to the end, and by telephoning otland Yard he arranged for an ad- vertisement to appear next morning n all the most important London papers. A firm of solicitors ot uel Davis (the was recalled by the local p Tate butler at Hidden Ha who would, » them, learn something to his 1 advantage. That would tempt Davis out of his hole, thought Dagon. And it did. the result of the ¥ bringing with it an shock of surprise. Samuel s wired to Messrs. Topham from Portree, Skye! He was there, he telegraphed, visit- ing elative, and being confined to his room with gout could not at pres- ent undertake the journey to London. He would, however. be glad to hear at once what was the object of the advertisement. Iad money been left | him and, if o0, how much? Dagon had arranged that a colleague | should go to Skye and try to cagch sight of Paolo Magnani on one of his | moving picture excursions. Davis be- ing at Portree, the two birds could be Killed with one stone—if it were almed by a sure ha have liked t hand to be his own: | but he could not leave Hidden Hall| Court just then. | The ex-butler gave as his address “Post office. Portree,” but Dagon's substitute, John Murdoch, had only to show his credentials to the post master of that fown to clear his way of all difficulty in the matter of identi- fcation. A wire to Davis warned him 10 expect a “letter containing particu- | lars,” and such a letter was dispatched ed for news at ti time with the telegram. |hope that al would end well and with- It contained a check for five pound: and infor that it came from an riend, grateful for a | rhaps had forgotten. It said also that a further sum would be handed over, sonal meeting, when Mr. Da tment in London. invited to sit in the m. and when “A letter | amuel Davis” was inquired for |or two. he was promptly told. This gave him | ehe was “medfumistic.” All her lif time to slip out into the public office | since childhood, she had *‘seen things and see the legallooking envelope d livered—after a slight delay—to a r spectably dressed old man. He had lit- | tle doubt from the deseription given | him that it was Davis himself in spite 't that “attack of gout,” which con- fined him to the house! This person could not control his! impatience till he got outside, but} halted in the mddle of the post office 10 open the letter. Murdoch had time, therefore, while pretending to write out a telegram, for a thorough in- spection of the squat and elderly form. The man was a curlous mixture of 1wo types, nelther agreeable; frog and fox. He had the figure, short neck and thrust-up chin of a frog, and the sly slant black eyes, pointed nose and aquare, whiskered jaws of an old dog- fox. He read the letter eagerly., though with a puzzled air, sneered at the five pound check and 1y stuffed envel- ope and all into his pocket. He walk- ed to the shelf where telegraph forms and pencils were displayed, but chang- ed his mind and with a_shrug of the shéulders marched out of the office. At a safe distance Murdoch followed, | and after a walk of nearly a miloi saw Davls go into a small but pretty house beyond the limits of the town. it did not look in the least like a house where an ex-butler would stay, ing a relative! In Portree again, Murdoch went to nn estate agent, described the house, said he had taken a fancy to it, and nsked if it might be sold or let. As a matter of fact, said the agent, the| place was generally let furnished dur- ing the Summer. This season the us- ng nants had been unable to come, oM QIr. Magnani, the cinema star, Jiag, taken the house for a few weeks of%%at a high rent. The agent under- ®tood that the actor was ill, however. and his part was being played by an understudy. This was a blow to the gir)s: of Portree, who had been thrilled Rt the prospect of seeing thelr favor- ite screen hero in real life. The discovery that Davis was an in- mate: of Mr. Magnani's house, prob. v a servant there, interested Mur- h. Besides, the fact that those ‘0 were under the same roof would save him time and trouble. He had been ordered to learn all he could con- cerning the movements of Magnant, as well as to “get at” Davis, und he knew it was a connection Letween the two (if any) that Dagon wished to trace. This connection at least was now proved at the start! And Mur- doch concocted a telegram to Dagon in a code used officially by Scotland Tard. The answer came eariy next morn- Ing. “At any price get into that house und see Magnani. Imperative.” Murdoch whistled as he read this order. He had heard since wiring D‘uon that Magnani was seriously iil, and could not see even the manager of his own company. A doctor from off the island was with the actor, and nobody else was let in. It was all very well to say “Im- yerative” in the telegram, There was n still stronger word in the English Janguage, “impossible.” Still Murdoch meant to try. Meanwhile, the London architect | did mot begin on the night of th " | sponsible for both disappearances |of the skeleton. The Canadian would | ® - | kidnaping or murdering Eve Carroll, the Wedding “heart”! Nothing could be discovered that had not been discovered already. the hidden door in the tapestry bou: doir, and the concealed staircase be- hind this door, which led to the cellar, and had there an equally well concealed exit behind a stone pillar— apparently solid, moving outward in a groove. It was admitted odd that so much trouble should have been taken to make a secret way down into this ar, which was connected by arch- ways with two newer cellars under wings of the house. Logically. the hidden staircase should have led to something important which might cretly and in haste or conjecturin brought to light that “something in portant.” The architect, accordingly, gave it as his opinion that nothing of the sort existed. There might have been a plan, he suggested, which never carried out. 1f 8o, the stairy with its hidden doors at top and bot- tom would be satisfactorily accounted for. With this opinlon—which was that of a great expert, and made after e: haustive research—Haste had to be satisfled. But Dagon had one of his hunches” that for once the archi- tect was wrong. He felt that he golng to find out something at Hidden Hall Court—something, perhaps, which would make the whole mystery clea And for Dagon the “whole mystery Haste wedding. To find the real b ginning—which might account for much of the rest—he believed that he must go back & good many years. In the hope of getting at that be ginning, he had “made friends” with Sir Rawdon Wells, and had convinced himself that, innocent or not, in the case of Eve Carroll, Wells was un: ware of any further secret in the con- struction of the house. If Mrs. Haste were a prisoner in some *hidden hall, Rawdon Wells had not put her there. As for Pandora, Wells had no motive for hiding the girl. She asserted that she had ‘“‘done away with Eve,” and if Sir Rawdon could be cleared she wa the one to clear him. No, it was a very different person who needed to suppress Miss Haste; and Dagon clung to his belief that this person was re- His clues were few, and (excepting the skeleton which was that of a man thus indicating a_plot against Wells) v. His conclusions were based rather than proofs, and if he had been forced by his s periors at Scotland Yard to ley his cards face uppermost upon the table, he might not have received support on the lines he had laid down for him- self. Fortunately for him. howeve he had done amazingly brilliant work, and was called behind his back the “Infant prodigv.” When he begged to be trusted without questions for a few | as and it was This being the state of affail good” in some wa: self; otherwise-—as he put it for every one concerned was in the fire.” Besides, it would be impossible to keep the secret of Jrs. Haste's and Pandora’s disappearance from the public much longe 2 All the servants at Hidden Miall} Court were pledged to silence, but some one was sure to ta e Mrs. Payntor would confide her anxiety to a friend, and there would be a new: paper sensation in England and Amer- This would be terrible for Capt. Haste, whom Dagon encouraged to out ndal. It would also be dis- astrous for Sir Rawdon Wells. Even Wells were proved innocent, the stors would follow him like a snarl- ing dog, throughout his life. He would be the man who had been accused of and many people would always be- ieve that ““something had been hushed up. Constant dancing attendance upon Mr=. Gillett had gained Dagon a point She had confided to him that How and why she had come to Hidden Hall Court as housekeeper (a post in which she appeared to be an amateur) Dagon could not find out to his sati: faction. She had done some service: sic Rawdon Wells' family in the always kept track of her, guely. Investments of hers had gone wrong. She had been in temporary trouble. Just then. the housekeeper's place had been vac.’.ml.i (Continued Tomorrow.) Saa e s aaa e aay . h { Syl | o 6 » @obs | Easy to Keep Thick, Wavy, Lustrous hairbrush with a little “ and brush it through your hair. The effect is startling! You can dress your hair immediately and it will ap- pear twice as thick and. heavy, an abundance of gleamy, wavy sparkling with life, incomparably soft, fresh, youthful. des beautifying the hair, a 35- tle of refreshing, fragrant from any drug or toilet | do wonders, rti Iy is dry, thin, brittl or streaked with gray from constant curling and waving, which burn the color, luster and very life from any woman's_hair. | “Danderine” acts on the hair like fresh showers of rain and sunshine act on vegetation. It goes the roots, invigorates, nourishes and strengthens them, ment for by Kennedy Haste had come to the court with an assistant, and t her the two had made strenuous s to get at the heart of the mecret. But, &ccording to their re- port, the seeret seemed to have no opping ng hair and helping ®he hair to grow thick, healthy and luxuriant. THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. O, OCTOBER 4, 1925—PART 1. Is Offering Hundreds of Unadvertised Specials All Through the Store! 3 Other Pages! Convenient Terms If You Wish! Trunks and - Luggage Anniversary Priced $45 Open Bulge Top Wardrobe Trunks $32.95 —Made with large round massive edges and corners, hard fiber covered and complete with loop drawbolts and spring lock. Fach fully cquipped with 10 garment hangers, laundry bag, shoe box, dust curtain and clothes retainer, on one side, and on the other are hat com- partment, drawer section and bar that locks all drawers. 315.5, Two-Tray Dress Trunks, Special at $12.44 —Hard Fiber Covered Two-tray Dress Trunks, with rounded edges, loop drawbolts and spring lock. Neatly cloth lined and your choice of 34 +6r 36 inch sizes. Well made trunks, offered at a very special price. . $3.95 Table Lot of Luggage, Special at —In this lot of luggage are hat boxes and overnight cases. The hat boxes are round in shape and have black or russet bound edges and are in sizes 8x16, 9x18 or 9x20 inches. The overnight cases have leather corners, swing- ing handles, good catches and locks. Shirred ~top pocket. A nice convenient size. 100 Leather Boston Bags —These are made with double handles, strap and buckle fasteners and are of black and tan split cowhide. Sizes 14 and 15 inches. Regu- larly $1.69, special in the Anniversary at 8¢ each, ¥ Kann's—Third Floor. is Beautiful Console onograph Now $3 7.50 Two Years Ago It Was Listed for $150.00 Our Lowest Previous Selling Price Was $79.50 —We have only 80 of these beautiful machines to offer in this sale, all are in the Old English design and your choice of mahogany or walnut finishes. They are known as the Gold Medal, arec fully guaranteed by the manufacturer as well as by Kann's. The machine complete with Blood Radio Tone Arm. fully nickel plated. No home should be without music, and what is sweeter than phonograph music?—an instrument that plays what you want when you want it. Here is vour chance to get one at a mighty low price. \s the quantity is limited. be here early. Kann’s—Iourth Floor. "SPOTLIGHT The Anniversary’s SPECIALLY _—— Greatest Bargain Thus Far— 1,000 Pairs of Reg. $5.95 Part-Wool Block-Plaid One Every Day! //// Every One a Rare Bargain! At the Remarkably Low Price $3.98 - This is something to hurry for, even though there are 1,000 pairs in the sale. So unusual a value is not an everyday occur- rence, and these will go out very quickly tomorrow. They are beautiful, thick, heavy wool-and-cotton mixed blankets, of a deep napped quality, double-bed size— 66x80 in., and in the following color assort- ment. They are bound with wide mer- cerized binding. Rose and white Pink and white Blue and white Tan and white Gray and white Orchid and white B immieiesi N IS Kann’s—Street. Floor = l () 0L ) S S S [t SN 7 s = TP A Al \'Il._\\l\\'ll._\\gfn&\\_mmm\ . = 2 i I H D VA AR A2 AL