"Found Dead"

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 69, 23 April 1929, Page 11

"Found Dead"

BY FRED M. WHITE

A.athor of "The Bbadow of the Dpad Hand," "The Pi-ioe of Silence," "The Golden Bat," etc.. eto. ^

COPYRIGHT PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRAN GEMENT

C'HAPTER XYT. — ( f'oiitinued.) W1™ tHAT, BLAKE turued liL * * bat-k on the village and walked slowly aiul IhoughtfuJly back to Aloj-t-maiiib. tio liad liothiiin; wbatever tj do, and he eould liot see liis way to lohawiugr up a f-ingle clue or evcn to wurk out a logical theory. ile eould only pos.--e.>s lds soul in jiatienee and watt, like auother .Mr Micawber. ior boincthiug to tuni up. He was e--ou-tiallv a man of action, and tbe prospect of a long, idle ulteriioon, even in tliat beautiful wann sunshine, was not paiticnlai ly tiiriiliiig to bini. Xor was he the more gratitied wlien he roaehed Mortniains to receive ihe itifouiiatioii that Sit- dolni had teiephoned from Justaple to the effeet that the \sessions liad heen unusuallv pvotracted and flint lie would not be back lioine till the folIr.wing afternoon. There was 110 help for it, theielore, but to m ako tho best of it and wait.. vSo, aiier a lonely aflernoon and evening, Blake was prepared to go eariy to bed wlien Farthiiur entered tlie libravv with the inforniation tliat .somehody from AYatersinouth was in the hal! and wanted to see hioi 011 private bu-iuess. "Oh, ask him who he is," Blake said impatiently £'.He wouldn't give his naine. sir," Farthing cxplained. "He -said tliat ho wouldn't koep you long." 13LAK1-; LVmiATKD tliat the -*-* stranger niiglit Ho brouglit ihto the library, and expressed 110 astonislinient wlien liis eycs dwelt upon the btolid features of Scrgcant Rattrey. "\YelI, whut's up uow:-" he asked wlien Fartliiug had departed. "That is what 1 want to know, sir," Rattrcy said. ''I liave been keoping niv eye upon the man who ralls liiniself Barton, and about lialf an liour ago J tracked, liim along the road here with another individnal tliat 1 never saw hefore. t'liap who looks like a poaoher. 1 had to koep a good way heliind them beoause tlie road was pvetty straight and I dirln't want the meii to know thoy wero heina; followed. But hy dodging in the hraeken T managed to keep them in sight and the.y parted outside the gate.s here. Oue oi them went on aeross the moor. but it was so dark that T eouldn't tell you whieli it was. and tlie other turned inlo tho gates here. and I10 is somewliere about tlie grounds now/\ :J: 4c ''ry.BF DEYIL-HF IS?" Blake cricd. ".Yow, what 011 oarth eau he be doing liere ? You wait a monicnt whilst I put a. pair of }>lioes 011 and change my eoat, thcn we will go and investigate the matter. Ko oeeasion to alann the servants. hccau.se tho less tliey know about this matter tlie hetter." Tliev pushed out into the grounds prescntly and for some timo prowled about tlie various patbways and sbrubberies to tlie side of tbe liouse. Tlien something moved in tlie sliadows and Blake immediately cballeuged. Tbere followed tlie sound of flying footsteps in tho direction of the- lodge, but, though Blake was by 110 mcans slow of foot, he was not fast enougli to overtakc the man in front. who vaultcd tho low, iron gates and disappeared headlong in the bracken 011 tlie otlicr side of the road. "Well, we liave lo.st him, at any rate," lic said. "Now, T Avondcr whieli of the two he was. If lie was the gentleman with tlie blue spettacles he was fairly nippy for an invalid. You had hetter hang about here for an liour or so, and if you cacth sight of eitlier of those two. corae back to tlie liouse and let me know. But I dou't think you will liave any luek. Here, what's that? Didn't you liear someoue shouting?" A distant call came from aeross tlie moor beyond the C'astle Rock. Tlien tlie souncls of hurried footsteps and a bov of some fifteen years of age appeared. "Here, what's wrong with you?" Blake demanded. " TT'S OYER AT Alrs Whiddon's -*-fann," the bo.y panted. "A burglar tried to get in tbe house. And nobodv tliero besides the old woman and me. Woke me up, he did, trying to open the window of tlie dairy. You see, I slceps ovev there, and heared him. Tlien T fetched the gun not 1 shoots the rabbits with and fired at him. That woke tlie old lady, s,o slie seud me into Watersinouth for the police. Not as T tliiiik they'll be Wanted ; 1 skeercf! liini olf all right. Run like a hai'e, lie did." "Fvidentiy quite a hravo liov," Blake said. "1 don't think you will hnve to tronhle much ahout the police, and in any ease it's too late to lay liands 011 the burglar now, Anyway." my friend and myself will eoine as far as Alrs Whiddon's and see if we ean he of any uso. I liappen to know lier." J hoy movwl cjuiekl.v aeross tho moor until tliev roaehed the fannhouse. where, in the doonvav, the lady hcrself nwaited them. Slie did not seem in the least alanned, but stood there

i with a lantern in lier hand and some ! ohjcet slie had pieked up. "You he weleome, geiitlemen." slie said. 'Tf'niv eyes don't dcceive me tliat's Captain Blake." ; "Tliat's right." Blake said. "I hope you have not been frightoned. But whai liave you get in yonr hand?" "I just pieked tliis up," the old lady said. "1 tound it lying on the grountl iiv tlie dairy dnur." 1 Jt Wiis a pair of hlue speetaclcs. ( HAPTKR XVII. Ayill'.'N BLAKE TUBNKD his back ** upon tlie moorland larm hon-e , bait an liour later he liad tat pair ot bait an hour later he liad that pair oi takou them up easiially enougli, with ; Hie snggi-tion th.it tliev might be of : Mfine u-e to 1 he police. and Mrs Wliidlon liad made 110 ob.ieetion. Slie was | not. oi cour-.e, awai'e tliat. slie had parted with whai might prove a Viiluahle clue. "Well. .gnod-night," Blake said. : don't think you tieed worry any ntore." ! "Oh. I aiu't worryittg.'' the old lady said stoutly. "] ain't airaid oi J tio Inirglar-, though what thcy come> ! lookittg after jn a placc like this fair j beats me." J "Xow, look here, Rattrey," Blake said as lie and tho detective erossed tlie moor together. "You go back to j AVatcrsmoutJi and keej) yonr eye on j that cotiage of Ridgo's. 1 ; think we tan prettv well be stirc tliat | tlie gcntleinan with the speetticles was j her lodger. You might try atul find j out what timo he lci t> tlie house this 1 evening, and what is still more importI ant, what time lie gets back. Prob- | ahlv he is 011 liis way now. How ] 1 make it- out is tliis. Tliose two men ' set out fr-orn Watevsmouth tliis even- ! iug on some shady crrand and thcy jtartcd hy tlie lodge gates at Mortniains. f suggest that they knew they were being followed, and that they parted to blind you. The man tliat we disturbed inside the lodge gates went there for no otlier purpose than to draw you off, whilst Ihe other cliap went as far as tlie old lady's farm. 1 feel quite convinced of that. Hovrever. we ean't do any more now, but f will try and see you in tbe morning. You liad better c-oine half way to- AJortmain.s along tbe valley and I will meet you there. If there is nobody about we ean talk. Anywav, if there are people in the noiglibourhood you hang baek until the eoast is clear." To be Continued,