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'V- n ' v »• • ■ 'V . GRADY COUNTY PROGRESS-PAGE 3 1^. I White Cat By MARY ROBERTS RINEHART Copyright. I9IO, by Bobbj-Mer- rill Co. It wns a very commonplace note. 1 i toad had one like It after every board meeting of tho orphans' home, Miss Maitland being on principle an aggres sive minority; also, having considera ble mind, chnnging It became almost as ponderous an operation as moving a barn. 1 came across Miss Jnne’s letter the other day when 1 wns gathering the material for this narrative, and 1 sat for a time with It in my hnnd think Ing over again the chain ot events in which It had been the first link, a se rles of strange happenings tbnt began with my acceptance of tbo Invitation, .and that led through ways ns dark and tricks ns vain as Bret Unrte's Heathen Chinee ever drenmed ot to the final scene at the White Cat. With the letter 1 had filed away a half dozen articles, and 1 ranged them all on the desk In front ot mo tile letter, the bit of paper with elev en twenty-two on It that Margery .gave me tho first time I saw her. a note book filled with jerky characters that looked like Arabic and were newspa per shorthand, a railroad schedule, a bullet, tho latter slightly flattened; a cube shaped piece of chalk, which 1 put back In Its bos with a shudder and labeled “Poison.” and a small gold, buckle from u slipper, which l—at which I did not shudder. I, did not need to make the climaxes of my story. They lay before me. At 11 o’clock Hunter called np. He said he vVns going nfter the affair him self, but that it' wns hard to stick a dip net Into the political puddle with out pulling out a lot more than yon went' after or than It was bpnltby to get... He wanted to know If I had ■Come ncross any more K.„V’s. SVhere- upon 1 put awny the .notes I had made about Delia and Mamie Brennan, l" CHAPTER III. ' ^. Ninety-eight Pearls. WENT to Bellwood that evening. It was a suburban town a dozen miles from the city. Street cars i had so far failed to spoil its tree bordered streets, and it was ex clusive to the polut of stagnation. 'The Maitland place was at the head of the main street. Miss Letitia. who was seventy, had bad sufficient commercial' - Instinct some years before to eu.t her ancestral acres—their ancestral acres, though. Miss Jane hardly couuted—into • 'building lots, except perhaps an acre which surrounded the house. Thus the Maitland Indies were reputed *to be-ex tremely wealthy. /And as they never' • spent any money, no doubt they . were. I had taken dinner at Bellwood be fore. and. tbo memory Was not hilari ous. Miss Letitia was deaf, but chose to ignore the fact. With superb indif ference she would break into the con versation with some wholly* alien re mark that- necessitated a reassembling ■of one's ideas, making the meal a se ries of'mental gymnastics. Miss Jane, through long practice nnd because she only skimmed the surface of conversa tion, took her cerebral flights easily, bat I am more unwieldy .of mind. Nor wns Miss I.etitin's dominance wholly conversational. Her sister Jane wns her creature, alternately smjbbed and bullied. To Miss Letitia. Jane, in spite of her sixty-five years, was still a child, and sometimes a bad oue. Miss Letitia gave her expurgated books to read and forbade her to read divorce court proceedings in the newspapers. Poor Miss Jane! She met me with fluttering cordiality in the hall that night, safe in being herself for once, with the knowledge that Miss Letitia always received me from a throuellke horsehair sofa in tho buck parlor. She wore a new lace cup nnd was twitter- ingly excited. \ , > - "Our niece is here." she explained, as I took off my coat—everything was -ours” wilh Jane: •’mine" with Letitia -“and we are having an ice at dinner. ' flease say that ices are not injurious, Mr. Knox. My sister is so oppn-ed to them, and I had to beg for this," i “On the contrary, tile'doctors have ordered ices for my youug nephews,” 1 said gravely, “and 1 dote on them ui.vself.” Miss Jane beamed. Indeed, there was something almost unnaturally ■ 'gay about the little old lady all that evening. ; Miss Letitin received me. as usunl, in the back parlor. Miss Fleming was .there also, sewing by a window, and in her straight white dress, with her [hair drawn back nnd braided around her 11end. slie looked "even younger th’nii before. There was no time for conversation.,. Miss I.etitht launched at. once iiiio the extravagance of both molasses and flutter on Hie colored orphans'- bread. "You have liad.t’.o.,iiev.s at all V Miss Fl-;iliigp»a!d cii.utfiiiislj. her liejj <! bout ov -if her' work. >o:; I relumed, under cover of tin able linen i.,.ul!i|;|v Ml-- Lotitia’s mi had vrerc 1. "1 nn.vo c nod man woi. tig. on K.” As she i.lanced , at me ciiesiimi! ;t.v, “Ir need' I a detec-^ tlvf*. Mtns 1-leiulrg." >Vnli every move ni of ilie girl I ■ mid s'ee the glean of a diamond t.a Her engage ment ii i-ger. "If 1 didn't wateh her. .laue would ruin the i." said Miss Letitia. "She gives ’em apples when they keep their faces clean, and the hills for soap have gouo up double. Sonp once a day’s enough for a colored child. Do you smell anything burning. Knox?” 1 sniffed, and lied, whereupon Miss Letitia, swept her black silk, her color ed orphans and her majestic presence out of the room. As the door closed, Miss Fleming put down her sewing. “I do not dare to tell them, Mr. Knox," she sold. "They are old, and they hate him anyhow. I couldn’t sleep last night. I have hemmed tea towels for Aunt Letitia today until I am frantic, und all day I have been wondering over something you said yesterday. You said, you remember, that you were not a detective, that some men. could take nineteen from thirty-five nnd, leuve nothing. What did you mean?" I was speechless for n moment. ■ "The fact Is—I—you see," I blun dered, "it was a—merely a figure of speech, a—speech of figures, is more accurate." And then dinner was an nounced. Miss Letitia presided Jn garrulous majesty. Tl;e two old ladies picked at tlielr food, and Miss Jane had* a spot of pink in each withered cheek. Mar gery Fleming made a brave pretense, but loft her plate almost uutouchod. As for mo, I ate a substantial mascu line meal and half apologized for my appetite, but Letitia did not bear. 'She tore tile board of managers to shreds with the roast and denounced them with the salad. "Flense do eat your dinner,” Jane whispered. “I made the salad myself. And I know wliat it fakes to keep a big man going. Harry, cuts more than Letitia arid I together. Doesn’t be, Margery?" ' “Harry?" I asked. Miss Jane leaned forward to me aft er a smiling glaiice at her niece across. •‘Harry Wardrop. a cousin’s sou. and"—she patted Margery’s hand with 'its ring—“soon to be something closer." The girl’s face colored, but she re turned Miss Jane’s gentle pressure. "They.put up an iron fence." Miss Letitia reverted somberly to her griev ance, "when a wooden one would have done' It was eYtravagande, ruinous extravagance." “Harry stays with ns when *he Is in Manchester.” Miss Jane went on. nod ding brightly across at. Letitia,. as if she. tpo, wore damning the executive board. “Lately lie has.been almost all the time in Plnttsburg. He is secre tary to Margbry's father. It is a posi tion of considerable responsibility, and wo are very proud of him.” . I bad expected something of the sort, but the remainder of the. meal bad somehow lost its savor. There was a lull in tlie conversation while dessert was being brought In. Miss Fleming sat, one iiand on the table, staring ab sently at her engagement ring. “You look like a fcol in that cap. Jane," volunteered Letitia. while the plates were being brought in. “What’s for dessert?" “lee cream," called Miss Jane over 'the table. “Well, you needn’t.” snapped Letitin. "I can hear you well enough. You to’ld me it wns junket." "I said ice cream, nnd you said it would be nil right," poor Jane shriek ed. “If you drink a cup of hot water after it. it won’t hurt you." “Fiddle,” Letitia snapped unpleas antly. “I’m not going to freeze my stomach nnd then thaw it out like n drain pipe. Tell Hepplo to put my ice cream on the stove." So we waited until Miss Letitia’s had been heated nnd wns brought in. sick bed over with pale hues, not of thought, but of confectioner’s dyes. Miss Letitia nte it reslgnpdly. “Like ns not I'll break out, 1 did the last time,” she said gloomily. “1 only hope I don’t break out in colors." The meal wns over finally, but if 1 had hoped for another word alone with Margery Fleming that evening. I was foredoomed to disappointment. Letitia sent the' girl, not ungently. to bed nnd ordered Jane out ol' tbe room with a single curt gesture toward the door. "You’d better wash I hose cups your self, Jane," she said. "1 don’t see any sense anyhow in getting out the best chinn unless there's real company. Be sides, I’m going to talk business.” When tbe door had closed behind her, Miss Letitin listened for a mo ment, got up suddenly nnd, crossing the room with amazing swiftness for her years, pounced on the knob nnd threw it open again.. But the passage was empty; Miss lie's slim llttle_ fig ure was uisiipptiiiring lmo the kitchen.* "I didn’t want to see you about'the will, Mr. Knox." the older sister begun. "The will ran wait. I oiln't going to die Just yet—not If 1 know anything. But although I think you'd look .ft heap heller and more responsible If you wore some hitlr on your face, sill! in most things 1 if alt you’re a man'of souse. Anil yon>o not • tod young. That's why -I ffidn't send for Harry Wardrop. He's .no young." 1 winced ni m .t. Miss Letitin leaned forward arid put her bony band on my knee. “I've. been robbed," she announced in a half whisper. "Indeed!" I said, properly thunder struck. i Imd always believed tbutonly thc use of the fourth dimension in space v. .aid enable any one not do- sired to gain access to the Maitland house. "Not tho pearls?" I naked. She answered my question with an other. "When you bnd those penrls ap praised for me nt the jeweler’s lust year, how many were there?” "Not quite a hundred. 1 think—yes. ninety-eight." ‘•Exactly." she corroborated, In tri umph. "They belonged to m.v mother. Margery's mother got some of them. Thnt’s n good many years ago, young man. They are worth more than they were theu—a great deal more." "Twenty-two thousand dollars.” 1 re peated. “You remember. Miss Letitin. that I protested vigorously nt the time against your keeping them in tho lion so." Miss Letitin Ignored this, but before she wont on she repeated again her cntlike pouncing nt the door, ouly to find tho hall empty ns before. “Yesterday morning," she said grave ly. “I got down the box—they have al ways been kept in the small safo lu the top of ray closet. When J.-ne found a picture of m.v niece, Margery Fleming, in Harry’s room I thought it likely there was some truth in the gossip Jnue hoard about the two; nnd, if there was going to be a wedding, why, tile penrls were to go to Margery any how. But I found the door of tlie safe unlocked nnd a little bit open, and ten of tbo pearls were gone!" “Gone!" 1 echoed. “If ten, wby not the whole ninety-eight?” “How do 1 know?.’’ she replied, with asperity. “That’s what I keep a law yer lor." "But you need a detective,” I cried. “I will not liavo the police.” she per sisted inflexibly. “They will come around asking impertinent questions nud tqlling the newspapers that a fool ish old woman had got what she de served.” "Then you nro going to send them to a bank?" “You ha ve less sense than I thought,” she snapped. "I am going to leave them where they are and watch. Who ever took tlie ten will be back for more, mark my words.” “I don’t advise it.” I said decidedly. “Stuff nnd nonsense!" the old lady said, with spirit.. “Then—what do you want me to do?" I asked. “Have Bella arrested and her trunk searched?" “Her trunk!” she said scornfully. "1 turned it. inside out this morning. 1 wnut yon to stay here, for three or four, nights. When I catch the thief I want my lawyers right by.” It ended by my consenting, of course. Miss Letitia was seldom refused.’ Lit tle Miss Jaue lighted mo to the door of. the guest room. • Her thin gray curls bobbed as she examined the water pitcher, saw to tho towels and felt the bed linen for dampness. At the door she turned around timidly. "Has—anything happened to disturb m.v Rioter?” she asked. “She—has been almost irritable all day.” "She is worried about her colored orphans,” I‘evaded. “She does not ap prove of fireworks for them on the Fourth of July." . I put out the light and sat down near tho window, with my cigar and my thoughts. 1 had finished my sec ond cigar. There wns a sound of fum bling at one of the shutters below. With Miss Letitia’s story of the pearls fresh in my mind I felt at once tbut tho thief, finding his ten a prize, hud come back for more. I found on the mantel a heavy brass /andlcstlck, and with it in my hand 1 stepped into the gloom of the hallway and felt my way to the stairs. I had kicked off my shoes, a fact I regretted later. 1 went into the library, which was beneath my room, but the sounds at thevwlndow had ceased. I thought I heard steps on the walk going to ward the front of the house. I wheel ed quickly and started for the door whim something struck me a terrific blow on the nose. 1 reeled back and sat down, dizzy nnd shocked. It was only when no second blow followed the first that I realized what had occurred. With my.two hands out before me in the blackness 1 hud groped, one bund on either side of the open door, which, of cour-e. 4 had struck violently with my nose. My candlestick had rolled under tlie table, and after crawling around on my hands und knees 1 found it. For nil her bonsted watchfulness Miss Letitia must have been asleep. ' 1 put buck into the dining room, Some one wns fumbling at the shutters there, and as 1 looked they swung open. It was so dur|t uulsldo wltii tin* trees and the distance from the sired that ouly ilit) creaking of the shutter told It'bnd opened. I stood in the mid dle of the .room, with one hand firmly clutching my candlestick. But the Window refused te move. The burglar seemed*to. have no proper tools. He .pot something under the stirili, but It snapped, and through the heavy plate glass i could hear him swearing. Then ho. abruptly left the 1 window nnd made for tho frout of the house. ' 1 blundered iu the snme direction, m.v unshod feet striking on projecting furniture and enusing mo agonies, even through my excitement. When 1 reached tbo front door, however. 1 was amazed to find it unlocked, und standing open perhaps an inch. 1 stopped uncertainly. 1 wns in a pe culiar position. Not even tbo most ar dent admirers of antique brass candle sticks indorse them ns weapons of of fense or defense. But, there seeming to be nothing else to do. Ippened tho door quietly nud stepped^out into the darkness. The next instnut I wns flung heavily to the porch floor. I am uot a small man by any menns. but under the fury of tbnt onslaught I wns a child. It wns a porch chair, I tblujc, that knock ed me senseless. I know I folded up like a jackknife, nnd tbnt was all 1 did know for n few minutes. When I came to I wns lying where I bnd fnlleu. and a candle was burning beside me on the porch floor. It took me a minute to remember.-and another minute to realize tbnt I wns looking Into the- barrel of a revolver, it oc curred to me that 1 had never seen a more villainous face than that of tbe man who held It—which shows m.v stnte of mind—and that my position was tho reverse of comfortable. CHAPTER IV. Little Miss Jane. HAT did you do with tbnt bag?"' demanded tbe man With the gun, and 1 felt bln knee on my chest.. "What bag?" I inquired feebly. ’“Don’t be a fool.” he persisted. “If 1 don’t get that bag within live minutes i’ll fill you as full of holes nsn cheese." “1 haven’t seen any. bag," \ said stupidly. “Whnt sort of bag?" i heard “What did you do with that bag?" my own voice, drunk from the shock. “Paper hug, laundry bag”— "Yqu’ve hidden it in the house," he said, bringing the revolver a little closer with every word. "Go In nnd look,” I responded. “1 •don’t know anything about n bag, but If you will give me your word there wns nothing in It belonging to this house I will take you in und let you look for it” \ Tho next moment he had lowered the revolver and clutched my arm. “Who In the .devil’s name are you?" he asked wildly. 1 think the thing dawned on U3 both at the same moment. "My nnme is Knox,” I said coolly— "John Knox." “Knox!” Ho snatched the candle from mo nnd. holding it up, searched my face. "Then—good God—where is my traveling hag? I am Harry War- drop.nnd I have been robbed. Mr. Knox. I wus trying to get in the house with out waking the family, and when 1 fame back here to the front door, where 1 had left- my -valise, it was gone. I thought you were the thief when you ramu out. und—we’ve lost nil this time, kimebody has followed me and robbed me!" "What was in the bag?" I asked. “Valuable papers.” be said shortly. “You are certain you left It here?" "Where you are standing.” Something glistened beside the step, and I diseovered'a small brown leather traveling bag. apparently quite new. “Here it is.” I said, not so gracious as I might have been. 1 bad suffered con siderably for that traveling bag. The sight of it restored Wardrop’s poise. _ pqlogize to you I mhst have nearly brained you." "You did." I said grimly, and gave him the bag. The moment he took It I know there was something wrong. lie hurried Into tlie house and lighted tho library lamp. Then In* opened flm trav eling bag with shaking Hugei-s. It was empty! “it's a trick!" he said furiously. "You’ve hidden it somewhere. Tills Is not my bag. You've •substituted one Just like It." ■ "Don’t be a fool," I retorted. “How eowlU | substitnie nn empty satchel for yours when up to fifteen minutes ago to, laid never seep, you or your grip uP tber?" He dropped Into a chair,-nnd after a pause: "1 was followed in Plnttsburg. Two mou watched mo from tlie min ute 1 got there on Tuesday.- I changed my hotel, nnd for all of yesterday— Wednesday, that is—,1 felt secure enough. But on the way to tho train 1 felt tbut I wns under surveillance again, nnd by turning quickly I came face to face with one of tho men. 1 thought he was a detective. You know I’ve had a lot of that sort of thing lately, with election coming on. He didn't get oil the traiu, bowover." "But the other ono may huvo done "When wo drew in nt Bellwood sta tion I distinctly remember opening the hag nnd putting my uewspnpori and railroad schedule inside. It wns the right hag then. My clothing wus iu it nud niy brushes."- , I had been examining the empty bag as he tnlkeil.' ‘‘Where did you put your railroiid schedule?" 1 asked. “la tlie leather pocket nt the side.” "It is here," I said, drawlug out the yellow folder, For a moment my com panion looked almost haunted. "The whole thing is Impossible. That valise'was heavy wliori I walked up from the station. ■ 1 changed It from olio, bund to the other because ol' the weight. When 1 got here 1 set it down on tlie edge of tlie porch and tried tlie door. Wlieu I found it locked"— "But it wasn't locked." I broke in. "When l came downstairs to look for a burglar 1 found -it open nt least urn inch." He stopped in his ■ pacing up and down and looked at me curiously. "We’re both crazy, then,” he asserted gravely. "I tell you I tried every way 1 knew to unlock that door and could hear the "chain rattling. Uu'.ockcd! • You don't know tho way this house is fastened up at night.” “Nevertheless it was unlocked whoa I came down." The sound of n smothered exclama tion from the doorway caused us both to turn suddenly. Standing there In a loose gowu of some sort, very much surprised and startled, was Margery Fleming. “What, is the matter?” she asked un certainly. ”1 heard such queer noises.” “Mr. Wardrop wns .frying to break In.” I explained, "uud I came down. On tho way 1 hud a bloody encounter with nn open door." • 1 don't tiillik she quite believed’ me. She looked from my swollen bqnd to •tiio open bag aud then to Wnrdrop’s palo face. Then. I think, womanlike, she remembered the two great braids that hung over her shoulders nnd the dressing gowu she wore, for she back ed precipitately into the hall. “It is. only half past two,” I said, glancing nt ray w fitch. "Wo might look around outside.” Reticent ns he was, his* feverish ex citement made' me think that some thing vital hung on the recovery of tbi contents of flint Russia leather bug But we fquud nothing. As l look-heck on that night tlie key to whnt had passed and to much that was coming was so simple, so dlrect- uml yet we- missed it entirely. It was sonic time before we learned the true inwardness of the events of that night. I was almost unrecognizable when I looked at myself in the mirror the next morning, preparatory to dressing for breakfast My nose boasted a new arch like the back of an angry cat. mnklng my profile Roman and fero clous, nnd the lump on my forehead from the chair was swollen, glassy and purple. I turned my hack to the mir ror and dressed in wrathful irritation and my yesterday’s linen. Miss Fleming wns in the breakfast room. I have carried with me during nil the months since that time a mental pic ture of her ns she stood there in n pink morning frock of some sort But only the other day, having mentlorie'd this to her, 3.';e assured me that the frock wns blue. So I amend this. Miss Fleming In a blue frock was facing the door when I went into the brenkfnst room. Of one thing I am certain, she held out her hand. (To Be Continued) . Legalpdanks of'all kinds, timber^ leases,' realty con tracts, bill of sale, at the Progress office. Lowest prices. 13