lí^Cbronícle* of
AJdihóion Peace
% ßyß. F letcher ^ odihsoh
Co-duthus tuM/t. Cunan ùoyJe o/ ~íñe Siuu/miCtÁe ¿uuuí.eruClk'Ct
THE STORY OF
AMAROFF THE POLE
(Continued.)
Th« serJeant stepped forward and
whispered. The man was sufficiently
sad efled, for he dropped the slide at
once, and the door swung back to ad-
mil us: the hairy-faced porter bowing
• welcome tn polite submission. Th«
inspector led the wav up th« stairs,
and I followed at his *hee!s. The ser-
leant bad disappeared.
It was a broad, low room in which
we found ourselves, the rafters of th«
roof unhidden by the plaster of a ceil­
ing. Round the walls on benches rang
ed behind tables a dozen men sa'
smoking and drinking. The chatter
of talk faded away as we entered. In
silence they stared at us. calmly, judi­
ciously. without fear or curiosity. I
could net have imagined a mor« com­
posed and resolute company. 1 felt
that 1 carried myself awkwardly, as an
impertinent intruder should; but the
inspector sauntered across the room
to a bar on the further side as calmly
as if he were the oldest and most
valued member in the club.
A pale-faced man with a stained and
yellow beard rose from his seat be­
hind the glasses. His eyes were fixed
on Peace with a weak, pathetic ex
pression like a dog in pain.
“Good evening. Mr. Greatman." said
the Inspector. “Can I have a word
with you?"
“Yes. sir. If you will kindly step Into
my private room." he answered In ex­
cellent English, opening a hatch in
the bar “This is the way. sir, if you
will follow me."
We walked after him down a short
passage and stopped before the dark­
ness of an open door. A spurt of a
match and the gas jet flared upon a
bare chamber, bung with a gaudy pa­
per and furnished with half a dozen
wooden chairs set round a deal table
tn the center. In place of a carpet,
our feet grated up'-n a smocth sprin­
kling of that grey sand which may
■till be found in old-fashioned inns.
It was here then, if the detectives
were not mistaken, that this crime
bad found a climax, this sordid mur­
der not thirty hours old.
“If you would like a fire, gentlemen."
suggested Greatman. "I can easily
fetch some coals."
“Pray do not trouble yourself,” said
Che inspector, politely “My name is
Peace, of the Criminal Investigation
Department, and I called to Inquire if
you can tell me anything concerning
the murder of the sculptor, Amaroff.”
“I know nothing ”
“That is strange, seeing that be was
strangled in this very room ”
“Here?” cried the Pole, with a stare
of unbelief changing into sudden ter­
ror. “Here—in my room.”
“So I believe." said Peace.
The man swayed for an Instant,
■rasping at the back of a chair, and
then dropped to the ground, moaning,
his face covered with his hands. In
that crouching figure before us was
written the extremity of despair.
LIBEL ON ARIZONA WEATHER
"Come, come, Grestman, pull your­
self together," said the Inspector, tap­
ping him kindly on th« shoulder. “If
you are Innocent, there Is no need to
make all this fuss.”
"It was Nicolin who lied to me." he
cried, looking up with bewildered eyes.
“Very probably," said Peace, “it Is
a habit with him.”
“Yet it was I, miserable that I am.
who made the meeting between them.
Before Heaven, it was with the inno­
cence of a child
If those my com­
rades of the club but knew------ "
He hesitated, his eyes searching the
room in sudden terror.
“Oblige me by seeing that we have
no comrades already at the keyhole.
Mr. Phillips.” said Peace.
There was no one at the door; no
one In the dark passage; and when I
*n a crumpled heap.
returned I found that Peace had lifted
the caretaker to a chair, where he sat
“You can trust us,” the detective
was saying "Believe me. Greatman.
it will be best for yours«lf that you
hide nothing ”
And so with many fierce cries and
protestations, this poor creature be­
gan bls story.
It was Nicolin. ft seemed, who had
discovered that Greatman, the care­
taker of the Brutus Club, was one and
the same with the forger. Ivan Kroll,
of Odessa, who had been wanted by
the Russian polic« for close upon
'welve years
But having a shrewd
cad on his shoulders. Nicolin made
no immediate use of his knowledge
For forgery a man might be extra­
dited from England. Once In Russia
the charge would be altered to nihil­
ism. and then—Siberia. It was not
pleasant for the caretaker of a nihil­
ist club to be at the mercy of a black-
bearded spy lounging on the step out­
side "It was that which drove m« to
the brandy." said poor Greatman.
alias Kroll.
About the end of August there be­
gan, he continued, a duel of wits be­
tween the two men, Amaroff and
Nicolin, the reasons and causes of
which did net. If he might be per­
mitted to say, concern us
Nicolln'a
career was dependent on bis success.
For him, failure spelt permanent dis­
grace. Yet it was Amaroff who was
playing with his opponent as a cat
with a mouse, confusing and surpris­
ing him at every turn, driving him.
Indeed, when time grew pressing, into
desperate measures
At the last he
formed a plan, did Nicolin, a scheme
worthy of hfs most cunning brain.
“This, then, he did," ended the poor
caretaker. "He came to me—I who
had so great love and honor for Amar­
off, my friend, 1 whom he had turned
from crime and aided to earn a wage
in honesty—he came to me and he
says: ‘Kroll, in my pocket Is a war­
rant that will send you back to the
snow places In the East; do you fear
me, my good Kroll?' And I feared him.
‘See, now,’ he said, ‘we desire to see
your friend Amaroff for a little talk.
We cannot barm him here In this
mad country. Contrive a trick, bring
him Into your private room behind the
bar. Give us the key of the yard door
that we may come secretly to him—
and afterwards you will bear no more
of Siberia from me. Do you consent?’
said a westerner to one of the Eng­
lishmen. ‘Well, look at that sprinkling
Tale Impressed Englishman, Who can. It has been so hot that it has
melted the spout right off! And the
Probably Went Home and Wrote
farther west you get the better It
a Book About It.
gets,’ the native son finished as he
“Hot weather reminds me,” said the noticed the awed look on the foreign­
fallow who Is always ready to tell a er's face."
•tory when he gets an opening. “1
Grounds *or Divorce.
was riding down through Arizona last
A Cleveland tawver tells this one:
summer on a train on which there
“A woman name up to my office the
eras a party of Englishmen. You
knew what hot weather is until other day and wantid to know If she
yon ride through some of those south- could get a divome because her hus­
t «stern states In the summer.
The band didn't believ» in the Bible. I
Boat rolls up in waves and smites you. told her that unless she bad some­
■verything except the rattlesnakes thing else on him there would be no
and the Indians stay out of the sun's use In bringing suit.
"'But he’s an absolute Infidel!’ she
rays as much as possible.
“On a station
platform stood a insisted.
" That makes no difference,’ said I.
dilapidated sprinkling can. It was
“‘Doesn’t It, indeed?’ she cried, tri­
tall of dents and the spout was lying
Mar the can, both evidently not hav­ umphantly. 'Well, you are a fine law­
yer, I must say. Here’s the laws of
ing been used for months.
“ 'You know I have been telling you Ohio, and they say that infidelity, if
hi« some hot weather out here,’ proved, is a ground for divorce!’"
“Gentlemen. 1 believed him, alio
having (ear of the snow places; and I
consented.
"So Amaroff answered my call, and
with some excuse 1 left bltu tn this
room
It was at a time when few
members were In the club—about
•«ven of the clock
And that, as I
live. .Is all I have to tell I wailed at
my seat behind the bar. I saw noth­
ing, heard nothing—and at last when
I went to my room, behold it was
empty! I tried to suspect no wrong—
but 1 did not sleep that night In the
morning I saw In the papers that
Amaroff. my friend, waa dead, and
how he died 1 could not tell."
“So Nicolin won the game,” sug­
gested Peace, softly. "And there will
be no regrettable incident when the
Csar enters Paris the day after to­
morrow*
"Of that I have no knowledge,” said
Greatman; but I saw a sudden resolu­
tion shine In his fac« that seemed to
put new heart Into the man.
“Well. Mr Phillipa.” said the tn
spector. turning upon me with a warn­
ing quiver of the left eyelid, ”!t Is
to meet Nicolin at th« studio by seven
tomorrow morning
We must get to
bed early ”
“Certainly,” I said. I waa rather out
of my depth, but I take mys«lf this
credit that 1 did not show it.
"Then do you search the studio to­
morrow?” asked Greatman.
"Yes—It has been arranged.”
“But will you not first arrest this
Nicolin, this murderer?"
"My dear Mr. Greatman,” said the
inspector, "you have told us your
story, and I thank you for your con­
fidence. But I advise you now to leave
things alone. I will see justice done—
don’t be afraid about that. For the
rest, please to keep a silent tongue in
your head—It will be safer. There is
still Siberia for Ivan Kroll just as
there may be dangers from your
friends In the club yonder for Julius
Greatman, who arranged so Indiscreet
a meeting In bls private room. Good
night to you.”
The caretaker did not reply, but
opening the door, bowed us into the
passage that led to the big room. We
had not taken half a dozen steps when
I looked back over my shoulder, ex­
pecting to see him behind us. But
he had vanished.
“He’s gone," I whispered, gripping
my companion by the arm.
T know, I know. Keep quiet."
As we stood there listening, 1 beard
the sudden clatter of boots upon a
stairway, and then allen'-e.
"It appears tu me that we shall
have an interesting evening," said Ad­
dington Peace.
A twist in the passage, a tqrn
through a door, and we were rattling
down the back stairs and out into a
moonlit yard. In the denser darkness
under the walls I made out a double
row of big barrows, from which there
cam« a subtle aroma In which stale
fish predominated.
From
amongst
them a tali shadow arose and cam«
slipping to our side.
"H«’s off. sir," said th« serjeant,
for It was he. "Rushed by, shaking
his fist and talking to himself like s
madman. Where has be gone, do y«u
think?”
“To Amaroff'« studio; and we must
get there before him The nearest cab
rank. If you please, Jackson.”
We ran through the yard, hustled up
the narrow streets, lost ourselves, as
far as I was concerned, tn a maze ot
alleys, and finally shot out Into a roar
Ing thoroughfare, crowded with a
•trolling population. No cab waa In
•Igbt. Opposite th« lampa of the un­
derground
station the
Inspector
stopped us.
"It would be quicker.” he said, with
a jerk of the bead, and we turned Into
the booking office and galloped down
the stairs. Luck was with us. and we
tumbled Into a carriage as the train
moved away.
We were not alone, and we jour
it eyed in silence
Station after sta­
tion slipped by. until at last we wer«
in the southweatern district again My
excitement Increased as we fled up
the stairs of the South Kensington sta­
tion. Here waa a new sensation, keen,
virile, natural; here was a race worth
th« trouble It Involved I did not un­
derstand; but I knew that on our speed
much depended. Indeed, I could bar«
shouted aloud, but for the In fluence o'
those two quiet, unemotional figures
tbat trotted on either band.
1 regretted nothing—an hour of this
was worth a year of artistic contem­
plation.
Al the corner we found a bansom,
and soon were rattling down the
King's Road. When the cab stopped,
to the inspector’s order, it was not,
as 1 expected, at the corner of Harden
Place, but a street preceding It. Down
this we walked quickly until we came
upon a seedy-looklng fellow with a red
muffler about bls neck, leaning against
tbe wall.
1 was surprised when we baited in
front of him.
“Good evening, Harrison," said the
Inspector. "Anything to report?”
"They're there, sir.
They came
about ten minutes ago. Job and Turn
er are watching tbe door in Harden
Place, and 1 came here.”
"They didn’t see any of you?”
“No, sir, 1 am sure of It”
“You had better join tbe others In
Harden Place. Keep within bearing,
and If I whistle, kick 1a the side door
of the studio—it can be done. Ther«
Is a man who I fancy will have a key
to the door that Is due in about fiv»
minutes
If I have not whistled b«
fore he arrives, let blm through. Yuu
understand c
“Yes, sir.”
Tbe detective faded discreetly Into
the darkness, while the Inspector
turned to me.
"There may be complications, Mr
Phillips, and no slight danger.
I
must ask you to go home."
“1 shall do nothing of the sort.”
"Mutiny," be said; but I could see
tbat be was smiling. "You are ratbar
a fraud, Mr. Phillips—rather a fraud,
you know. There is more of a fight­
er than a dilletante In you. after all.
Come, then, over you go.”
(CHRONICLES TO BE CONTINUED.)
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