“All most respectable. Don't run i "D—■ <1 young tool," he murmured
away with the Idea that I'm sending I m d turned his miud to other matters.
memory of the oldest hoarder aha yon to some melodramatic hell's-kltch-
"Twenty minute» back." aald the old had built up this model establishment, •n where the guests are drugged aud
CHAPTER III.
woman. **1 guess ha died last night. the fame of which had been carried shanghaied on the day of their arrival.
Ba never would be called In the morn­ to every corner of the world.
“As far as I can gather, thia place
Flat Up Asainst It.
ing. Bald he liked to sleep on. Well,
A day later Mr. Snyder sat In his
In saloons and places where sailor- la a sort-of male Martha WaahtDglon.
he's got hts wish."
men gathered together from Liverpool In all Its history nothing more sensa­ office reading a typewritten manu­
“What did he die of, doc?" jsked to Yokohama, fi-m t ape Town tc tional has happened than a case o f ' script. It appeared to be of u humorous
the policeman.
Marseilles, the reputation of Pickett’» suspected cheating at pinocle. Well, a nature, for us he read chuckles es
caped him. Finishing the last sheet,
“Impossible to say without an ex­ was of pure gold. Men spoke of It as man has died there.”
he threw back his head and laughed
"Murdered?"
amination. It looks like apoplexy, but a place where you were well fed
“I don't know. That's for you to heartily.
It Isn't. It might be heart disease, but cleunly housed, and where petty rob­
find out. The coroner left It open. I
The manuscript had not been intend
I happeu to know the poor fellow's bery was unknown.
don't see how It could hijve been mur­ ed b.v Ils author for a humorous effort
heart was as sound as a bell. He
Such was the chorus of praise from
cs'led In to see me only n week ago, end to end of the world that It Is not der. The door was locked; nobody What Mr. Snyder bad been rending
was the first of Elliott Hakes' report?
and I tested him thoroughly. Lord likely that much harm could come tc could have got In."
from the Excelsior, it was as follows
"The window?"
knows what It is! The coroner's in
P icketts from a single mysterious
"The window waa open. But t h e ' “I am sorry to be unable to report
quest will tell us.”
death; but Mother Pickett was nol
He eyed the body almost resent­ consoling berself with ruch reflections room Is on the first floor. And. any­ any real progress. I have formed sev­
way, you may dismiss the window. I eral theories, which I will put forward
fully.
She was wounded sore. Pickett’»
“It beats me.” he said. “The man had had a clean s la te ; now It had not remember the old lady saying there later, but up to the present I cannot
was a bar across It, and thai nobody say that I am hopeful.
had no right to drop dead like this. He That was the sum of her thoughts.
could have squeezed through."
“Directly I arrived here I sought oul
was a tough old sailor, who ought to
She looked at the dead man with
Oakes' eyes glistened. H e was In­ Hrs. Pickett, explained w ho I was, anc
have been good for another twenty pa Ito, grim eyes. From down the pas
requested her to furnish me with anj
years. If you ask me, though I can't -age came the doctor's voice as ht terested.
"What waa the cause of death?”
further Information which might bi
possibly be certain till after the in­ »poke on the telephone.
Mr. Snyder coughed.
of service lo me.
quest, I should say he hud been poi­
"Snake-bite," he said.
“She is a strange, silent woman, whe
soned."
CHAPTER II.
Oakes’ careful calm deserted him. Impressed me as having very llttk
“For the love of Pete 1” exclaimed
He
uttered
a
cry
of
astonishment.
intelligence. Your suggestion thnt 1
Officer Grogan.
Detective Oakes.
"W hat!"
should avail myself of her assistance
“How would he he poisoned?" asked
The office of the Paul ,T. Snyder De
“It's the literal truth. The medical In unraveling this mystery seem s more
Mrs. Pickett.
tective agency had grown in the course
“That's more than I can tell you. i f half a doxeu years from a slnglt examination proved that the fellow curious than ever now that I have
There’s no glass about that he could room to a palatial suite full of pol had been killed by snake poison. To seen her.
“She Is a hard-working woman, whi
have drunk It from. He might’ have ; 'shed wood, clicking typewriters, anc be exact, the poison o f a snake known
got It In capsule form. But why either evidences of success. Wherf as the kralt. In this Long Island certainly conducts this boarding housi
should be have don» It? H e was al­ nro-e Mr. Snyder had sat and waltec boarding house. In a room with a with remarkable efficiency, but )
ways a pretty cheerful sort of old for d iem s and attended to tho«< locked door, this man was stung by a should not credit her with brains. Sh<
kralt. It’s a small snake, found prin­ never speaks except when spoken to
man, wasn't he?”
client* on »he rare occasions wher
and even then Is curt to the point ol
"Buret” said Officer Grogan. “He they arrived in person, he now sal it cipally In India.
"To add a little mystification to the uniulelligibllity.
turd Ute name of being a champion his private office and directed a corp»
limpid simplicity of the affair, when
“However, I managed to extract
Jostwr In these parts. I’ve had guys
if assistants.
the door was opened there waa no from her a good deal of information
come to me all raw from being mixed
His cap was no longer in his baud sign of sny snake
which may or may not prove useful
np In arguments with him. He had and his time at the disposal of suj '
“It conldn’t have got out throngh
“The whole affair seems to me al
a way with him. Kind of sarcastic, who would pay a modest fee. He wa>
though he never tried It on me.”
an autocrat who accepted or refusec the door, because the door was locked. the moment of writing quite inexpll
It couldn’t have got np the chimney, cable. Assuming thnt this Captain Gun
“T his roan must have died quite rases at bus pleasure.
early last night,” said the doctor. ; •tie had ju st accepted a ease. It because there was no chimney. And ner was murdered, there appears t<
“What'a become o f Captain Muller? seemed to him a case that might b« It couldn't have got out of the window, have been no motive for the crimt
If he shares this room he ought to be nothing at all or -oniething exceeding because the window was too high up, j whatsoever.
“I have made careful lnqulriet
able to tell us something about it.”
ly b ig ; and on the latter possibility h< and snakes can't Jump. So there you
about him, anil find that he was a mac
have It.”
“Captain Muller spent the .light hnd gambled.
He looked at Oakes with a certain of fifty-five; had spent nearly fortj
with some friends at Brooklyn," said
The fee offered was. Judged by hl»
quiet satisfaction. It had come to his years of his life al sea. the last dozer
present
standards
of
prosperity,
sm
all;
Mrs. Pickett. “He wasn't here from
but the blzzare »'acts, coupled w ith 1 ears that Oakes had been heard to in command «of his own ship; was ol
after supper."
complain of the Infantile simplicity, somewhat overbearing and tyrannous
The doctor looked round the room, something in the personality of the unworthy of a man of his attainments, disposition, though with a fund ol
client,
had
won
him
over;
and
he
frowning.
.,
of the last two cases to which he had rough humor; hud traveled all over
"1 don't like It. I can't understand touched the bell and desired that Mr b»en assigned, and had said that he the world; anil had been an inmate of
Oakes
should
be
sent
In
to
him.
It. If this had happened in India 1
the Excelsior for about ten months.
Elliott Oakes was a young man who hoped some day to be given a problem
should have said the man had died
"He had a small annuity, und no
which
should
be
beyond
the
reasoning
from some form of snake-bite. I was amused and Interested Mr. Snyder. powers of a child of six.
other money nt all, which disposes of
He
was
so
Intensely
confident.
He
out there two years, nnri I’ve seen a
It seemed to Mr. Snyder that he had money us the motive of the crime.
hundred cases of It, They all looked hnd only re< ently Joined the s'aff. but got what he wanted. ►
"In my character of Juuies Burton,
he
mnde
very
litfle
Secret
of
hl«
In
Just like this. The thing’s ridiculous.
“I should like further details," said s retired ship's chandler. I have mixed
lentiou
of
electrlfyiug
and
revolution­
How could a man be bitten by a snake
with the other boarders, and have
Oakes a little breathlessly.
In a water front boarding house? .H ie izing the methods of the agency.
“You had belter apply to Mrs heard all they h a . e lo say about the
Mr. Snyder himself. In common Pickett, who owns the boarding-house i affair.
whole thing's mad. Was the door
locked when you found him. Mrs. with most of his a-si itants, relied for It was she who put the case In my
"I gather thut the deceased was by
results on hard work und plenty of hards. She convinced me that It Is no means popular. He appears to have
piokett?”
•ouimon sense. He had never ¿ecu a murder. But, excluding ghosts, I hod u bitter tongue, and was not »par­
JJfg, Pickett nodded.
ttj
It wl,h ray own key' 1 letectlve of the showy type. Results licti t ace how any third party could ing lu its use, anil I have not met one
had been calling to tuu>, and he didn’t tad Justlfled his methods, bul he was have taken a hand in the thing at all. man who seems to regret his death.
lerfectly aware that young Mr. Oakes However, she wanted a man from thl«
answer, so I guessed something was
“On the other hand, I have heart
ooked on him ns a dull old man who agency, aud was prepared to pay for nothing which would suggest tligt In
wrong.”
md been miraculously favored by luck him, so 1 said I would send one. It's had ally active und violent enemy. Hi
The fkllceman spoke:
Mr Snyder had selected O ates for not for me to turn business away.
“To« lln 't touched anything, ma'am?
was simply the unpopular bourder—
he case In hand nrindnallv because
They’re always mighty particular
“So, as I said, 1 want you to go there Is always one In every boarding
ghost that. If doc’s right, and there's .. was cue wreVT) inexperience coum and nut up at Mrs. Pickett's Excdslut house— but nothing more.
basfl any funny work here, that's the
“I have seen a good deal of tha maD
hu harm, nnd where the brilliant
Ronrdlng-Houss and do your best to
Brat thing they'll ask."
gue-swork which the la tte r called his put things straight. I would suggest who shared his room. He, too, Is a
"Everything ia Just as I found It.”
inductive reasoning might ttehieve an that you pose as a Rhlp'a chandler or sea-eaptaln, by name Muller, lie Is a
“What's that on the floor beside unexpected success.
big, silent German, and It Is not easy
something of that sort. You will have
k iw 'r
It wus one of those bizarre cases to do something maritime or they’ll to get him to talk on any subject.
“That’s his harmonica. He liked to which call for the dashing amateur
"As regards the death of Captain
play It of an evening-ln*hia room. I've ra th e r than the dogged rule-of thumb get on to you.
Gunner, he can tell me nothing. Il
“And
If
your
vlalt
produces
no
other
had complatfita about It fiom some of professional.
seems that on the night of the tragedy
results, it will at least enable you to
the gentlenien; but I never saw any
Mr. Snyder had. moreover, a kind make the acquaintance of a very re­ he was away nt Brooklyn with some
harm, so as he didn’t play too late '
friends. All I have got from him Is
of superstitious faith In the luck of
markable womufi. 1 commend Mrs.
“Seems as If he was playing It when the beginner.
some Information as to Captain Gun-
Pickett
to
your
notice.
By
tbe
way.
—It happened. That don't look much
night. when he would take some whis­
Another motive actuated Mr. Sny
she
says
she
will
help
you
tn
your
In­
like suicide, doc.”
ky. His head was not strong, and a
der in his choice. He bad a strong
vestigations."
" , didn’t say It w as suicide.”
little of the spirit was enough to make
suspicion that the conduct of thia case
Oakes laughed shortly. The Idea
ottlces Grogan whistled.
was going Io have the beneficial result
him seinl-lntoxlcated. when lie would
amused him.
“You don't think—*'
he hilarious and often insulting.
of lowering Oakes' self esteem.
"Don’t
you
asoJ
at
amateur
as­
“I don’t think anything—till after
“I gather that Muller found him a
if failure achieved this end, Mr. sistance. ray boy,” aald Mr. Snyder I d
«he Inquest. All I »ay Is that It's Snyder felt that failure, though It
difficult roommate, but he Is one of
the
fatherly
manner
which
bad
made
queer."
would not help the agency, would nol a acore of criminals refuse to believe those placid Germans who can put up
Another aspect of the matter be an Unmixed 111.
him a detective until the moment with anything, lie and Gunner were
seemed to strike the policeman.
The door opened and Oakes en when the handcuffs snapped on their In the habit of playing checkers to­
“I guess this 'ain't going to help tered tensely. Hl did everything tense­
gether every night in their room, and
the Excelsior any, ma'am," he said ly. partly from a natural nervous wrists. “Detection Isn't an exact Gunner had a harmonica which he
science. It's a question of using com­
sympathetically.
played frequently.
energy, and partly as a pose. He
Mrs. Pickett shrugged her shoulders. was a lean young man, with dark eyes mon sense and having a great deal
"Apparently, he was playing It very
of
special
Information.
Mrs.
Pickett
Bflence fell upon the room.
jnd a thin-lipped mouth, and looked probably knows a great deal which soon before he died, which Is slgnltl
", suppose I had better telephone to as like a typical detective as Mr,
neither you nor I know, and It’s Just cant, as seeming lo dispose of the Idea
the coroner," said the doctor.
y. ; der looked like a comfortably pros­ pssslhle that she may have some trivial of suicide.
Ha want out. aud after a momentary
"But It Captain Gunner did not kill
per 'is stock broker.
niece of knowledge which will prove
pause the policeman followed him.
himself, I i siinot at present Imagine
Jlr. Snyder had never Iiothered him- the key to this mystery."
Officer Grogan was not greatly trou­
who did kill him. or why he was killed
sell a out the externals of hi» profes-
Oakes laughed again.
bled With nerves, but he felt a decided
or how.
sion. One could imagine Mr, Snyder
"It
la
very
kind
of
Mrs.
Pickett,
desire to be somewhere where he In his moments of leisure watching a
"As I say, I have one or two theo­
but I think I prefer to trust to my
•on lirkot .r e i t * “ starlug eyes.
hall game or howling. Oakes gave the own powers of deduction."
ries, hut they sre In a very nebulous
Mrs. Pickett remained where she impression of having no moments oi
“Do Just what you please, but rec­ stste. The most plausible Is that on
was, looking down at the dead man. leisure.
ollect that a detective Is only a man, one of His visits to India—I have as
| W face was still expressionless. but
"Sit down, Oakes,” said Mr. Bny­ not an encyclopedia. He doesn’t know certaitied that he made several voy­
inwardly she was tn s ferment. This der. *Tve got a Job for you."
everything and It may be Just some age« there—Captain Gunner may In
was the first Gate such s thing as tlD
Oak»s sank Inlo a chair like a small thing which h» does not know some way have fallen foul of the ns
had happened at »ha Excelsior, and crouching Ic-p ard s-'d p'a-ed the tip« which turns out to b» tbe missing let­ ♦Ives.
«a Officer Grogan h»d hinted. It va« of his Angers together. Ho nodded ter In the combination "
“Kipling's story 'The Mark of the
not likely to Increase the attractive- > urtly. 1» was part of his pose to be j Oakes rose. His face was keen sod Re»?»,' Is nggestlve Is It not possible
ae«a of tha house In the eyes of po- seen and silent.
that Captain Gunner, a rough, over­
purposeful.
slide boarders.
bearing man, easily Intoxicated, may
“I want you to go to this addreas”
"I had better be starting at once,
However well established the repu­ —he handed him an envelope—“and he said. “I will mall you reports from In a drunken frolle have offered some
tation of a house may be for comfort look around. Whether you will find time to time.”
insult to aa Indian god?
and tbs sgcellenct of Its cuisine, if It out anything, or whether there’s any­
“The fact that he certainly died of
“I shall be Interested to read them."
la a house of tragedy, people, for « thing to find out, Is more than I can said Mr. Snyder genially. "I hope the poison of tlie kralt, an Indian
time at any rata, will look askance «ay. When the old lady was telllnp your vlalt to the Excelsior will be snake, supports this theory.
me the story 1 own I was carried away. pleasant. If you run across a man with
“I am making Inquiries as to the
at It.
It was not the possible pecuniary She made It convincing. She think« a broken noee, who used to rejoice In movements of several Indian sailors
loss which waa troubling Mrs. Pickett It waa murder. I don't know what to the name of Horse-Face Simmon«, who were here In their ships at the
As far as money » a s concerned, »h» think."
give him my best. I hnd the pleasure time of the tragedy.
■ould have retired from business year»
“The facts?" said Oakes briefly.
“I have another theory. Does Mrs
of sending him up the road some »ears
Mr. Snyder smiled quietly to him­ ago for highway robbery and I under Pickett know more about thia affair
»efore and lived comfortably on het
«vlnga. She w as richer than those self.
stand that he baa settled Io those than she appears to?
"The address on that envelope Is parts And cultivate Mm P ick ett; she
rho knew her supposed.
“I may be wrong In my estimate of
It waa the blot on. the escutcheon of a bearding house on the water la worth while."
her mental qualities. Her apparent
front,
down
In
Long
Island.
You
know
if the Excelsior—the stain on the Ex
The door closed, and Mr Boyder stupidity mav be cunnlnr
idslor's reputation— which was tor the sort o f place— retired sea-captain« lighted a fresh d ra t
ind en nr»
sta tin g her.
shook hla bead.
“Bees dead for hour«.
yon find him?”
The Excelsior was her life.
When did
Start-
bg many years before, beyoud the
“But Mere akdlti the absence of m e
live brlugs me up against a dead wall.
I must confess that al preaeul I do
not see my way clearly. However, I
will write agalu shortly."
Mr Snyder derived the utmost en­
joyment from the report. He liked the
matter of it. and he liked Oakes' liter­
ary style.
Above all. he was tickled by the ob­
vious querulousness of It. Oakes waa
ba tiled, and bis knowledge of Oakea
told him that the sensation of belug
battled was gall aud wormwood to that
high-spirited young gentleman.
Whatever might be the result of thta
investigation. It would at least have
the effect of showing Oakes that there
was more iu the art of detection than
he had supposed. It would teach him
the virtue of patience.
He wrote his ssslstaift a ahort note:
"Dear Oakea:
“Your report received. You certainly
seem to have got the hard case which,
I hear, you were pining for. I wish
you luck.
"Don't build too much on plausible
motives In n case of this sort. Fauntle-
roy, the London murderer, killed a
woman for no other reason than that
she had thick ankles. Many years ago
I myself was on a case where a man
murdered an Intimate friend because
of a dispute shout a ball game.
"My experience la that five murder­
er^ out of ten act on the whim of the
moment, without anything which, prop­
erly speaking, you could call a motive
at all.
“Youra,
"Paul Snyder.
“P. 8 — I don't think much of your
Pickett theory. However, It'a up to
you. Enjoy yourself.“
CHAPTER IV.
Baffling Clues.
Young Mr. Oakes, however, did not
enjoy himself.
For the first time In his life he w as
beginning to be conscious of the pos­
session of nerves. He had gone Into
this Investigation with the aelf-eontt-
dent alertness which characterized all
Ills actions. He believed In him self
raorouguiy.
The fact that the case had the ap­
pearance of presenting unusual diffi­
culties had merely stimulated him He
was tired of belug assigned to Investi­
gations which offered uo scope for the
luductlvo genius which he considered
that he possessed.
Hitherto he had been a razor cut­
ting wood. Now, however, he told him­
self, he could really show Mr. Buyder
the difference between modern meth­
ods and the stupid rule-of-thumb
which seemed to be tbe ageucy's only
form of mental expression.
This mood had lasted for soma
hours. Then doubts bud begun to creep
In. Tbe problem began to appear in­
soluble.
True, he had only Just taken It up,
but something told him that, for all
’.he progreH8 he was likely to make, he
(light Just as well have been working
tu it for a month. He wus baffled.
And every moment which he sp elt
li the Excelsior boarding bouse made
i: clearer to him that that Infernal old
woman with the pale eyes thought him
an Innocent fool.
It was this, more than anything,
which hud brought to Elliott Oukee*
notice the fact that he had nerve«.
Those nerves were being sorely trou­
bled by tbe quiet scorn of Mrs. Pick­
ett's gaze.
He began to think that perhaps be
hnd been a shade too self-confident and
brack In the short Intend w which he
had had with her on tils arrival.
Khe had struck Mm as a thorenghly
stupid old woman, and his manner bad
shown It.
He hnd been keen and abrupt during
thnt Interview. He had cut In on her
remarks. He had examined tier with
regard to the faete which he needed
to supplement those which be had had
from Mr. Bnyder with a d irt supeftfll-
inusness which now he was beginning
to regret.
.Such hh attitude as he had assumed
could only lie justified by results, and
the fear was creeping over him Ipat
he could not produce those resiflls.
Failure was staring him In tbe fare.
Since his arrival he had not ceased
to hrood over thia problem, bnt be
could see no light.
Mrs. Pickett's pale eyes somehow
made hlin feel very young.
Elliott Oakes' first set after hla brief
Interview with the proprietress had
bpen to examine the room where the
tragedy had taken place. The body
ksd gone. hut. with that exception,
' nothing had been moved.
Oakes belonged to tbe magnlfvlng-
glass school of detection. Tbe first
thing he did on entering the room was
to make a careful examination of the
floor, the walls, the furniture, and the
wlndow-slll.
He would have hotly denied the as­
sertion that he did tbl« hecauae 1«
looked well, bnt he would have been
yard put to It to advance any other
(To be continued.)