The
aZai'Ofr
Mi
J.S.FIetchei
1 VFi$i&--J
THE STORY
Msrryn Holt Is antfuirnl by a
man ratlins hlmsslf MaiaroH at
a traveling companion. Aftr a
short tour they put up at the
Woodcock Inn on Murrsnlsls
moor. Th,y met, casually, Mrs.
Elpblnnton and Sheila Merchl
on. M&iaroft tella Holt they art
hit wifs and daughter and that
hla raal nam la Mtrchlson. That
night Maiarctr fail to return to
the Inn and hli disappearance la
unexplained. Molt meets Sheila
and telle her of MsinrofTs disap
pearance. They go to her cousin's
(Vernor Courthope) (hooting boa
hoping to And eome word of Ma
laroff. There they meet Mr.
Armlntrade and Doctor Eccls
hare. Holt Is questioned by Po
lice Sergeant Manners and a re
porter, Bownas. Masaroff't mur
dered body Is found. Crole, Ma
saroff's lawyer, and Maythorne,
private detective, arrive. Valu
able diamonds that Maisroff usu
ally carried are missing. Mrs.
Klphlnatone scoffs at the Idea
that M.naroff Is Merchlson and
produces apparent proofs of his
death. A gun. stolen from Mus
grave. Is found at the teen of
the murder.
' CHAPTER III Continued
' The scrap of paper was a receipt for
t registered letter, dispatched from
Cap Town, and addressed to the Im
perial Banking Corporation of South
Africa, 605 Lombard street. London.
Maythorne pointed to the date Jan
uary 17 on the postmark.
".Vine months since," he remarked.
"HoW long had Mazarurf been in Ene
land when you met hlra at the Cecil?"
"A few weeks," I replied. "As far
as I know."
"I know," said Crole. "He came to
England In July about the end of the
month."
"Then the letter, or packet, or what
ever It was, to which this receipt re
fers, was sent off from Cape Town to
the London branch of this bank some
months before Manaroff came here,"
observed Maythorne. He turned the
receipt over. "There's an indorse
ment on the back letters and a fig
ore," he continued. "See? F.L. D. 1.
What's that mean, I wonder?"
He carefully put away the receipt.
"We'll Just keep the knowledge of
thut to ourselves, for the present," he
said. "If the police come here this
afternoon, as they're pretty sure to,
after that gun business, and want to
examine his effects. let 'em. But I'll
keep this scrap of paper to myself
I want to work thlnzs up from It."
The police came to the Woodcock a
little Inter. They asked a lot of ques
tions of Musgrave about his gun, and
of me and of Webster about our move
ments on the night of the murder, of
Crole about the dead man's Identity
position; of me again about the
money and valuables he was likely to
hare on hira. And In the course of
their Investigations a fact came out of
which I, until then, had been unaware.
It turned out that after dinner on the
night of the murder, while I was
busied In writing some private letters,
Mazaroff, who was naturally a sociable
man, hud strolled Into the bar-parlor
of the Woodcock, where a highly di
versified assemblage had gathered
farmers, cattle dealers, drovers, Idlers,
all homoward bound from Cloughth
walte fair. There he had made him
self very agreeable, and had treated
the entire company to drinks and
cigars, which he paid for with a five
pound note, taken, said the barmaid,
from a notecase that seemed to be
pretty full, and In open view of any
body and everybody.
This bit of news appeared to give
considerable satisfaction and even re
lief to the police officials, and Man
ners, who lingered behind when his
superiors went away, found It Impos
sible to refrain from communicating
lo Die JtilaJjcllef ..thaMhexwere. on tbe
right line of pursuit.
I communicated the police sergeant's
notions to Crole and Maythorne. May
thorne seemed to understand Man
ners' standpoint
"Following the most probable line,"
he remarked. "A sensible one, too.
Here's an evidently wealthy man,
traveling In a luxurious car of his own,
puts tip at a roadside Inn, goes Into a
public bar-parlor, lets It be seen that
he's lots of money on him, and strolls
out on a lonely moor after night has
fallen. What more likely than that
om' of the men before whom he's
just pulled out his purse should slip
after him, murder him. and rob him?''
"With Musgrave's gun?" I asked.
"Nothing out of the way about that
little detail !" said Maythorne. "What
wu easier than for the murderer to
take down the gun from those hooks,
and slip out after MazaroT?"
"That would presuppose a knowl
edge that the gun was there," re
marked Crole.
"Precisely," agreed Maythorne.
"There were no doubt local characters
about who know quite well what was
in this room and what hung on that
wall,' I think Manners hag got hold
Mystery
4 "'AS
1 l - H I
of a good theory murder for the snke
of robbery. But whether It's the
right one or not urn!"
"You doubt It?" I asked.
11 gave us a candid, confidential
smile.
"If you really want to know," he re
plied, "I neither doubt It nor agree
with it. At present I don't know
where we are, I'd like to know a lot
of things yet. In particular who was
the man that Mazaroff said he wanted
to see, hereabouts? PId he see him?
If so, when and where? If he hadn't
seen him, was he on his way to see
him at the time of the murder? Again
does this man, whoever he Is. know
Mazaroff as Mazaroff or as Merchl
son? Was Mazaroff murdered as
Mazaroff. an unknown man here, or
as Merchlson, a man who had been
known here?"
"Ah!" muttered Crole. "My ques
tion!" CHAPTER IV
The York Solicitor
The Inquest was duly opened next
morning. Crole, as a solicitor whom
he bad employed In London, and I,
as his traveling companion, Identified
the dead man as Siillm Mazaroff, and
told what we knew about him: Kccle
share and the local doctor testified as
to the cause of hit death: the men
who had found the body at Kelver't
den gave evidence as to the circum
stances under which they came across
It. At this stage an Interruption came
through the entrance of Mr. and Mrs.
Klphlnstone and Sheila, with whom
appeared an elderly man of profes
sional bearing; Manners, by whom 1
was sitting, whispered to me that this
was Mr. Wetherby, Mrs. Llphlnstone'a
lawyer.
Wetherby lost no time In letting
the authorities know why he and bis
party were there.
He said, addressing the coroner, "1
wish to make an application to you
on behalf of my client, Mrs. Elphln
stone, of Marrasdale tower. To sup
port It, I shall have very briefly to
refer to some past history. Mrs.
Elphlnstone, as Miss Jean Linton, was
married, some twenty-three or four
years a;o, to a Mr. Andrew Merchlson,
who formerly had some connection
with this neighborhood. The marriage
was not a success, and to put matters
plainly, Merchlson, within a compar
atively short time and after making
due provision for his wife, deserted
her, and. It was believed, unit off to
the East. Eight months after he had
gone, Mrs. Merchlson had a daughter
the young lady whom you now see
here. Miss Sheila Merchlson. Merchl
son wag never heard of again until
some years biter, when Mrs. Merchl
son received news that he had been
drowned off Mombasa, on the East
African coast, while on a voyage from
Bombay to Durban. From that time
forward Mrs. Merchlson believed her
self a widow, and In due course she
married again, and became Mrs.
Elphlnstone. Now I come to the cause
and reason of my application. Yester
day, Mrs. Elphlnstone was visited by
two gentlemen now present, who have,
I understand. Just given evidence
Mr. Holt and Mr. Crole. On the Invi
tation of Mr. Crole, Mr. Holt In
formed Mrs. Elphlnstone that on the
second evening after he and Mr. Maza
roff arrived here at the Woodcock,
Mr. Mazaroff told him that though he
had a perfect right to the name he
was now known by, having legally
adopted it some years ago, he was In
reality the Andrew Merchlson who
had married Miss Jean Linton, and
had left her. I need hardly say, sir,
that this Is a very serious matter for
my client, and I think It will be well
for all parties If Mrs. Elphlnstone Is
allowed to view the body of this dead
man. In order that she may see If she
can recognize It as that of Andrew
Merchlson."
"That seems, obviously, the very
thing to do," agreed the coroner.
"Perhaps you'll accompany your
client, Mr. Wetherby?"
There was considerable hushed ex
citement In that room during the ab
sence of Mrs. Elphlnstone and her
solicitor. Some of the older folk
amongst the spectators whispered
the name Merchlson had evidently
roused Bleeping memories.
When Mrs. Elphlnstone, followed by
Wetherby, reappeared, at the coroner's
suggestion, she went Into the witness
box and gave evidence. It compressed
Itself Into this she could not
Identify the dead man as Andrew
Merchlson. Had the features remained
unmolested, she said calmly, she might
have done so, but as things were Im
possible !
Crole, In his professional capacity,
rose to ask Mrs. Elphlnstone a ques
tion. "Mrs, Elphlnstone," he said, "had
Andrew Merchlson a cast In his left
eye."
"Certainly, he bad," she replied.
"A decided one!" !
(1
r T s
Crole turned to the coroner,
"Numerous witnesses can prove that
the unfortunate gentleman Into whose
death you are Inquiring had such a
cast a squint In his left eye, air,"
he remarked, "lie also had n birth
mark, la the form of n brown mole,
or blemish, on his right forearm.
That, however, Is not nn uncommon
mark, I believe, and I don't attach
great Importance to It. But I nut
strongly convinced that further proof
of the Identity of the deceased as
Andrew Merchlson will be found, and
I should suggest"
"There need he no doubt about It!"
exclaimed a sudden voice from the
spectators. "The man was Andrew
Merchlson !"
I knew whose voice that was before
I looked round. Old Mr. Hassendeano,
whom I had noticed when Crole and
I entered the room, had risen from
his seat, and was smiling Informtngly
at the coroner.
"Mrs. Elphlnstone can't bo positive,
I may as well say that I ami I knew
Andrew Merchlson well enough In the
old days, when he used to come here,
and afterward when he was a young
man I knew him, too, after he'd mar
ried Mist Linton, now Mrs, Elphln
stone, And my memory for faces Is
remarkably keen, and I recognized
him easily enough when I saw htm the
other night. Andrew Merchlson, with
out doubt!"
"Where did you see this man, Mr.
Hassendcane?" Interrupted the cor
oner. "I saw him the night on which he
evldeutly met his death," replied the
old gentleman. "It was In Blrnslde
village street, near my house."
"And you are quite positive on this
matter of Identity?"
"I am absolutely positive! The
man was Andrew Merchlson, whatever
.ifa.'fi'-.'.'.V'.Vfc
mm
I. . I: II I I " ' .
'HI ' ," ' i t i.
s i
I
mm
Watherby Lost No Time In Letting
the Authorities Know Why He and
Hit Party Were There.
he may have called himself of recent
years."
The coroner glanced at the solicitors
gathered about the table at the head
of which he sat.
"I think we had better adjourn for
a fortnight?" he sail. "Lmrlng that
time "
Just then a policeman opened the
door of the room, ushering In a younir,
spectacled man. .The coroner paused
and glanced Inquiringly at him.
The newcomer pulled out a carl
case and, advancing to the head of the
table, whispered a few words In the
coroner's ear. I saw a look of some
thing between aurprlte and perplexity
cross the coroner's face.
"We seem to be dealing with a
strangely mysterious matter, quite
apart from the death," he remarked.
"This gentleman" he glanced at the
card "Mr. Stephen I'ostlethwalte,
solicitor, from York tells me that
he saw accounts of this case In the
papers yesterday, and has hurried here
to give some Information. I suppose
we'd better have It now?"
Mr. I'ostlethwalte formally described
himself as a solicitor. He produced a
diary, and exhibited an entry which
recorded call from Mr. Sullm Maza
roff. "Mr. Mazaroff," he continued, "who
wat a total stranger to me, Intro
Scottish Abbey Holds
8ubject to the fulfillment of certain
conditions, the trustees of Professor
Noel Baton handed over the follow
ing articles to the klrk-sesslon of Dun
fermline abbey: 1. A portion of the
skeleton of King Itobert the Bruce,
namely, the metatarsal or bone of the
greut toe. 2. A srnull portion of the
outer leaden shroud of King Robert
the Bruce. 8. A small portion of the
tolle d'or In which the body of King
Itobert the Bruce wus wrapped. 4.
The remains of one of the Iron nails
which were found among the remains
of the coffin In which the body reposed.
!. The remains of one of the tlx
Iron rings, or rather handles, which
had been filled In with lead Into the
largest of two stones protecting the
vault of the Bruce when first discov
ered on February 17, 1318. 0. Twelve
Rainbow Colors
In the rainbow In the Inner or pri
mary bow the colors of the spectrum
are arranged In their order, red on
the outside and violet on the Inside.
In the outer or secondary bow tho
colors are in the reverse order.
r.ii' i
duced himself as staying In York for
a few days at the North Eastern hotel
lie then informed mo that bo was a
very wealthy man; that he bad made
his money In various trading eoneoru
In the East, and lately In extensive
diamond dealings In South Africa;
that he had now retired from nil this,
had realized his various properties,
and lodged nil the proceeds In cash at
his London bank, the Imperial Bank
ing Corporation of Smith Africa, pend
ing Investment in this country. Then
In a rather,. Jocular fashion be re
marked that up to then, us he had no
children, and no relations, lie had
never made a will, but ho now desired
to do so. He produced tt sheet of
paper on which he had written out his
wishes, handed It to me, and asked
If I could put tt Into shipshape form.
I told him I would have the will pre.
pared for him, and he wus to cull anil
execute It at any time after three
o'clock that afternoon. He returned
to my oltlce at half past three, when
the will wat ready for hi signature.
He duly appended that and carried
the will off with him. ft was not until
some days later that I found that I
had omitted to give him his own
original draft, which I found lying
amongst some papers on my desk. I
went round to the North Eastern
hotel wjth It, myself, but learned then
that Mr. Masuroff and his friend Mr,
Holt had left for I'urham and the
north, leaving no address. I therefore
locked up the draft. Yesterday I read
In the newspapers the various ac
counts of what had happened here,
and as I particularly noticed thnt Mr.
Mazaroff bad been robbed of bis pa
pers as well as his money and valu
ables, I thought It my duty to come
here at once and tell what I knew."
"Much obliged to you, I'm sure, Mr.
Postlethwnlte," the coroner said.
"Now, according to you the diseased
mini carried off this will In bis pocket.
It appears from the evidence that
everything he had on him money,
valuables, papers was stolen, most
likely by the murderer or murderers:
presumably the will has gone with the
rest. However, It's something to
know that such a document wus In
existence. You say he told you be was
t wealthy man. l'id he say how
wealthy?"
"Yes. He toll me be was worth
about eight hundred thousand pound"."
The coroner leaned back In his
chair, put the tips of Ms fingers big-ether,
and looked round the court.
Then be turned again to the witness.
"I think we'll trouble yon to read
that draft. Mr. Pot!ethwaite," he
said, quietly.
P"s:lethwu!te real amidst a dead
silence :
"This Is the last will of me. Sallm
Mazaroff, of the Hotel Cecil, London,
In the county of Middlesex and of
Oil larling street. Cape Town, South
Africa. I devlso Mtid bequeath all my
estate and effects, real and personal.
which I may dls possessed of or en
titled to unto Mervyn Holt, of .v.a
Jermyn street, London, absolutely,
and I hereby appoint the said Mervyn
Flelt sole executor of this my will and
I revoke all former wills and codicils."
This was all. But I was sul lenly
conscious that nil eyes hud turned
from the witness to me.
The first thing that I was accurate
ly coi. scions of after the crushing
shock of the Jurli io:;c!o- , anii.iillice-
Blent was ("role's v
ea r.
ri.,-o to my
v.:, whisper-
"Keen nub't
iio't:- i
Ing l!it.-:.:ly, "K
1 d ti t think I
ti! ru I :;S v.;i
f.M-lin;. nov.. t'.- t
-p ;oi ! - i :ih:i !"
bd more t!::iti In :ir
the cori.ih-r,
be, in -'now. er s-
taiizel III h'.M clf nl! that the various
peoj.li. In that room were th :iUng and
wotiderlus.
The coroner looked around at no
body In particular.
"I underhand that the will has not
been found," be s iid. "The theory Is
that It was stolen by the supposed
murderer, with other of the ieoeaei g
papers. Nobody knows anything about
It, eh?"
Wetherby was suddenly on Ids le;'s,
with a sidelong glance at me.
"As Mr. Holt, the beneficiary, Is
present, sir," he said, "I should like to
ask Mm If he knows anything
about It?"
"I know nothing ubout It!" I ex
claimed. "I never heard of It!"
Wetherby gave me another look;
there was something cynical In It
which I strongly resented.
(TO HE CONTINUED)
Relics of Robert Bruce
fragments white marble and calm
Stone "believed to be portion of the
magnificent monument of King Hubert
tho Bruce at Dunfermline destroyed
by the Lords of the Congregation."
The relics are preserved In nn or-.k
glass-fronted cabinet placed alongside
of tho abbey pulpit erected Immedi
ately above the vault of the Bruce.
fjmlon Mall.
French Enjoy Fiihinf
No fewer than lOyxjo flsherinen took
part In a competition and congress
which was held at Vichy, writes the
Paris correspondent of the London
Sunday Observer. The number Is not
only sufficient to show what a placid
person the Frerfchninn reully Is at
least when he reaches a certain age
but also that he has a natural pas
sion for sport. I do not mean spoil
as he understands the word, for he
does not reully cure ubout games, but
sport In the sense of shooting and fish
ing. Game shooting Is fur more a pur
suit of the whole people of Franco
than In England, and there Is hardly
a middlcaged Frenchman who Is not
a fisbcrmun.
Old and young can take
tills family laxative;
free trial bottle!
The next time you or tho chiMrcti need a laxative,
try this famous doctor'l prescription which aids
the bowels without doing any harm. Dr. Caldwell'!
Syrup Pepsin, containing pure cnna nnd laxative
herbs, is effective in a gcntlo and helpful way. Itt
action it thorough, but it never weakens llie bowels.
It stimulates muscular action and is thus actually
good for the system, " So remember Dr. Caldwell's
Syrup Pepsin when coated tongue, fetid breath,
headaches, nausea, jaded appetite or biliousness
tells the need of a thorough cleansing. Pruggists
keep it in big bottles, or wtiti Dr. CalJmtl'i Syrup
rtfsin, ,'Jontiet-llo, III., (or a frti trial bettlt.
SOAP
v -v ,rl". -avisv
iif
Does much to keep a
good clear complex
Ion, no matter uhat
the treat her I
OltrtiMaS B. tad k
Dm 01 iml Owsl.KsISw, Mm
Lava Preserved Tree
Through the Centuries
A tne with a trunk seven feet In
diameter, burled by lava flow cen
turies ago and preserved In the rock,
crashed through the roof of the canal
tunnel near tho Yakima river at Kl
lensburg, Wash., a short time ago.
The section of tree which fell wat
23 feet In length, the outer part par
tially petrified, but the core still In
much the same condition at when
tome volcano eruption burled It ages
In-fore Columbus thought of bit west
ern voyage.
Several buried logs have been
found i'-3 feet below the present sur
face, but this was the first upright
tree uncovered nnd It regarded as
evidence that a dense forest existed
there In prehistoric times.
The rood of tho old tree were In
a shale formation that was once rl.ii,
fertile lonm, but which under pret
lure of the lava bed became rock.
Evidently tho hot lava cume quickly
and covered the forest at once, for
tho huge tree did not rntcli fire, nor
wat It charred. Lava covered Un
earth at (hit Kdnt ll'O f.-et deep,
In various placet along the tunnel
site drlllt have struck wood, some of
the cores showing that old b'gt He
from 113 feel to f.-et deep.
Retain tyour Good 3?ooks
How frequently a worrun thinks, "Am
l tuu atirsctiver now
much thought and
study ilic devotes
to her 1 o o k 1 1
That's rut iu-ah A
wortun lutrs to
think ihe is grow
ing day by day
Iris charming and
attrartive. UK.
PIERCE'S
FA V 0 U I T E
PR ESC KIP.
TION tvh to
preserve In a woman lbc charm and
health of youth. It euntaini no harm
ful ingreiunit This sp'.rndid herbal
tonic i sold by all druggists in both
fluid and tablets.
Write to Dr. Pierce's InvsJids Hotel,
nuffslo, N. Y, if vnu dciirt free medi
cal adTic, For 10c Dr. Pierte will
tend yvu a trial package of tablets.
Foa's Nickname Old
"Reynard" designating tho fox, as
Well at "renard," the modern French
word for a fox, ure taken from a
celebrated medieval animal allegory
called the Itoman do Kenan) or Key
nard, In which proper tiainct were
given to cuch beast.
Rare Antiques
Yon must run over sometime ami
tee the unthpics we bought on our
lust motor trip. A collide of early
American tundwlches we picked up
In a tearoom. Life.
When
11 if
are upset M
I IYi .i..iuiiuriir
Eaby ills and ailments seem
twice as serious at night. A sud
den cry may mean colic Or a
sudden attack of diarrhea con
ditibn it is always important to
check quickly. How would you
meet this emergency tonight?
Have you a bottle of Castoria
ready? There is nothing; that can
take the place of this harmless
but effective remedy for children;
nothing that acts quite the same,
or has quite the same comforting
effect on them.
For the protection of your wee
one for your own peace of mind
-keep this old, reliable prcnara-
i.tWMi'MAfy
U'KHKMWVUli
UXATIVI
tniNA COMPOUNI
CONuiPAno
SHIaxtmi
"MiNfrSuso)
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rLOKI.STON SHAMPOO I.Ual f wa Isj
mrMriliiiivHhl'wkiw'tlfalrfWlMm. Mklh
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For Barbed Wire Cuts
Try HANFORD'S
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r
il Without Poison
4 New Etmrmlnaior that
Won't hill UvvtiocU, Poultry,
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K lt Ocinbftd sbowl tt horn barn sf poul.
Irr rsra wlih iolun hMf II t anisins
U4I swlsesb K H O Is rr.l 0lt4ulll.it
rscommtnittd IrrU I UtH efAgrleutturs.uadcf
Kb fun..).!. n.Md.s k. I - . ......
irxngOi Two cans blllf t i t mis Arkansas
niaia r arm. nunurvaa Dimiirr ivmirmrmaia
914 on ft Money 'Back CuaranUt.
Inlsl on K-M O, Ihs original Squill aiur
tlora-7). Lars alls Hour tlrnaa as much)
Hud DOtctlldraltrcanaut au(l u K HO
Co, Srln Atld.O.
KILLS-RATS -ONLY
Twenty-Fool Bricks
Throned the discovery of a m-vr
road building material produced from
a vitreous ilny, the manufacture of
brb ks f) fei't long Is now made pos
sible. PH GOOD ?.
m Mnsr aliment start rramnmrallm.
j a matron irnnaupaTton or aafni-cnoau
I B potion). Intaaltnal poisons sap ll.
' m 117, WKiennina four ooaoa nnj ntaas
a ma murrain. Ionium trr TH
NATUtl't HIMIDT-II.Y.,.UI,I
fcorraciira nut an ordinary laiatlra.
fnas now rrt win am in roaunn: four
sppatlmsnd rid yoa of that Uaarj, .
Irwirv. balilaaa faatlria.
aUi. ula. sartl tta!.ala-s srasilrfc. ash 1U
iJKK A U1U.HW, TAKE
World's Largest Telescope
Tho observatory on Mount Wilson.
In California, was built at n cost of
fr.iXXUHH) nnd bonnes the world's
largest telescope, the Instrument hav
ing a rellector MO Inches In di
ameter. a
ri4
CASTORil
Awrtrnurrwniw
lfcl.aelmil"
tkroSiMwaM a-"
Miasm HfrtNA-urTK
aaaiatAviMWiAwaS
til- 1
jpcrtjw
. r". ,u a
CoMlptlMiiu' Durjw
aaa rrarMMns
LoMortLSa'
aaa
BaaiM'"-
mr rii 01 "C""L
tlon always on hand But don't
keep it just for emergencies; let
it be an everyday aid. Its gentle
influence will ease and soothe the
infant who cannot sleep. Its mill
regulation will help an older child
whose tongue is coated because of
sluggish bowels. All druggists
have Castoria; the genuine bears
Chas. II. Fletcher's signature on.
the wrapper.
m
-sJJ - .
s