The Masarofl Mystoy
By J. S. FLETCHER
Illustrations by Imln Myers
W. N. TJ. Service
THE STORY
Mervyn Holt Is nfrnirea tT
man calling himself Maanroft as
a traveling companion. After a
short tour they put up at the
Weadcock Inn on MarrasdaU
tnoor. They meet, casually, Mrs.
Elphlnstons and Sheila Merchl
son. Maiaroff tells Holt thy are
h! wife and daughter and that
Ms real name Is Merchison. That
night Maiaroff falls to return to
the tnn and his disappearance Is
unexplained. Holt meets Sheila
and tells her of Maiaroff'a disap
pearance. They go to her cousin's
(Verner Courthope) shooting box
hoping to find iomt word of Ma
iaroff. There they meet Mr.
Artnlntrade and Doctor Eecle
share. Holt Is questioned by l'o
lice Sergeant Manners and a re
porter, Bownas. Waxaroff'e mur
dered body Is found. Crole, Ma
arort'a lawyer, and Maythorne.
private detective, arrive. Valu
able diamonds that M.ixaroff usu
ally carried are missing. Mrs.
Elphlnstons scoffs at the Idea
that Maiaroff Is Merchison.
CHAPTER IllContinued
"Nothing absurd, ma'am, In my tell
ing you that," retorted Crole, with
the least touch of asperity, "nolt,"
turning to nie, "yon will just tell us
precisely what Mazaroff confided to
you, tha second night of your stay at
the Woodcock. Tell the whole story."
I told the whole story, as we all
stood there In that little room. But,
though I watched Mrs. Elphlnstone
closely during my narrative, I saw no
sign of any wavering on her part
"The thing's absurd!" she declared
In the end. "Utterly absurd! The
man was probably some adventurer
who bad got hold of certain facts
about Merclilson's past history, and
wanted to make money out of bis
knowledge!"
Cm!" Crole said quietly. "Now
that, ma'am, If you will pardon me for
using plain speech to a lady, Is In
deed an utterly absurd suggestion!
Mr. Mazaroff, or, as we should call
him, Mr, Merchison, so far from being
needy adventurer, was a wealthy
man, a very wealthy man! And If
you will pardon me still further, I
will Just put something before you.
If this man was, as be asserted him
self to be, and is we shall probably
prove, Andrew .uercblson, who mar
ried you twenty-two or three years
ago, your second marriage with Mr.
Elphlnstone Is no marriage at all!
Ton are still. In law, Mrs. Merchison,
"What Is all this leading up to?"
demanded Mrs. Elphlnstone. "I"
"To this, ma'am," continued Crole,
lifting an admonitory finger, "and a
Tery important point, too, as you will
quickly see. Although I have had
ery little dealing with this unfor
tunate man, I have bad some dealing,
while be was In London, and It is my
distinct Impression that be has died
Intestate,"
"Well and what has that to do
with me?'' questioned Mrs. Elphln
stone. "Merely this, ma'am. If he was
Merchison, and you his wife, and this
young lady your child, you and she
come in, between you, for every penny
he's left! And there will be a great
many pennies, or I'm a Dutchman I
My advice to you, ma'am, Is this be
fore settling on an attitude of In
credulity and denial. Just step across
to the Woodcock, and see If ynu can
not satisfy yourself that the mun lying
there, sadly disfigured, but Identifi
able, was not the 'man he claimed
to be."
With this Crole made one of his
old-fashioned bows and walked out,
and I followed him, leaving mother
end daughter standing looking at each
other. As we passed the gates, Crole
pulled out a snuffbox and took a
hearty pinch.
"That's s d d flint-like woman.
Holt," he said,' cynically, "ilard
hard and obstinate!"
My owu Impressions of Mrs. Elphln
stone were precisely those which Mr.
Crole expressed so emphatically. Hut
I was just then thinking of other
matters.
"If the . real Andrew Merchison was
drowned In Mombasa bay," I said,
"how could"
t!roIe Interrupted me with a sharp,
(sceptical luugh.
"Aye, but was he so drowned
there, or elsewhere, or anywhere?"
be exclaimed. "My own belief is that
be was never drowned at all! For
all that Sinclair, the writer of that
Utter, knew, Merchison had arranged
for a boat to come off for blm at a
certain hour at night It comes, and
AT THE CONCERT
Williams "What could be worse
than that solo?" Jones "The ddet
fit, viX hrr
I .1...- .'iL
be slips off Into It and Is clean gone.
Easy! He could have' sent money
and things especially money ahead
of him to wherever ho was bound.
Pidnt you tell me be spoke of Dur
ban?" "Of Durban, yes," I answered. "It
was there he took the name of Maza
roff." "Aye, well," continued Crolo, 'no
doubt he'd some reason other than
the one he told you of for leaving
bis old namo behind hi in. He may
have wished folk in both England and
India to believe that Andrew Merchi
son was dead, nut letter or no letter,
cabin trunk or no cabin trunk, monu
ment or no monument, I believe that
'
1 1 h &r ft J
fa -ftp
Mrs, Elphlnstone,
Sallm Mazaroff was Andrew Merchi
son, and that be was murdered as
Merchison, and not as Mazaroff."
"As Merchison T I exclaimed, paus
ing In sheer surprise, "Hut who
knew him, here, as Merchison?"
"That's got to be found out, my
lad!" be answered, with a knowing
look.
We found Maythorne standing at
the door of the inn. In company with
Musgrave: Maythorne gave Crole a
sort of Informing smile as we came up
to them.
"Mr. Musgrave has Just made a dis
covery," he said. "Ills gun Is miss
ing." "Not three months since I gave
twenty pounds for It!" Musgrave mut
tered. "Very near brand new it was!
Couldn't have believed It could ha'
been taken from there, neither."
"And where was It taken from?"
asked Crole.
"It was taken from the private sit
ting room that Mr. Holt there, and the
dead gentleman had," replied the land
lord, with a glance at me. "Hung on
the wall, on two hooks It was. Just
Inside the door you may ha' noticed
it, Mr. Holt?"
"Yes, I noticed a gun there, cer
tfllnly," I replied. "But I hadn't no
ticed that It bad gone."
"JTor me only I haven't been Into
that room this last two or three days,"
said Musgrave. "It was the missis
that found It out she came to me
about It Just now. Of course, some o'
them drover chaps poked their noses
In there, and, seeing nobody about
helped themselves to It! easy enough,
that would be."
"Was the gun loaded?" asked May
thorne. "I suppose not?"
"Well, It was," admitted Musgrave.
"I kept It loaded you never know
what you may want in a lonely place
like this."
"Dangerous, though, to keep a loaded
gun about, don't you think?" said
Maythorne, good humoredly, "By the
bye, what sort of cartridges were
there In your gun?"
"Kynocu's, number twelves," replied
Musgrave, promptly. "Always use
those."
"That might help you In tracing the
gun," remarked Maythorne. 'Tou
should tell the police that." He
turned from the landlord towards the
moor, motioning Crole and myself to
follow Mm. "Era going to have a
look at this Itelver's den," he said.
"Better come with me. Odd, Isn't it,
that Musgravc's gun, loaded with num
ber twelves, should disappear on the
very night on which Mazaroff is shot
dead? Didn't you tell o, Mr, Holt,
that the doctor showed you some shot
which he called number twelves?"
"He did." I assented.
that went before It was twice as
bad."
The Dotted Line
"Do you ever see dots before vour
eyes?" asked the oculist.
"Constantly, all nicely arranged In
rows for you to sign on."
A Radiologist Restrained ;
"Why don't you speak over the
rudlo?" , '
"The same sentiment doesn't' suit
all communities," answered Senutor
(, by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.)
"I suppose this doctor what's bis
name - Kccloshure? knows number
twelves from number tens?" he sug
gested. "lie's a shooting nrnn, himself," I
replied. "Staying at High Cap lodge
with a shooting party."
"Ah, then he'd know what ho was
talking about," ho remarked, and
turned from me to Crole. "Well and
Mrs. Elphlnstone?"
Crole told him all about our doings
at Marrnsdolo tower ns wo walked
across the moor. He listened and said
little. But I noticed that his eyes
grew brighter and his whole air more
alert when we came to Reiver's don
a black, gloomy, eerie; Just the place
for murderous deeds. There was a
local policeman on guard there; he
showed us the place where Mnzaroffs
body had lain and been discovered.
This was amongst a mass of gorse and
bramble at the foot of an almost per
pendicular rock, some thirty to forty
feet In height.
"My mate, what found him." the
policeman said, In a confidential whis
per, "he says as how when he first
come across him, be thought as the
geutleman bad fallen over them
crags In the darkness. But of course
he hadn't and 'cause why? If he'd
ha' fallen from there, he'd ha' broken
his neck and every bone In his body;
big, heavy man like that he was. And
there wasn't no bones broken. My Im
pression, gentlemen, Is as how he was
murdered first, and carried here after
ward. Look how these here shrubs Is
trampled down!"
Maythorne was closely examining
the surroundings: I noticed that he,
too, was apparently struck by the evi
dent trampling of the gorse and bram
ble. Once or twice he stopped, as If
to look closer at bis objects once I
saw hlra pick something from the
ground and thrust It Into his waist
coat pocket, Presently he came back
to where Crole and I stood with the
policeman.
"If a gun were fired In this ravine,
those rocks would give back a One re
verberation," he observed. Then he
looked at the policeman. "You didn't
hear anything that night?" be asked
wltb a smile,
"I heard nothing," agreed the police
man, "Don't know nobody as did,
neither. There's a cottage by here
Just back o' that clump o' beech the
folks there, they didn't hear nothing.
Not nothing whatsoever !"
"Oh, there's a cottage there, Is
there?" said Maythorne. "And who
lives tn Itr
"Old shepherd and his missis Jim
Cowle, his name is," replied the police
man. "I was talking to hlra about this
affair Just now they heard nothing."
Maythorne turned away, toward the
clump of beech. We followed him.
along a narrow track that ran at the
foot of the rocks under the lower
branches of the trees, and went up a
flagged, path to the cottage door;
Maythorne knocked; a woman's voice
bade us enter.
Inside, at a round table drawn tip
In front of a turf Are, an old man" anl
an old woman sat At sight of m, the
old woman rose, politely, but the old
man stuck to his seat, eyeing us with
no friendly glance. He got In the
first word, too, surlily, before May
thorne could address him.
"Don't know nothing about that
there affair In the den yonder!" he
growled. , "Tell'd the policeman Just
now we neither heard nor see'd any
thing, and don't want no bother
about it.
".My good friend!" said Maythorne,
soothingly. "We only wanted to ask
you where this footpath, that crosses
Reiver's den, and goes outside your
garden, leads to? We're strangers."
"There now, master!" remarked the
old woman, glancing reprovingly at
the old man. "You see now! this
gentleman's only asking his way. The
path, sir? It leads across the moor
to High Cap lodge, sir; Mr. Court
hope's place."
"Then it makes a short cut to
where, now?" asked Maythorne.
"Well, sir, It's a short cut from
Mr. Courthope's to Blrnslde, and to
the Woodcock," replied the old woman.
"But It's little used, sir It's little
better than a sheep track."
"And we' didn't see nobody along It
that night, neither one way nor
t'other,"' growled the old man. "Don't
know nothing ain't got nothing to
tell nothing!"
We backed out, closed the door,
and went away. Maytharne smiled
Inscrutably.
"All the same, Mazaroff followed
this path," he said. "Why? Did he
want to go to High Cup lodge? Mr.
Sorghum. "You have to study your
different audiences. It seems kind o'
risky, to go positively on record before
the public all at once." Washington
Ktar,
4 Dutiful Wife
Mrll'este'r You've gone nnd bought
tnotlrer lSO hat on my account. Why
didn't yotTflHk my permission before
Indulging In such extravagance?
Ills'". Wife Because I didn't want to
do anything contrary to your ex
pressed wishes.
Court hope's place? Or had he been
there and was coming away from It?
Who knows? However, I want to go
up to the top of those rocks."
lie turned off the path, mid begun to
make hi way to the bend of the
ravine through the scrub aud under
growth. Crolo nud I followed. Wo
came out on a sort of plateau, over
looking the black depths tn which
Mtuaivff's body had been found. And
there, a solitary figure, stood another
old man, older, It seemed, thuu tha
crusty and ancient fellow we had Just
left; grayer, more gnarled and wrin
kled, but erect and alert, and evi
dently quick of hearing ns a boy, for
ut tho first sound of our approach he
turned sharply upon us.
"The placo already attracts tho curi
ous," ho observed, liolf lronlctilly.
"We have something more than Idle
curiosity to bring us here, sir." re
torted Crole, almost shandy. "We are
the dead gentleman's friends 1 May
I In my turn ask as you seem Inter
ested In the matter If you can tell
us anything to help us?"
The old n nn smiled, and looked
from one to the other.
"Well, I could tell )ou of something,
but whether It will help you or not I
don't know. Yet It iiiIkIiL I beard
a gun discharged hereabouts on tho
ullit this ninu was missed."
"And about what time would that
be?" Inquired Crolo.
"About what Is usually my bedtime,"
replied the old fellow. "Ten o'clock."
Crole looked at Maythorne. "That
must have been the shot," bo said,
musingly.
Just then the policeman at tho foot
of the rocks, who had been pottering
about the bushes, looked up, and
waved his hand excitedly.
"Come down here!" he shouted.
Tve found something. A gun!"
We be;an to descend tho rocks to
the dense undergrowth amidst which
the policeman stood. He was gingerly
handling a sporting gun. and as we
drew up to him, he nodded toward
clump of overgrown gorse.
"Shoved In beneath Pint!" be ex
claimed. "That's where It was."
Maythorne opened the breech there
were two cartridges In the barrels;
one, In the choke-bore barret bod been
discharged. He danced at Crole.
"Odd!" he said "Why didn't he
use the right-hand barrel?"
The old gentleman, who seemed to
be fascinated by the sight of a weapon
that had doubtless been used by a
murderer, laugheJ a little,
"If that's the gun that was used to
shoot this young gentleman's elderly
companion," he remarked, "as' I, per
sonally, have no doubt It was, there's
s good reiison why the murderer used
the left-hand barrel. I'erhaps you're
not a shooting man, sir? If not, I
may tell you that the left-hand barrel
of a fowling piece Is alwhys har
rowed In the bore as It approaches the
muzzle: the notion, it course. Is thhl
the shot, or discharge, Is concentrated
rather than diffused. If a man wanted
to shoot another man dead, at close
quarters, as In this case, he'd nat
urally use the choke-bore barrel In
preference to the other."
Then, with a polite nod, he furned
and went off. Maythorne watched hlin
for a minute or so; then glanced at
the policeman.
"Who Is that old gentleman?" he
asked. '
"That's Mft Hnssendeano, of Blrn
slde house, sir," replied the police-'
man.
Maythorne drew Croies' attention
and mine to a name and address en
graved on a plate let Into the stock
J. Musgrave, Woodcock Inn, Mnrrns
dale. "This Is the landlord's mlslng
property, sure enough,'' he remarked.
We left Reiver's den, nnd went bark
across the moor. Maythorne, as snojr
as we reached the Woodcock, sought
out Muszrnve nnd told him of the ills-J
covery of bis mlsnln? gun. lie hurrti
over his lunch, and ns soon ns i hud
finished mine, addressed m. ' .
"The police are stir? to omn along
here after the finding of flint gun," he
romorked. "And I wAut to be before
hand with them, . J. want to examine
Mazaroff's belongings." "' ' -.'
"Just so!" murmured Crole. 'That,
of course, must be done." . 0 '.
We went up to the dead man's:
room. , Maythorne did the searching
while Crole and I looked' on, )Io tho
waistcoat pockets of a " well-worn
tweed suit Maythorne found a-,utun-ber
of , loose diamonds, large am
small. ' . '
"What did I tell .yo.nr .exclaimed
Crole ns the diamonds came to JIght.
"He did carry diamonds,' loose, on
him? Look at those.-now tnnst.be a
dozen or so stones there, loose In his
pocket! Do you suppose those are
worth a lot, Maythorne? Tim know
more about It than I do."
.'"Can't say." replied Maythorne, In
differently. He was more deeply Inter
ested In a crumpled scrap of thin
paper which he found In an Inner
pocket and smoothed out before use. ,
"Look;, at this !" ho said presently
"HereVsonietlilng, at any rate."
(TO BE CONTINUED) ,
Loose Screws
If loose screws um drawn' out of
furniture, dipped Into glue und screwed
buck quickly, they wlU stay pu.
COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT
Maggie "Why should she ny It's
bad form for a girl to say she's In
-
Current
Wit JJ
tstkstassW
A UTOPIAN RHAPSODY
Will you bo so good as to drive off
the track?" asked tho motorman, and
the truck driver promptly pulled to
one side,
"Thank you, ever and ever so
much," added the motormiiu with
smllo. "You're b perfect tlearl"
"You're very welcome," said the
truck driver, "but you must purdon
my seeming carelessness : I really bad
do Idea your car wus so near."
PERTINENT QUESTION
He I can live on your love forever!
She That's nil right dear; but
whut am I to live on while you live
on my love?
Co-Operatioa
nonet yourself, but don't forget
To boost your friend, loo;
Or boosting him you're apt to get
8ome boosting don for you.
How Do Tkey Live?
Bill You'd need powerful mi
croscope to see the brain' In Dora's
bead.
Jim I'll say I She enme lo the
room Just as some one was mention
ing something about major Issue,
and she exclaimed, "Oh. introduce m
to blm, I just adore a man in uni
form." It Must Seem Like Tnls
First Film Star 1 bear you're mar
ried again, Betty. Whom did yoa
marry this time?
Becond Film Star O, er-ab (open
Ing purse), I believe I've got his card
somewhere. Exchange,
Conclusive Evidence)
' "How do you know It was stork
nnd not an nngcl that brought yout
rmie brother?"!
Well, I heard .daddy complaining
about the size of the bill, aud angels
don't have bills!"
LOOKS LOGICAL
.. "Ihicior, this- husbiiud of mine is
Insane." .',,'
, "Upon ,wha. ground : do you bnse
ynur belief. Madam?"
"Why, the;l!tlle fihrtniff 'actually' hn
the nerve at times to give me an ar
gomcnt."
; - Ediionisn Evolution
Hush, Utile golrlenrod,
Don't you my
' Tou'll he i b'loon tire
isy ind by.
Hoped to Rouse Curiosity
Wright I'm writing my autoblog
'nphy., .
Bright What have you that's' Inter
"Hlfhg , to tell?
Wrtght-That's JuKt It. People wll'
)uy Juy book out of curiosity.
Mad
"You should have soon me foaming
if the mouth the other morning."
, "Were you mad?"
"1 sure was. I'd brushed, my teotb
vtth shaving cream."
Speechless Emotion
"Hallo, where have you been?
"To the station to see my wife off
. . ....,).'. I,. .11. H
Mr)..? I...... I.ln..b ........ t. n
Dili IM'W uim n Jinn iiuilijl
"Yes. I patted the englno.
.
Is are I"
,"-Nohel
tinnier.
" VCsnts John to Try It
Mr. -nMm- flood nature is Just noth
ng nmre than n state of uti .Ihite,
Mrs JiibliM Well. I Impe sntn'e da)
von 'will he utile to get Into that slutf
if mind. John. " ' . :
ssssMMsAHW
m
Acidity
Tho common cnuso of dlgestlva
(Jllllcultles Is excess add. Hodii can
not alter this condition, and It burns
tho stomach. Something that will
neutrulUo tho acidity Is the sen
slide thing to take. That Is why
physlcluns tall the public to use)
l'hltllps Milk of Magnesia;
One spoonful of this delightful
preparation con neutrnlle innuy
times Its Tolumo in acid It acts
instantly; relief I qutok, and very
apparent All gas Is dispelled ; nil
sourness is sooii gono; tho whole
system Is sweetened. To try this
perfect antl-acld, nnd rcmcujr It
Is just as good for children, too,
nd ploasnut for them to take.
Any drug store has the gonulno,
prescriptions! product
PHILIIPS
L Milk s
of Magnesia
ForGalledHorses
Hacford's Balsam of Myrrh
UeaUinHiUUliiiMiwwMfhr
the Snt fcrtUi M M mmW.
Enlarging; Ills Business
First Beggar Yesterday you were
blind; today you are deaf ami dumb.
Second Beggar Yes; you see, I've
enlarged my buslnest.
r ; '-'
Colds Cost Money
tM'ttarlnnmi
lesee tares
tiaM frees wmk in
FORTIFT
YOURSELF
AGAINST
COLDS,
GRIPPE
MlA
DR. PIERCE'S
GOLDEN MEDICAL
DISCOVERY
AH Dealers. Liquid pr Tsbleta.
E AD ACHE ?
loiteed of dangerou hesrt de- I
tt-MsW inks safe, n.H I, purely t
TegeUbU NATUSI'tftlMIOT
and get rid of th bowel pulsuna
thtt cause the trouble. Notb Jc
Ing Ilk ty? for ttllowness, sick f r
heatlache and emU,4kiou. Acts f v"
pleasantly. Never gripes. f
UlIJ. ef. mirelf wiil,te - -
Al drujflue only I ic Mule llu left taaiflil.
I X UKK A U1U10N. TAKS
2
1
j'Just few wor Jsof fcralso of
your mcmcinc. coining gave
me relief and health as LyJia
L Tinkham's Vegetable Conv
pound did. I am a practical
nurse and was bo rundown
that I was unable to work, I
used to suffer agonies at times
and would have to lie down the
biggest part of the day. After
two bottles of Vegetable Com
pound I felt better. Now I have
used ten bottles and feci fine. I
recommend it to many of my.
patients." Mn. Florence, Mo
son, R. & fa Cfictopa Kansas,
1 pSr
WH
3f
it
If
v svj
Iff
f
r
-' .A'
" S
W. N. U, PORTLAND, NO. 17-1630.