TUB 8TOBT THUS PAH: Adam Brace TBI operator, ea a trip to Ui old home! rma PreTloM tell. Inapector Tope aaS Mis. Tope. Tope loud a all marderod at auto camp operated hp Bea Dewala. Mrs. Tope aald the aue wae Mr. Lodforte, head ad New atumee. Seldom, frleed of Ledlorfe, was *??* sacoaacloae la hoopttal. Hie em ^eyas, Bell, had dlaappearod. Tope he* "ored Mrs. KelTe hod; would he foaad Is bottom of saarrtee la Holdom'i ear. Ladfarse was aald h; hie aMce la he la Haw York. Prtddy, who worked at the earn p. eaaao raaalnd la aad eald that ?Hero wae a mao la the eooace?Tope aad Brace foaad KeO looUai where the merdered mu wae foaad. CHAPTER VIII The big man looked from one to the other. "Why?yes, sir," he said miaerably at , last. "My name's Kell." "That's much better," Tope com* men ted. "Where's the Holdora lim ousine?" But Kell responded with a coun ter question, his cheek suddenly purple, his whole body shaking with a sort of passion. "Where's my wife?" he cried. "Where's Mrs. Kell? Where is she? What have you done with her?" Tope said simply: "We haven't seen her, Kell. Was that why you came here? To look for her?" "She's gone!" Kell cried desper ately. "She's gone! I heard in the Tillage that there was some one dead here. I thought it might be her?" The Inspector looked at Kell's feet; and he demanded: "Let me see your shoes?the bot toms of them." Kell, after a moment, lifted one foot, standing on the other; and Tope turned the lifted foot with his hand to look at the sole. Kell top pled and almost fell; and Tope re leased his ankle, caught his arm, steadied him. Then the old man asked; "Do you ever wear heel-plates?" Kell's eyes flickered. "No sir!" "Sure?" "Why?I've got an old pair of ?hoes with plates on them." "Worn them lately?" "No sir." Tope nodded; and he said: "Kell, there were some things in the pock ets of those overalls this dead man wore. A valve-clearance gauge, and a knife with a steel handle marked In a scale, inches and centimeters. Did you ever see a knife like that?" Kell shook his head stubbornly. "Well, that's funny," Tope protest ed. "That's queer! You work for Holdom; you're his chauffeur. You live over his garage. Well, this dog blanket came from his garage; and the overalls and sweater came out of the machine shop behind the ga rage, where you keep your work clothes. I think they are yours. They're big enough to fit you. You're an Englishman. That knife came from England. I never saw one like it in this country." "I heard that the coupe came here," Kell muttered. "And she was in it. She drove it away from the house." "Well," said Tope, "I don't know where she is, but I can tell you where the car is. It's in the quarry hole, up in the mountains above the Holdom place. We're lifting it out tomorrow." Kell uttered a low, startled ejacu lation; and Tope stopped, expecting the man to speak. When Kell did not, tha Inspector demanded: "Kbow anything about that?" "No sir." The answer was prompt. "1 suppose you didn't put it there?" Kell cried harshly, on the verge of breaking: "No!" "Ail right," Tope said sharply, pressing his advantage. "Why didn't you bring Holdom and Ledforge up here to their homes last Friday?" And, quickly: "Now, don't lie! We know you left New York, with them 'in the car; and we know you got home alone. What did you do with ? Ledforge and Holdom on the way?" After a moment Kel! answered: "Why?I had engine-trouble, sir. It looked like a long job to fix it; so they hailed a car and got a ride to Springfield, told me they'd come en home by train. I got the car Axed quicker than 1 expected, and came on, and met the train at Mid dleford, but they weren't on it." "Hah!" said Tope scornfully. 'Took you long enough to think of that! Where have you been since then?" "Looking for Mrs. Kell?places I thought sbe might be." "Where?" "Well, one was in Boston, and one to Worcester. Then Mr. Ledforge h hai a lodge back in the hills where lb he sometimes went for a rest. I thought she might be there." "Why?" Tope demanded; and Kell hesitated, did not answer. Tope cried: "Well, was she?" "No sir," said Kell, and Tope de manded sharply: "But you found some one there?" "Mr. Eberly was there. But he hadn't seen her." "Eberly?" Tope looked at Adam. "He's there now?" "Yes sir. He and Mr. Ledforge sometimes went there together." Tope frowned, startled and dis tnrbed. "Did Mr. Eberly know Mrs. Kell?" "Oh, oo air, but ha said no one tad been there!" And Tope fuddenly was calm, t "Kell," he said. "I'm sorry about t your wife. Don't think me?imper tinent, unkind. But?had she any f faults? Were you jealous of her?" t "She was all right, sir," Kell pro- t tested. He added: "But I couldn't I help being jealous of her. She'd go j away, week-ends when I'd be at s home, and whea I couldn't go with ] her, with Mr. Holdom keeping me j busy all the time." r "Where would she go?" t "She always told me where she \ was going, but?I tried to telephone her, sometimes, and she wasn't i where she'd started for." He wiped his brow heavily. "It made me j crazy, sir," he confessed. < Adam realized?and his hair pric- f kled at the thought?that Kell spoke < of Mrs. Kell in the past tense, as < though she were dead! Tope asked: "Where were you last week-end? Ten days ago? Up here, . or in New York?" "In New York, sir. Mr. Holdom j couldn't get away." "Mr. Ledforge in New York?" . "I don't know, sir." "Sorry, Ken, bat I am aetinc for the law In this matter." "Mrs. KellT" "She went to Boston to see her cousin." Tope nodded; and he went on, in sistently: "You used to work for Mr. Ledforge. How did you happen to leave him?" "Mr. Holdom wanted me." "Did Mrs. Kell approve of the change?" ? "Yes sir. She didn't like my work ing for Ledforge." "Did you? Was he a good boss?" "You could never tell about him," Kell explained, almost abstractedly. "One day he might be as friendly as you could ask; and the next day he might not speak to you at all, sir. You wouldn't know him for the same man." Tope stared at the big man for a long time. Then he asked casually: "Mr. Holdom treat you all right, did he?" "Yes sir!" The big man was at ease now, quite off guard. And Tope asked sharply: "Then why did you, hit him over the head and leave him beside the road down near Hartford Saturday morning, unconscious, with a fractured skull?" Kell swayed where he stood, and his ruddy cheeks drained white. "Why did you?" Tope insisted. "Why, Kell?" There had been no warning in his manner, nothing to stiffen Kell to resistance. And the man stam mered now: "He told me to, sir! Made mel" Adam, at this admission, whistled soundlessly, and grinned with de light at Tope's shrewd guess so in credibly confirmed. "Nonsense I" Tope said curtly. "You mean to say he told you to kill him?" "No sir, just to hit him," Kell urged, almost pleadingly. "Hit him over the head. He told me to hit him and leave him." He stopped suddenly, and Tope prompted: "Go on! Go on I" And when Kell was silent. Tope said harshly: "Come, Kell! You hit Mr. Holdom because he told you to. What's the rest of it?" But Kell, a new strength in him now, put on a mask of courtesy, of incredulous surprise. "I, sir?" he said. "I don't know what you mean, sir. Mr. Holdom hurt? Not badly, I hope, sir?" Tope grinned, and be looked at Adam Bruce. "This man's too much for me, Adam," be said. "I guess he could help us if he wanted to. I judge be doesn't know that Mrs. Kell really spent last week-end?" Kell said furiously: "Keep your , tongues off her!" Tope whirled on him. Having goaded Kell to anger, he was about to press his advantage; but he saw in Kell's eyes an insane fury which t checked him. It waa not fear that restrained him, but rather a reluc ant consideration for ihl? harried nan, and something like sympathy. He said straightforwardly: "Sorry, Cell I But I'm acting for the law in his matter; and Mr. Bruce here epresents the Federal Government, department of Justice. I suppose '?u know that you're involved in a erious affair. Kidnaping is serious. Cell. And so is?murder. I won't >ress you; but if you told us a little nore, it might help in straightening kings out, ami?in finding your vifel" Kell stood grimly silent, twitching ind shaking. "Some one," Tope urged, "tele jhoned the Ridgcomb police that the soupe had been stolen?telephoned !rom New York. You didn't do that, lid you? You weren't in New York Saturday morning, were you?" "No sir," said Kell. Then thejnll heard a car on the lnve, and Tope spoke to Adam. That may be Mat," he said; and to Cell, while Bruce turned toward he door: "This is Mr. Cumberland, he District Attorney, Kell. I'm tfraid he'll lock you up." He add :d: "If we get any trace of Mrs. Cell, I'll let you know." Then Cumberland came in, Mrs. Tope beside him. Adam admitted hem both, shut the door. Tope made explanations?summed ip Kell's statements?and silences. Mrs. Tope spoke quickly. "Inspector," she suggested, "Kell would know Mr. Ledforge if he saw him." Tope's eyes quickened. "That's dfht," he agreed. He chuckled. "Ma'am, I never thought of that. Of course he would." He spoke to Cumberland, eagerly. "Let's get up there?let Kell see him, see if he knows him." A moment later they were all in Cumberland's car, and soon they turned into the byway that led to Amasa Dewain's farm. The ambu lance of Will Banion, the undertak er, was backed up to the kitchen door; a laden stretcher was just be ing wheeled out of the kitchen as they arrived. Amasa Dewain, heavy, ponderous, silent, stood in the light ed doorway. They approached the stretcher; and Cumberland said to the under taker: "Will, let this man see him!" A sheet was turned back; an elac oric torch threw its beam on the dead man's white face. Tope and Adam thrust Kell forward. "took at him, Kell," Tope direct ed. And Kell?though they could feel the muscles in his arms -contract? looked steadily enough upon the dead man. "That Mr. Ledforge?" Tope de manded. Kell shook his head. In the wait ing silence his hoarse tones were clear. "No sir," he said sullenly "han Will Banion heard Tope speak Ledforge's name, he pressed nearer, Incredulous, astonished He cried: "Ledforge? The Utilities man?" Mat Cumberland started to speak; but Tope interrupted him. "You're Will Banion?" he asked crisply. "Yes." "Well, I want you to forget what you've heard," Tope sternly direct ed. "This isn't Ledforge. You heard Kell say so. Now get along to town. Doctor Medford here?" "He's gone ahead, going to meet me at my place," Banion said meek ly, and turned to his task. When the ambulance was gone. Tope spoke to Cumberland. "Heard from youna Dane?" he asked. "Yes, he telephoned awhile ago that Holdom can make the trip to morrow. They'll be here by noon." Tope nodded, and he spoke to Cumberland. "You'll want to lock Kell up, of course. Drop Mrs. Tope and me at the MiU, and then you can take him along to town." Back at the Mill, they found Ned Quill talking at the door with Bee Dewain. The trooper reported to Tope: "Well, sir, I've been up at the quarry. Got some wreckers on the job. They say they can get the car out of there tomorrow morning." Tope nodded, and he said: "Quill, this man is Kell, Holdom'e chauf feur." "Sure, 1 know him," Ned agreed. "We caught him in Faraway awhile ago," Tope explained. "He probably came in the limousine, left it around near here somewhere. See if you can find it." I "O.K.I" Quill assented. The District Attorney suggested, almost regretfully: "You know Tope, if this had been Ledforge, we could find plenty of people around that might have had ? grudge against him. Most of us put money into his securities. Amasa Dewain. for one." "Whoever killed this man, it wasn't anyone around here. Mat," Tope said shortly. "How do you know?" "Because some one from outside is checking up on H. I told you there were two men here Monday night trying to trace the ear?Whit lock and BeaL They slipped away early. I'd like to talk to them; but there's no telling where they are now!" Bee Dewain said triumphantly: "Oh, yes, there is. Inspector! They're here?came back a few minutes ago. Mrs. Prlddy's giving them supper right now!" (to as comunvkd) ' 1,1 IMPROVED 1 UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL Sunday i chool Lesson Rtltiatd by Wmuto Ihnpwr Uaioa, Lesson 'for January 20 auMerta and Sartptura taxta aa *actad and norrtablad bp International Council at BaUsloua Education; uaad to aenni avian. THE (LAWS OF A PEOPLE LESs6n TEXT? Exodus K i ll. GOLDEN TEXT-I will dallxht tnysell In thy commandmenta. which 1 hava lav ad Psalm IIP-17. Law is necessary to order. Basic laws have been laid down by God for the orderly administration of His universe. Physical laws are of great impor tance, but of even deeper signifi cance are the moral and spiritual laws which control the human Ufa. There is in the world a moral law ?a distinction between right and wrong?which man may ignore only to hi3 own sorrow, and which he can not abrogate or destroy. All laws of men which are true and right are founded on this underlying mor al law, and they are in reality sim ply a development and interpreta tion of "God's Code of Morals"?the Ten Commandments. These fundamental laws were giv en to Israel at Mount Sinai, but they speak to us with remarkable fresh ness and directness. They merit more extensive study than we can give them in this limited space, but we can note their broad outlines and certain practical applications. There are two divisions?one concerns man in his relation to God, and the other in his relation to men. We have: I. A Right View of God (w. 1-11). The first and moat important ques tion to be asked regarding any law is, "By whom was it established?" Legislation by an unauthorized per son or organization has no power over others. Who gave the Ten Commandments? Verse 1 tells us I "God spake all those words." Men may sneer at theology as be ing outmoded, but the fact Is that Christian doctrine is the only safe foundation for Christian character. 1. Whom to Worship (w. 1-8). There can be but one true God, and He alone is to be worshiped. He is a personal being, ready to enter into communion with each one of us. No image or likeness can take His place. Bowing down before idols, no matter what they may be called, is expressly forbidden by God. I. How to Worship unusually large demand and the cifrrent conditions, slightly mora time is required in filling orders for m few of the most popular pattern numbers. Send your order to: t | SEWING CIRCLE NUDLIVOU use Sixth Aee. New Ysefc. N. 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