Argosy, Vol. 123, No. 2 — page 22: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

156 Mrs. Spalding until the Pzvess bombshell burst among the political heretics at head- quarters whom the Press accused along with the county authorities. Its full effeet was not felt till the following day. The morning paper, taking up the cudgels to reply to the Press in behalf of the admin- istration, had explained some things. But it couldn’t explain away the parrot and the missing money. The minute Shufflm’ Joe heard of the murdér and missing money, he remembered Genroe and the twenty-dollar bill. From what Madden knew of Genroe he was pretty much of a yegg. . Shufflin’ Joe him- self was not of that hard-boiled gentry, but he knew their ways and their ear- marks. | Madden figured back, and estimated that the old lady had died the night Genroe and he came to town. terrupted by the approach of. Luke Peddy, the police-station janitor—a little, near- sighted man. Shufflin’ Joe resumed his listless mopping of the floor. But old Luke was bent on conversation. ‘* Did y’ ever hear tell of such a thimg?” demanded Peddy, “‘ gettin’ up a big hulla- baloo about a murder because a parrot starts hollering for phe police!” , Shufflin’ Joe leaned on his mop-handle. “Some of them parrots has surprisin’ sense,” he said. “I knew a sailor wunst that had one that could sing like a woman and swear so a man would blush to hear.” “ But the i-dee of a parrot picking up ‘Police! Help! Robbers!’ right off,” pro- tested the outraged Peddy. -. “Had to learn some time,” observed Madden, “‘ and the likely time would be when the old lady was using that lan- guage.” ; “One thing about it, though,” admitted the janitor, “the money appears to be missing. I wonder what about this daugh- ter that’s on the stage?” 3 Shufftin’ Joe chuckled. ‘“‘I heard some one sayin’ that the young doctor fellow came out in this mornin’s paper and showed that while the girl was at his house it was only because there were no accom- modations anywhere else, and that he spent that night at the club.” His speculation was in- ~ “Oh, so far as young Brent ’s all right,” Peddy declared. say they didn’t have no room when he stopped there, and he was at the club sure enough. But it’s Pendleton I’m won- derin’ about. I don’t suppose I should say anything, but you never can tell—” The janitor turned away with an eloquent ges- ture. Madden kept his ears open, but he learned little. Most of the talk consisted of opinions and speculations on the facts already ascertained. Apparently old Peddy knew as much about it as the rest. Shefflin’ Joe suspected that he himself knew more than any of them. For one thing, he guessed he knew where Genroe had gotten the money. CHAPTER VII. FINGER-PRINTS. “"PHE effect of the charges in the Press was just what might have been ex- pected. Prosecutor and police went fever- ishly to work on the case. As for Peggy Archer, the notoriety made it impossible for her to stay at the Inn. She had packed to return to New York, but on the advice of Philip Brent had adopted another course. He had persuaded the girl that it would be unwise under the circumstances to leave town, and the arrival of Nancy Brent and her husband, Stoddard Blake, had settled any doubt Peggy may. have had. Brent had telephoned for his sister and brother-in-law to come out from New York, and with the conventions thus guarded, Peggy Archer returned to the privacy of the old-fashioned house down- town. It had gladdened Brent’s heart to make the answer he had made in the morning paper to the scandal-mongering people of the provincial town. And this defiance was an additional delight. The thing that most disturbed Brent was the faet that he could not reply to the charge that Peggy had made a dinner en- gagement with Pendleton. “Tsn’t. there some explanation?” he asked the girl. comiclboool ‘The people to the Inn C@