Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 21, 1922 — page 129: what you’re looking at

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

THE GREEN STAIN. drawinge plans and making measurements of the house. Scanning the papers Wise was startled to see a scrawled message on the corner of a sheet. It read: “They've got me.—L. Ni It had been so hastily jotted down as to be almost illegible. Had North managed to scribble it while his captor or captors looked another way? It was all too unbelievable! The thought would creep in that North was implicated in the mystery himself. Yet that was quite as unbelievable as the rest of it. Wise turned his attention to the disor- dered furniture. _ The overturned chair was not broken, but a glass tumbler was. Evidently it had been knocked off the night stand. The rug was in wrinkles and one window curtain had been partly pulled from its rod. The scratches on the hardwood floor were apparently made by scuffling feet, but of that Wise could not be sure. In fine, the whole disorder of the room could have been made by struggling men, or could have been faked by any one desiring to produce that effect. “Yet I’ve no reason to think North faked it,”’ Wise told himself frankly, “ ex- cept that that would be an easy way out of it for me! And that message he left looks genuine, and his watch is a valuable one. Oh, Lord, I am up against it!” He went down-stairs and learned that Lawrence North’s straw hat still hung on the hall rack. The man must have been forcibly carried off. He couldn’t have walked out without collar, tie, or hat! Moreover, the doors were all locked. It still was necessary to assume a secret exit from the house. Wise inclined to the hinged door-frame, or window-frame, but his most careful search failed to reveal any such. He de- termined to get an expert carpenter to look over the house, feeling that his experience would be more exact than an architect’s. Crestfallen, dispirited and utterly non- plused, Wise sat down in the library to think it over. ~ do. ‘to look about the house. 119 First, the authorities must be told of North’s disappearance, and all that, but those things he left to Granniss. The mys- tery was his province. Acting on a sudden impulse Wise started off at once for North’s home. This was a good-looking bungalow, of artistic effects and quiet unpretentious charm. His knock brought the grumpy Joe Mills to the door. “ ‘Whatcha want?” was his surly greeting. ‘*As I’m here on an important matter I’ll come inside,” Wise said, and entered the little living-room. ‘Whatcha doin’ here?” Mills continued. “‘' Where’s Mr. North?” “I don’t know where he is. here?” “No, he stayed up to Headland House Isn’t he last night. Ain't you the detective from there?” “Ves, And Mr. North left Headland House before breakfast this morning. Didn’t he come home?” “No, he didn’t. Leastwise, I ain’t seen him. An’ I’ve got work to do. So you can leave as soon as you like.” “‘ Look here, my man, keep a civil tongue in your head. Mr. North has disap- peared—” “Well, he’s got a right to disappear if he likes, ain’t he?” ‘“‘ But he went off—” “I don’t care how he went off. It’s nothin’ to me. An’ I’ve got my work to Now, you vamose.” “Not yet,” said Wise coolly, and began “ There’s no use in taking that attitude, Mr. Mills. The authorities of the village and of the county will be here shortly—unless Mr. North turns up, which I don’t think he will. Now, I’m going to do a little looking about on my own.” Wise set to work and went swiftly over the house, from room to room. He found nothing that gave him any clue to North’s disappearance nor anything that gave him much information as to North’s private life. Even an examination of the letters and notes in the small desk showed only some bills, invitations, and circulars that meant nothing to the detective. comicloool C©