"CRAZY QUILT."

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19809, 28 November 1919, Page 4

" CRAZY QUILT."

g By 2 @ FERGUS HUME fe‘) * © ee© $ Author of If 1 ix Mystery of a Hansom Cali " >i !?> “ The Spider ” tM . "The Grey Doctor” Jt |v** "Red Money," etc., etc.., eto. fercreeeccecceceeee©

GHAPTFR XXIV. sm'UNuri'. ‘'Veil, Jimmy," said Cannock, nodding sapicntly over his pipe. " Jlalzao was right. after all. i Ik? rebellion of a. sheep is terrible." " I v.i.-h it- hadn't taken the form of murdering m,v- pnr.e criminal just when I laid .hands on him,” grumbled Gland disconsolately. " Oil. I don't know. It's all for the best in this best of worlds.” " Why do you say that-?'’ snapped the detective. "To console you, dimmy. Wait a minute and I'll think out reasons." Cannock settled (Jiims.elf comfortably in his chair, locked his. hands at the back of Ins head and stared a.t the coiling through the tobacco smoke The two men were conversing in his flat - in die famous sitting-room which had been tlje scene of so much trouble. It. was now a week tiller the last act, of tiio tragic drama, and the plav having come to tin end. the ouriant was. dropped and everything was over and done with. i ho i'ricndly -Mansions aenmtion was not even the proverbial nine (lays' wonder. Seven days was tbe limit of the excitement it, caused, and now people were busy with other things. l( The average man can rarely take a lasting interest even in the most important event-, since continuous concentration on one thing taxes his powers of endurance too much. Like the Athenians, ho is always looking fo; something now, which becomes something old after ten minutes inspection. Human nainre hits changed little from the times of St. Tank At life bin nest on the bodies of Tine and nis victim, as little as possible bad been said. Had i'lnn.-ton lived to receive the legal punishment lor his crime much more information would have been given to the public. As it was. the man being dead it was thought just as well to end the matter abruptly, so that morbid-minded people should not_ he gratified by useless,;scandal. Sufficient evidence was given to show that Hunston was guilty, and that lie. had mot with a. well-deserved death at the hands of the man ho had treated m so infamous w fashion. Of course every one was horrified that Sir I’olix should have taken the law into liis own hands, hut it was generally considered that the philanthropist had suddenly gone out of his mind. And this was really true, for only insanity could have created in Tine the abnormal strength required to strangle, so power!nl a man as Ids enemy. There was some wonder as to the actual canst. ol tho attack, for Gland, with the consent ol the authorities, largely .suitpressed the dealings of Hnnston with iho miserable old creature. For that Fine certainly was, seeing how all ha had gained had turned to dust and ashes It, was just as well that death took him. at that, fatal moment. If he had lived it is probable that he would have become senile to drag out c wretched existence until the" end camo. Gland and Cannock were both certain of that, and considered' it .1 mercy that things had turned out in ihe amazing way in which they,did. At least. Pine’s reputation, which he veined so. highly, was saved hv tins Midden death, whereas, if lie had lived, inquiries might have been made likely to lead to jts destruction. As it was - thanks to Gland's kindly reticence - people never learned that, Sir Felix hud stolen the money of his dead friend to build up his great reputation. It was simply thought that, being moru of an orator than a business man, he had been misled by Humdon into'undertaking daugcron?-. .speculations ir connection with his philanthropic work. The worry ... c„ p, was stated- of finding himself innocently guilty, as Pwere, by believing over-njuch in Him t-ion s capabilities, had driven him marl, and so he had revenged himself on the man who had ruined him. It, must be admitted that, this excuse, since it made Pine out, to he a. weak’fool, war net a. very good one, and a. little inqniM eon Id have shown that, it could not, hold water. But t no one made an\ particular inquiry. The only man whom Sir Felix had cheated—althoiHi Hm public did not know I his--was dead and buried in South America, so, as his philanthropic money affairs were found to be quite in order. Ids repute linn did not suffer in the least. All the same, it was regretted that so noble a career should have ended in s i paiiiinl a manner. And the (ruth ol Hint, which could not ho donior], waj; glossed over by the excuse of sudden insanity arising irom over-work and over-worry. Sn Sir Felix died more or less in the odour of sanctity after nil since 110 one could come forward lo prove that, he was other than what im had always represented himself to he. (•■annock thought out all this, whih considering his reasons lor the, answer he wished to give Jimmy, and when’ that gentleman looked impatiently towards him spoke, his. mind. •• if Houston had lived, (here wontd have lieen endless scandal over poor old Pino, ’ he said, ” and much would have eonm to light. m the criminal court,- which n ; is not fcvc;ileer nt the nujiiost.^ "I admit that." said Gland,’rather k '"'mi y. - | don't believe that the ohi fellow eyas such a ban sort, even though ho iiif| Uiko thru vnnnoy. .Hut it's an odd thing, Crazy, that, such an upright and kind-hearted man should t " > rob an orphan. 1 ‘ "ell. he helped so many other orphans with the money, that maybe b > thought the one should suffer for the many. Von never know, Jinimv. how people ea.ll excuse, .themselves to'themselves, and make out black to he white, so ns in get their own wav. And' there is no doubt that Pino Hid much more good with the money than L nilr ., Mold would have done. 1 ' , “ 1 don’t think that excuses him taking w.-iat. wa s rightfully hers." " Aeither do .1, Jimmy, ■’ Cannock agreed heartily. “ Hut I am onlv trying to get at the reason whv so anpnrently a decent charitable man likc'Pinc -and he was all that,-could act as he ul, and still justify fo himself uliafc he knew to he a mean act.” I don t think all his justification really soothed his conscience,” said the detective shrewdly. “All his life from the time ho got that money must have been miserable.' Xo wonder ho was loan with worry and looked so haggard and sick. And no wonder lie looked over'his shoulder.” “Ah, yon noticed that, did yon Jimmy? So did 1, and wondered what Pmo expected. Of course. 1 know now. Ho was always anticipating the moment when some one would tap hint on the and demand an account of Hurst’s twenty thousand pounds. Poor devil 1 what a, life of misery he must have had.” Gland nodded. " Ho was a mere bundle of nerves, and had a highly trained conscience, which I am certain did not, give him a moment’s rest. It wpnld have been wiser of him to have married Aladam Jane, in spite of her ago and shady reputation. A levelheaded woman such as she is would have kept him from going nut of his tormented mind,” ” Yon seem to flunk a good deal ol her. Jimmy?” “ Well, I do.” answered the detective slowly. ’“She was no worse than Pino when all is said >.d done. As sho told me hersell, the good in her

wns greater than the eril, Circumstances made her wicked, as she was always.trying to reach a position where she could give full play to her refined instincts. It . was her mixed birth mined tier. Crazy. Had she really hcefi Airs V rain's full sister 1 daresay she would have remained an estimable, stupid, narrow woman like Mrs Yrain." ‘'Dreamer of dreams horn out of my due time,V quoted Cannock, nodding. .Mrs Darnswin was one born out of her due station, and tried to set the crooked straight by being crooked herself. f agree with yon Unit she isn't so had as some. Horn-ton, for instance. M'liat a villain, ami we thought him so dropnl. ’ Respectable.” corrected (Hand sharply. " T never liked Hnnstoii myscll, cither at school or out of it. lie Mas always a bully and a grainier. His icspectahiliiT wa'- only a cloak, as .we know, lor his secret vices.' 1 He had nerve though, .Jimmy. How he dared to come down with me and see the body of Hip ivrvtehcd woman he had only murdered a short lime earlier, is what 1 can’t understand." " I can.’' raid ((land quickly. “In the boldness nf doing what he did lay his salcty. AVhen Laura Weld left ins office anti von saw him again, ho accepted your supper invitation which he had previously refused. On learning that Ids wife would probably get her lathers money from Pine, lie deter mmed to murder her, and so laid his plans.” But why did he murder her?" asked (.annock. not quite clear m liis mind as to the actual reason for the commission ol tile deed. That's easy to understand." relumed the detective. '• Laura Weld hated hint lor his deception and loved iu's brother, with whom she intended to elope to America, Houston would have let her go willingly, ior he had long since cca-ed to Jove her. For then, knowing that Pine had the money, he conld get it out of linn. But when lie heard that Laura would probably get it. ami take it. to America with her, he resolved to get rid of her. Slio was a tool to tell him, hut—-as wo know—her life was always ruined bv her violent temper." Conldn i he have made some arrangement with her?" 1 iobaltly not, since thev evidently tallied the matter out in Ids office. When he reached this flat, he had no time to argue, knowing that Pme -was coming almost immediately. So he simply stepped into this room when Laura admitted him and strangled her before she had time to erv out? ‘j And the struggle with Pint ?'> "Oh. 1 believe he struggled so as to ntench the sleeve-link a wav and use it as evidence. HnnstonSeonld easily have slipped out in the darkless without struggling. But he kn.-w it was Ime who entered; knew also how lie conld incriminate him, and so get a stronger hold over him to secure what was let lof Hurst’s money. Of course tins is all theorising,'' added (Band alter some thought, "since only Pine and Jltmston could explain, and are now beyond offering any explanations. But. that is how I think things worked out in Hi]nstoll*s ivickpd mincl. M "It’s very probable." nodded Cannock musingly, “Cfc VPr enough, a I though we all thought, him a fool.” " \Ve thought him many Menas he wasn’t, Crazy. Respectable for one. iet he ran that gambling house with .Madam .Line: married Laura Weld under a false name, persuading her when she learned the truth that the marnhge would do both of them harm D'i making his fattier angry ’’ nock^ l?l k WiUS true,” interpolated Can"Oh yes, and that was whv the woman agreed to he known Airs ft™ 1 ! than as - Mrs Hunston. Wo didn't know she had money, or things might, have been difTcient ■ 1 bJ'll' Sl '° npre l- lt t rl Houston's desire hat the marriage should ho kept secret lest, ho should be. disinherited ; she accepted his lies about his moustache having been burnt off and his face stained by chemien l experiments and at a Bowed everything. It was onh that chance meeting with the twin hiotber our.side. the stage door of the whH C r trr W,lioll »•«**«] he? nha a blackguard she had married.” H d Houston is very badlv cut up over the. business?’’ " 1 "Ho is, and no wonder. o' np bad son is enough to sicken * nmn! but too of the. same wicked kind is hornhle Anyhow the old man has sent Meph m who sttllcaUs himself Clifford ” 1,10 ' S V ltes n good Mini of m<mey. anvl is going to settle evorvh.ng on his two daughters, since he has no more sons. And I daresay, ” finished (daml. " that ho is glad there are only girls left.” ( "Yell, that disposes of Clifford,” "•i C ArT k ' "i' rll o look; -"id, -Ha da in Jane? AVlutL about J'Oi . en' th "'!• i b ° brou K ,lt "P soon ■ tli c barge ol keeping a gambling I.oiim* ana will have to pav a fine J tear, from what s lm u>!vl me. she ean>'ot pay it and will have to go to pi non, poor creature." pecledly!”' U ’ Said Cannoi ' k nnex ’ "Another of your impulsive chari-' ■cm Crazy. \\ | 1;l , „ Aladamc Jatm to ,\on, or you to Hecuba., may I ask?" He not impulse.'’ said the other tesolnle y. ■ Ifip, woman has her ,nit '. r re.«lly think she is Mimed against than sinning. \ud a ter all. you have treated her charitai'ly ymu-elt. Jimmy. V ou ]iaw '™f 1,,.,- ~, „,, llf ,h Ihe jam. and dnln t. lam not, so sure that I could have t i L ' :, f; tllp detective thoughtr ‘ ■ , l!lPlv v, ' ;| s much sai,] , ' ;, kdmst going so far. She dum.d I mve come tonvard, eertainlv, to hem u, the All the same she ■ 1 mi. i-m.m tbe murderer to escape ••ml m was through iter evidence that he Mas brought to hook. Alte,- emi--Itmg with mv Chief „ J s l . 1,1 •'■ : 1 lioriiy that the woman t U, H'*' 'T 1 "‘• i;0 iw 0" (lie gambling charge. ‘ ouv'ill 1 !. Tm' r 1 ’ :'V" s;ii ' ! Annock '" • • ,n 'B- •■> I owe the clearing to her, since people "/:! innocent, in , :lf • ) ,I,Mi ' to make il no fog her. ", Bv paying ner fine?" " ies At id by giving her a pension. "ants to reton. i,o I m.k-b.in, where iter temitatom js ymrl reproiHi, ami live quiet,iv in the emtage wine,. ,s her own. With that n; ,d * + Rm f, S,K ‘ 'ivo out th- mt of her life in peace. Also, •' added Cannock, w.th ornnhasis. “she, Mill luivp the sneiety of ! lO r son anvl his ifo Tvnoii lio mnrrins. M ■■‘Will yon part with -TollIs?” asked (•'land surprised. ti *', V n't ~,r' fp:l "P ’’’iHi Jollis. T thought he was strong, and fi, u ] that he is only a reed painted to re=emh!n ivon. _ pn(, up with a lot. from him because lie knew me when a small bov, and 1 thought, he was n strong, sensible r 1 ?• >' Ms strength and Ins sense belonged less to him than to Ids mother and m suite of m v pity for her T don’t M.ant to have anything to do with such a laov, (bank vou. 1 "'What does'Jollis say?" 1 "i o j‘ ! IP 'T,' antl raminderl mo how he. had stood by me, Rut I can't forgive his couconlntents. ’’ "He was under the thumb of his mother, r^ni^-nh^r.’’ " I know, ft was Madam Jane who told him to take. that, sleeve link to you. so that Sir Felix might lw brought into the matter. AVlmn lie was in a, hole-- ami ihe sleeve, link put, him there-she intended to enmr forward t"i,- rP ? ll,m nt ' 11,0 P nr - of mai n,-me Jolhs played her game, not mine, and if 1 hare a servant T wish him to attend to my interests, not to those of ( Bl |p . l s ; '/ they are relatives. Joins Lins M "Gone." Gland looked astonished. " f thought f missed him. Yon have 10.-,t no tunc in clearing him mil." (To be continued.)