"THE GUFF-PATH MYSTERY,"

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16847, 25 September 1922, Page 11

"THE GUFF-PATH MYSTERY,"

j By

NEW SERIAL,

HEADON HILL.

CHAPTER ll.—Conuinued. L| Nasmyth stared at the ragged edge ' j of tho precipice. I! A cirngerous trap.” vas his quiet i ccmment. ‘‘ No, 1 had not heard of • the finding of a body. Are there any i indications of how it happened, I Thorpe!' If anyone could detect traceb j it would be you.” The Jndian police-officer shook his I head. *'• i am hardly on my native ! heath on this Devonshire red earth.” | | he deprecated tho compliment without i answering the question. j '‘ Well, anyhow, the gap ought- to ! he, fenced and bridged,” said Colonel | Nasmyth. “ I shall write to the Counj cil about it. Good-bye for the pre- | He turned and re-entered his own grounds, Enid watching his departure with o pucker of her pretty brows. ‘‘The Colonel has got something on his mind,” she declared .judicially, “ Tlis calmness and lack of interest was unnatural in a humane man at. whose gate* a fellow creature has rae.fc an awful death. Don't vou think so. Dad ? ” , **l am waiting for Thorpe’s opinion jou the signs in tin’s red earth he is | so modest about.” laughed Raven. I “And before f give an opinion T i shall wait to see what transpires at 5 tho inquest,” said Thorpe. “ 1 have j Official position hero. If there is | any mud to he stirred up let the local | ; authorities do the stirring.” | Enid glaiiced at the speaker, a pert i comment on the tip of }ier tongue. ■ But the stern set of John Thorpe’s j square jaws checked the impulse, and |it was almost in silence that the | three self-constitnted investigators doI iscended tiio steep path to the hotel. CHAPTER 111. AFTER THE VERDICT. Mr and Mrs Hoop and their guest, Inspector Repton ot the C.1.D.. were discussing the inquest on the unknown irian who had been killed by falling from the cliff path. Mrs Hoop was a native of Bieton, the daughter of a still living fisherman. She had married the then Detective-Sergeant lloop twenty years ago when in the service ; of Colonel Nasmyth’s father in Lon- | don as cook. She was now a. iolly wo- | nia.n ot ample proportions, devoted to J her husband and proud of her pros- : ]x*rou.s apartment-ho use. j She was greatly enjoying herself as I the hostess of Inspector Repton. Tn i honour of the latter they had supped f in mie of the rooms usually occupied by j lodgers, hut at this slack post-season | period chancing to be vacant. The menl was onded and the two men had lit their pipes. So you could really have told them sometiling, Mr Repton ? ” said Mns Hoop admiringly. “ Fancy that, and you a stranger in the6o ports. And why didn’t you help ’em out like?” Inspector Repton took a sip of the excellent toddy that had been mixed for him. “ I am on holiday, you see, and whnfc I could have said would not have altered the verdict,” he replied. “No fault to find with that — 1 Accidental Death’ all But if T had butted in there might have been a lot of red tape fuas entailing adjournments and T might have had to shoulder most of it instead of amusing myself hooking mackerel out of tha sen.” “ First I’ve heard of this,” said Ffeßekiah Hoop wil.li the sudden alertross of nn old war-horse roused by the blare ol a trumpet. “ "What have vou .spotted. Dick? A nice little tasty‘bit of a crime mystery?” Repton shook iiis head. “ J havo already said that ] have no quarrel with the verdict.” he replied. “ But I could have put a name tb the corpse .if it. would have led anywhere. Tt was after your tinie. Hofcekiah, but he J«d | me the devil of ;i dance some years ; hack, and ended hv giving me the j .slip just a* I was about to nab him. I 1 trailed him to the church where he was being married, and be made his getnwny after the eerooiouy. leaving his bride, high and dry. A pretty little tiling she was, too.” ‘ l u hat a shame !” protested Mrs Hoop. “ On the contrary, ma’am, the poor lady s luck was in that day. for a more unprincipled scoundrel was never on | the black books of the Yard.” *oid i Repton. ” Tier life would have been proper hell if she’d had to live with | *• What was tho beggar’s name?” demanded Hoop. I ” Larramore- Archibald Larramore wan »ed for embezzlement and fnrgerv ” Replon replied, and the next moment, he set his glass down and stored at. his host and hostess. For an exclamation had broken from both of them, and they were, exchanging glances of mutual understanding—not to coll it horrified concern. Bctt «T tHI h,m ' <*■ Annie?” e *id Hoop with great solemnity. “ Dick Rcpion is *afo enough, and he can afford to lx* merciful.” Mrs Hoop surveyed the-famous in spec tor with motherly approval. ) am sure lie wouldn’t hurt a fly except in the way of duty, and by bis own showing his duty don’t come into it.” she said. At which the retired detective informed tho active n nr that a Mrs i.iirramore. believed to lie .a widow *a« a resident at Bicton-on-Sea. She bad not been there very long, but by the sweetness of her disposition and b.v her charities so far as limited moan*, would allow, she had endeared herself to everyone. “ Especially 'to the Colonel,” MrHoop chimed in with the arch suggest-ivene-s ol the matronly match-maker. M bat’s that?” snapped Repton. “ The Colonel? Colonel v. ho?” Gently, my son." the ex-pergeanf checked the ardour ot liis former pupil, j “ No need to go tilting at imaginary | wrong mu. My wife is alluding to I I Colon, 1 Nasmyth. fin, .nldiov and | our most respected fellow-townsman. He isn't in the same class with the folk j you and t used t.o hunt And Mrs | Larramore. who golfing with him. j is a very niw Vitile lady If they hitch , up as tlr.-, gossip goes, it will be a I sound affair.” Larfamore isn’t a corfinv.m iiSnie."* j said Repton rum inn i- vly. " And Col- } on el Nasymth testified ;;t the ir.queec that the dead man chlied ob his house

accident. The Colonel adigittod, frankly enough ! auirut. that hitn.self Ipl the .Hided'- ble visitor out on to ilia cliff path, ii be hadn't been a petsou oi local importance the coroner vc-uld ; have preyed him .. bit harder I put, ! it. to yon. Hczckiab that if you Wore • buck *n barn.sS and not a sen- • timenty.l old hash ecu you ivould Kiiiell j :\ rat in thi » combination. You will Dot have ior gotten that it i« an axiom at I the Yard to suspect unexplained coincidences.” ‘' I thought you were on holiday and didn’t want to be dragged into the case.” said Hoop dryly.