Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 90: what you’re looking at

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660. As the sleuth groped back to conscious- ness, Arthur gently propelled him around the corner of the house toward the dwarf maple, encountering Foster and Lyons there, cheek by jowl. They were too ab- sorbed to notice the others until Arthur and Lyons’s partner were quite close. “What's this?” truculently demanded Lyons. Arthur briefly told him, Disbelief was _ written large on the other detective’s face. He glowered at young Tower until Cassidy - said faintly: “‘ That’s right, Bill.” “ Get that fellow!” ordered Tower. “‘ I’m going back to Miss Moran and her mother. How did he get over the wall and into the — grounds? Get him before he gets out again!” Lyons did not budge. His eyes were riv- eted on the speaker. “ What are you staring at?” challenged ° his late prisoner, thrusting his blunt chin forward rather belligerently. Lyons growled. Arthur laughed. “You told me on the train to-day that I'd better brush up on my mathematics. Excellent advice, Mr. Lyons. Ive done ‘ttle else all evening. Now, take back your advice, will you?” ; “What do you mean?” bridled the grouchy Lyons. “You also told me on the train to-day that you knew_a little arithmetic. Add it up. While you stand there you’re multi- plying that thug’s chances of escape. How did he get over that wall?” -He included Foster as well in the re- peated query. ““Mebbe,” parried Lyons, “he got in here the same way you got out of the sta- tion house last night.” The remark was like a blow in the face to Miss Moran’s admirer. It revealed the secret of Foster’s recent insolence. Lyons had gabbled. And Fos- ter had believed the statement. Coming hard on the heel of Foster’s apologies, it was a fresh and vexatious element in Ar- thur’s equation, for Foster might tell Mrs. - Moran or Felice what Arthur had seen fit to reserve for the time being, at least, re- garding his arrests. “Jf you find it expedient to discuss po- step right into you, don’t ere you got to dos some — ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. lice business with servants,” Arthur, “ that’s your privilege. Your su- perior might think it rather unwise, how-. ever.” | “He sent me down here,” purred Lyons contentedly. Arthur turned to Cassidy, sitting in the same lawn chair Arthur had used when try- ing to equate everything. The other detec- tive rubbed his head and his fingers came away warm and sticky. Young Tower bent over Cassidy with an exclamation almost as guttural as the booming frog’s distant note, “ He didn’t hurt me—much,” said Cas- sidy gamely. “,We'd better get a doctor pnd make sore? returned the young scientist solici- tously. ‘An injury to one’s head some- times is more serious than it seems.” ““ Sometimes,” sneered Lyons, “ people -And saa ~ Arthur looked at him. He iis not in the least dese the remark, and said so, aecing: “Tf you are trying to bait me, you're wasting your time, officially and per- sonally.” Cassidy ‘istersesed. while Foster padded away into the house. “ Bill, why don’t you lay. off that erouch? Mr. Tower didn’t hit me. He was at least five feet away and in front of me. 73 “Tom,” quoth Lyons, “Tt was with you last night. Mr. Tower was with us, too. We were both within five feet of him. And then, he wasn’t within five feet of us. We found him next down here.” ~ Enmeshed in mysteries of his own, Ar- thur nevertheless could not avoid a feeling of momentary mirth at what Lyons deemed a very sage conclusion, despite the import of the remark. He did not know why Cassidy and Lyons had returned, but he had already guessed, on catching sight of Cassidy in the arbor, that it was because in some way yet to be explained the missing unicorn cut from his hat had found its way into police headquar- ters. countered He could not let Lyons’s last remark = pass unchallenged. “Mrs. Moran,” said Arthur to both | ae =comicbooks — CO Vt) (Wa