The Argosy, January 1907 — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

228 Seales, delighted at her husband’s al- tered manner. “I put him there as soon as the man brought him back. He said it was hardly safe to have hjm in the house until you, came home, as no one could tell where he had been, and he might have disease germs about him. He advised that you should wash him at once with disinfecting soap. Really, George, I’m sure you do the man an in- justice. He was most kind and thought- ful.” Without replying, Mr. Scales hurried out to the garden, followed by his wife and friend. He called, he whistled, but there was no response, and a brief investigation of all possible places of concealment showed that Jim had vanished. “It’s Miss Merryweather,” said Mrs, Scales fiercely. ‘She has made away with Jim out of revenge for her cat.” ‘Nonsense! ”’ retorted Mr.-Scales in- dignantly. “It’s easy to see how he got out. You left this back gate open.” ‘“[ didn’t,” replied Mrs.. Scales, with equal heat. “I saw to it myself that every gate was closed.” Mr. Butterworth pointed to a small piece of stick which had been thrust into the latch from the outside and still hung there. ‘ Mixey,” he said. “So that’s why he advised leaving the dog in the garden. He got the reward, and then he sneaked the dog again. By gad, he’s a slick one.” Mr. Scales, unconscious, in his wo, of THE: ARGOSY. the dominant note of admiration in his friend’s voice, dropped on a rustic bench which stood convenient. 7 ‘A hundred and twenty-five dollars for a dead Persian cat,” he said hope- lessly. ‘‘ Thirty—I should say twenty- five—dollars put right into the pocket of the biggest scoundrel unhung. All this trouble and worry, and now three hun- dred dollars gone ina bunch! Of all the infernal tangles! And [I told the villain he might keep the dog,” he added, in a voice which he took care should not reach the ears of his wife. “If you know the man,” said Mrs. Scales, with some contempt, ‘you can catch him easily enough.” ‘Tf I know the man,” said Mr. But- terworth, “ you won’t do anything of the kind.” And Mr. Butterworth was right. Of Mixey and Jim not a trace could be found.. They had vanished as utterly as if the earth had swallowed them. Two years later, Mr. Scales learned indirectly of a curious phenomenon in connection with a bulldog. A fancier had purchased one, almost entirely black, from a one-eyed rover. Three months later, the animal turned a pale green, and thence passed through shades of orange and canary-yellow to pure white. From which Mr. Scales concluded that Mr. Mimbury had invested part of his ill-gotten gains in a bottle of hair-dye. WHEN SUSPICION STRUCK HARD. BY STEPHEN BRANDISH, Author of “At the Mercy of the Unseen.” A victim of circumstantial evidence, and his thrilling adventures in his pursuit of the man he felt to be really guilty. CHAPTER I. OPINIONS AND A TROLLEY-CAR. HE Bates girls, white and fluffy in their summer finery, had just ac- quired two pounds of the most expen- sive and indigestible variety of choco- lates, neatly boxed by the manufacturer, and now enveloped in the pink paper and tied with the gold twine which were reserved exclusively for the candy- counter, Now, after laying a foundation for future discomfort by the assimilation of ice-cream soda, they fluttered and giggled their way out into the electric light of Main Street again; and Albert Radford, Ph.G., gazed meditatively CORMICLOOOKS (C@)