The Argosy, Vol. 82, No. 3 — page 125: what you’re looking at

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

FROM DUSK TO DARK. asked, managing with difficulty to keep his teeth from chattering, though the room was quite warm. “°Alf after eleven, sir. Colonel Brink gave horders that you were not to be dis- turbed, sir. Also ’e sends ’is apologies that ’e must be away until late this afternoon, but ’opes to return for the pleasure of dining with you and Miss Brink, sir.” Then, observing the distraughtness still left by the dream on Morris’s face, the fel- low suggested: ‘Maybe you’d not be wishing to get up yet, sir. Ill ’ave\the coffee ’ere and break- fast in a jiffy, if you wish. And Colonel Brink gave orders you should ’ave all the papers, sir. They’re so big, sir, that I didn’t wish to be bringing them to your bed if you didn’t wish it, sir.” Morris’s intention to get up vanished. The papers he wanted worse than any coffee or breakfast or bath or anything else in the world. They would tell how far the police had got with the discovery of the murder last night; what they knew, or at least were ready to publish as to any possible clues. He bade Horton bring them in. Brink had certainly been thoughtful. Morris’s eye lit first upon the Newark Sun- day Call. He seized it and began to scan the headlines of the first page of the news section. Surprised at finding no line at the top which could connect with the slaying, he glanced down the columns. War news, political gossip, notice of a prominent man’s death of heart failure, two stories of small burglaries—the page held no heading that could bear upon any murder story. He turned the page. The haste of search had given place to disgusted belief that the paper cared so little to keep up with the news as to have refused to open space for what had happened at least four hours before the single edition of the news section was run off the presses. Then he found this half way down the second column: YOUNG CIVIL ENGINEER AMNESIA VICTIM. Telephone Messages Clear up Promised Mystery in Old Kearney Ruin. Considerable excitement was aroused early last evening when Miss Helen Rainsford, of East Orange, got several of the employees of 499 the Mapes Coal Yards to come to her aid in searching for Mr. Morris Ballard, who had been motoring with her along Passaic avenue, Just opposite Woodside station. In her excite- ment Miss Rainsford told a startling story of having seen a light in the old Brink home- stead, which had caused young Ballard to go to the house for matches with which to light the lamps of the car. Ballard did not come back, and the light disappeared. Meanwhile Mr. Ballard had been picked up from the street some distance away, in a condition of temporary amnesia, and taken to a near-by sanatorium. ‘There he recovered enough to remember where he had left the young lady and to telephone her parents, who promptly set out for the spot in a taxicab. Since a search of the, deserted building revealed no signs of recent occupancy, the police think the young people saw the reflec- tion of some light in the windows. Mr. Ballard’s nerves have been run down some- what for several weeks, and the surprise of finding the house empty is thought to have shocked his memory away for the time. Though his whereabouts is being kept secret, it is reported that he is entirely in possession of his memory again, and on the road to speedy recovery. Mr. Ballard is a Civil Engineer in the employ of the Gainville Construction Com- pany. He is a bachelor, having rooms at 135 Grove Avenue, East Orange. That was all. It was exactly that much more than was mentioned in any of the New York papers. Morris Ballard felt a distinct sense of disappointment. The very absence of more seemed sin- ister. He felt that he wished the body of the slain man had been discovered. Until that had happened and the police had an- nounced some definite theory, the dread of being connected with it would remain. “The Evening Telegram is just come, sir,’ Horton announced at the door, hold- ing up the pink sheet that is New York’s one Sunday afternoon publication. Morris began to search its columns. He had but glanced at the long war headlines before his eye caught a black-faced an- nouncement under the larger type of the news from Europe. VAN CLEEF-BRINK ENGAGEMENT OFF Society suffers a keen disappointment in learning of the breaking off of the engage- ment between Howard Bainbridge Van Cleef, the well-known real-estate operator and clubman, and Miss Florence Brink, daughter of Colonel David Brink, the multi-million- aire copper-mine owner and financier. It was understood that the two young people were very much in love with each other, and their friends looked forward to a wedding next fall that should be a social event. Go NOOLKS AMG (E@)