n portrait was an
excellent picture of the man whose body vanished in the swamp.

Lizzie Dalton overheard Young King Brady's remark.

Her face turned as pale as death, and she sank into a chair, gasping:

"Was my father murdered?"

"Such is our suspicion," replied the old detective, gently.

"But you are not positive of it?"

"No," answered Old King Brady, shaking his head.

"In that case, you may be mistaken."

"Yes. There's some doubt about it."

"Will you kindly tell me what made you believe he was dead?"

"Certainly. Listen. Here's what happened in the past few days."

And he recited all that transpired from the time they first heard that
cry for help in Thirty-sixth street, up to the present moment.

The girl listened intently and when he finished, she said, in tones of
relief:

"Then you have reason to believe that the man was alive when you heard
his voice coming from that old hut in the swamp?"

"Just so," assented Old King Brady, admiring her fortitude and cool
judgment.

"And you believe my cousin Ronald and this negro were at the bottom of
the whole thing?" continued the girl.

"We do. It's our opinion that Mason sent your father a decoy telegram
to the Union Club, and lured him to the empty house in Thirty-sixth
street. We believe he and Sim Johnson arranged to attack and drug him
there. We think, when they either killed or drugged him, they packed
him in the box and shipped it by rail to Georgia. The fact that some
unknown party on the cars chloroformed us leads us to suppose it was
Mason, who may have been on the cars disguised. We also think they had
accomplices at Swamp Angel to stop the train so they could steal the
box and hide the body of the man it contained in the swamp. The fact of
Mason and the negro being there at the time, confirms this suspicion of
them being at the bottom of the job."

"Your suspicions seem to be well founded, sir, but it may be only a
theory on your part, after all," said the girl.

"Miss Dalton, you can weaken or strengthen our suspicions."

"In what way, Mr. Brady?"

"By showing us a motive for such crooked work."

"How can I?"

"Simply by answering my questions."

"Nothing would give me more pleasure."

"First, then, were your father and Mason on friendly terms?"

"Very."

"Didn't they ever quarrel?"

"Never, to my knowledge."

"Then revenge is out of the question. Now for love."

"I don't quite understand you, sir."

"Wasn't Mason i