rs."

"Flinders?" I asked. "Is that the horse's name?"

"It is." She flicked the horse's stubby mane with the whip. "He
didn't look like a livery horse, and the liveryman said he had bought
him from the Armstrongs when they purchased a couple of motors and cut
down the stable. Nice Flinders--good old boy!"

Flinders was certainly not a common name for a horse, and yet the
youngster at Richfield had named his prancing, curly-haired little
horse Flinders! It set me to thinking.

At my request Halsey had already sent word of the fire to the agent
from whom we had secured the house. Also, he had called Mr. Jamieson
by telephone, and somewhat guardedly had told him of the previous
night's events. Mr. Jamieson promised to come out that night, and to
bring another man with him. I did not consider it necessary to notify
Mrs. Armstrong, in the village. No doubt she knew of the fire, and in
view of my refusal to give up the house, an interview would probably
have been unpleasant enough. But as we passed Doctor Walker's white
and green house I thought of something.

"Stop here, Gertrude," I said. "I am going to get out."

"To see Louise?" she asked.

"No, I want to ask this young Walker something."

She was curious, I knew, but I did not wait to explain. I went up the
walk to the house, where a brass sign at the side announced the office,
and went in. The reception-room was empty, but from the
consulting-room beyond came the sound of two voices, not very amicable.

"It is an outrageous figure," some one was storming. Then the doctor's
quiet tone, evidently not arguing, merely stating something. But I had
not time to listen to some person probably disputing his bill, so I
coughed. The voices ceased at once: a door closed somewhere, and the
doctor entered from the hall of the house. He looked sufficiently
surprised at seeing me.

"Good afternoon, Doctor," I said formally. "I shall not keep you from
your patient. I wish merely to ask you a question."

"Won't you sit down?"

"It will not be necessary. Doctor, has any one come to you, either
early this morning or to-day, to have you treat a bullet wound?"

"Nothing so startling has happened to me," he said. "A bullet wound!
Things must be lively at Sunnyside."

"I didn't say it was at Sunnyside. But as it happens, it was. If any
such case comes to you, will it be too much trouble for you to let me
know?"

"I shall be only too happy," he said. "I