lease Browning, an old friend of mine, and the children, as much
as anything," he answered with complete self-possession.

Out of his line, of course, thought I, because his specialty was
cremations, and this was a burial--much to my surprise.

"The lady was very kind to us when we lived there, Mr. Collins," I said,
lying impressively. "I have been laid up in the hospital so long I have
not had a chance to make the inquiry before. I want to take some flowers
to lay on her grave as a token of our respect--my partner and I, you
know--Mr. Hosley. We always found Mrs. Browning very accommodating" (she
never bothered me, for I did not know that she existed until she ceased
to do so). "We propose to take a whole day off and make a trip up there
now to attend to this duty which has been uppermost in our minds."

Mr. Collins being a member of the Undertakers' Association, had been
operated on for the removal of his diaphragm to prevent laughing, and he
therefore took a serious professional interest in my request. He retired
to the neighborhood of his safe, looked into some large books and
returned with the name of the cemetery and a few directions written on a
slip of paper.

"You'll find it just back of Mount Vernon, about two miles from the
trolley crossing I have given you there. Take a hack when you leave the
car; there's a livery right across the street. And say, don't forget to
come back and tell me about it."

I thanked him for his kindness and assured him I would return to tell
him the result of my search.

The proper thing to do with a murderer is to subject him to the third
degree. Very often he will quake when taken to the grave of his victim.
So I decided to take Jim up there with me; we could do it and get back
easily by noon, and maybe before. If he quaked, I would not need to be
hasty in defending him, and if he did not quake, the air would do him
good, poor chap, for he was badly unstrung and needed a ride in the
country.

"Come, Jim," I shouted, rushing into the house. "I am not going down to
the office to-day. I shall take a day off to straighten out your tangled
affairs. Get your things on and come with me."

He seemed to doubt my prowess, but slowly worked his way into his coat.
Before boarding the elevated train going north, I bought a handsome
bouquet of lilies-of-the-valley, tuberoses, asparagus fern and enough
forget-me-nots to appropriately light up the center. This indicated to
Jim that I was