



Produced by Al Haines









[Illustration: Cover art]



[Frontispiece: "Until I come to you as--as you have never known me
yet!"]




THE BLIND MAN'S EYES


By WILLIAM MACHARG & EDWIN BALMER




With Frontispiece

By WILSON C. DEXTER




A. L. BURT COMPANY

Publishers ---- New York


Published by Arrangements with LITTLE, BROWN & COMPANY




_Copyright, 1916,_

BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY


_All rights reserved_




To

R. G.




CONTENTS


CHAPTER

     I  A FINANCIER DIES
    II  THE EXPRESS IS HELD FOR A PERSONAGE
   III  MISS DORNE MEETS EATON
    IV  TRUCE
     V  ARE YOU HILLWARD?
    VI  THE HAND IN THE AISLE
   VII  "ISN'T THIS BASIL SANTOINE?"
  VIII  SUSPICION FASTENS ON EATON
    IX  QUESTIONS
     X  THE BLIND MAN'S EYES
    XI  PUBLICITY NOT WANTED
   XII  THE ALLY IN THE HOUSE
  XIII  THE MAN FROM THE TRAIN
   XIV  IT GROWS PLAINER
    XV  DONALD AVERY IS MOODY
   XVI  SANTOINE'S "EYES" FAIL HIM
  XVII  THE FIGHT IN THE STUDY
 XVIII  UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS
   XIX  PURSUIT
    XX  WAITING
   XXI  WHAT ONE CAN DO WITHOUT EYES
  XXII  THE MAN HUNT
 XXIII  NOT EATON--OVERTON
  XXIV  THE FLAW IN THE LEFT EYE
   XXV  "IT'S ALL RIGHT, HUGH"--AT LAST




THE BLIND MAN'S EYES


CHAPTER I

A FINANCIER DIES

Gabriel Warden--capitalist, railroad director, owner of mines and
timber lands, at twenty a cow-puncher, at forty-eight one of the
predominant men of the Northwest Coast--paced with quick, uneven steps
the great wicker-furnished living room of his home just above Seattle
on Puget Sound.  Twice within ten minutes he had used the telephone in
the hall to ask the same question and, apparently to receive the same
reply--that the train from Vancouver, for which he had inquired, had
come in and that the passengers had left the station.

It was not like Gabriel Warden to show nervousness of any sort; Kondo,
the Japanese doorman, who therefore had found something strange in this
telephoning, watched him through the portieres which shut off the
living-room from the hall.  Three times Kondo saw him--big, uncouth in
the careless fit of his clothes, powerful and impressive in his
strength of feature and the carriage of his well-shaped head--go to the
window and, watch in hand, stand staring out.  It was a Sunday evening
toward the end of February--cold, cloudy and with a chill wind driving
over the city and across the Sound.  Warden evidently saw no one as he
gazed out into the murk; but each moment, Kondo observed, his
nervousness increased.  He turned suddenly and pressed the bell to call
a servant.  Kondo, retreating silently down the hall, advanced again
and entered the room; he noticed then that Warden's hand, which was
still holding the watch before him, was shaking.

"A young man who may, or may not, give a name, will ask for me in a few
moments.  He will say he called by appointment.  Take him at once to my
smoking-room, and I will see him there.  I am going to Mrs. Warden's
room now."

He went up the stairs, Kondo noticed, still absently holding his watch
in his hand.

Warden controlled his nervousness before entering his wife's
room,--where she had just finished dressing to go out,--so that she did
not at first sense anything unusual.  In fact, she talked with him
casually for a moment or so before she even sent away her maid.  He had
promised a few days before to accompany her to a concert; she thought
he had come simply to beg off.  When they were alone, she suddenly saw
that he had come to her to discuss some serious subject.

"Cora," he said, when he had closed the door after the maid, "I want
your advice on a business question."

"A business question!"  She was greatly surprised.  She was a number of
years younger than he; he was one of those men who believe all business
matters should be