The Brand of Silence A DETECTIVE STORY By HARRINGTON STRONG CHELSEA HOUSE 79 SEVENTH AVENUE NEW YORK CITY Copyright, 1919 by STREET & SMITH (Printed in the United States of America) All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian. CONTENTS I. IN THE HARBOR II. THE GIRL ON THE SHIP III. SOME DISCOURTESIES IV. A FOE AND A FRIEND V. THE COUSIN VI. MURK--AND MURDER VII. EVIDENCE VIII. LIES AND LIARS IX. PUZZLED X. ON THE TRAIL XI. CONCERNING KATE GILBERT XII. BATTERED KEYS XIII. A PLAN OF CAMPAIGN XIV. MORE MYSTERY XV. A MOMENT OF VIOLENCE XVI. MURK RECEIVES A BLOW XVII. MURK IS TEMPTED XVIII. A WOMAN'S WAY XIX. COADLEY QUITS XX. UP THE RIVER XXI. RECOGNITION XXII. AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR XXIII. A STARTLING STORY XXIV. HIGH-HANDED METHODS XXV. AN ACCUSATION XXVI. THE TRUTH COMES OUT THE BRAND OF SILENCE CHAPTER I IN THE HARBOR Now the fog was clearing and the mist was lifting, and the bright sunshine was struggling to penetrate the billows of damp vapor and touch with its glory the things of the world beneath. In the lower harbor there still was a chorus of sirens and foghorns, as craft of almost every description made way toward the metropolis or out toward the open sea. The _Manatee_, tramp steamer with rusty plates and rattling engines and a lurch like that of a drunken man, wallowed her way in from the turbulent ocean she had fought for three days, her skipper standing on the bridge and inaudibly giving thanks that he was nearing the end of the voyage without the necessity for abandoning his craft for an open boat, or remaining to go down with the ship after the manner of skippers of the old school. Here and there showed a rift in the rolling fog, and those who braved the weather and lined the damp rail could see other craft in passing. A giant liner made her way past majestically, bound for Europe, or a seagoing tug clugged by as if turning up her nose at the old, battered _Manatee_. Standing at the rail, and well forward, Sidney Prale strained his eyes and looked ahead, watching where the fog lifted, an eager light in his face, his lips curved in a smile, a general expression of anticipation about him.