Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-10-23

u don't wonder at your Icing upset, gen.
tlemen. l feel ~ bit queer myself; but you
must really comrosc yorrsc We; and listen to
what 1 have to tell you. I never had such {,
story to tell before. Lor b less me! I'll never
believe in clever men aga N. Every one OF
them is alike. They p NY their game &C.
beautifully that you thir X there can b. nc
catching 'em; and then, 10 and behold! you
find that all the time I'll ey have been playing
your game, tco, and n the way that YOU
least of all expected"
Bie.ski took from his. pocket u small parcel,
from which he duly extracted the little
memorandum boz Is ! had found ct Great
Lorton Hall.
@This book, G 4ntlen,en. is neither more MOI
less than the fAiary of Francis Branksome,
Esquire, NJ. ~, for nearly the whole of the
present year, And in it DR.. Brarlksome has
set down, all rs plain us a piJ,cstaff, the
whole history of his own proceedings during
that tlrre, and of tho crimes Which he has
committed, including the mtlrder Of Mr..
Maulavercr, and the plan by which the sus.
picion of that murder was to be thrown up.
on Miss Stancliffe."
A cry Of horror broke from the lips OF
Harding. For my part, [ sat spcllbound
and silent.
II never saw anything in my life before c
compare with this, gentlemen" continued
the detective, shaking his head emphatically.
II have seen q many queer things i'll my
time; lut never anything like this. Here's
O clever man., an educated man, Il man who
thinks that he can take in everybody around
him, and that we are all nothing moro than
chessmen to be moved about by him ut his
pleasure-tye. and u man who does move
people about just as he pleases for year
after year: and yet this clover man is such a
fool that he thinks he can Put his secrets into
writing. and prevent anybody discovering
'em, simply because he mixes up two sys.
TENT of short hand, and makes one of his
own out Of 'em, i'll which to keep his diary"
Bielski looked round us though to ask our
opinion on the subject.
II remember" said Harding, "a case of a
murderer in Paris who was convicted
through q diary i'll which he left a record oil
all his crimes"
"Do you indeed, sir? Well, all / can say is
that it is the first time I've come across such
a case. But now, gentlemen, 1 must tell
you What the diary says. 1t took me and
my mate all day yesterday and down tc
three O'clock this morning to translate it:
and we shouldn't have got done with It yet
il it hadn't been that luckily this clever Dr..
Branksonlc had chosen for his cipher two
systems, both of which my friend happened
to know"
,%Thereupon Bielski produced u large batch
Of manuscript, and he began to turn over
the pages, most of which l saw were covered
with his handwriting.
"My friend d%eciphered, and I wrote down
as no read it." he explained to us. II am
not going to trouble you with the early part
of the story, though there is plenty that l
shall have to deal with afterwards. I'll keep
straight to what concerns this case. Here is
the first extract after he has seen you, MIR.
Fenton: ARRIVED Scarborough six a. M.
Went ashore at eight, and Joined the boss and
we'll; appears to AVE got over the attack of
years yet. Had the usual business talk with
him, and settled everything satisfactorily.
No suspicion of Fosdyke's game.' Eos
dykes game" said the detective, breaking
off suddenly, twas to transfer IN immense
number of Maulevcrer's bonds into portable
and transferable securities. The rogues
were determined, whether the man lived OF
died, to dip their hands into his pockets,
Found to my disgust hat Daisy has made
tho acquaintance of u young man named
Fenton. l suspected something from her
manner of speaking Of him. It seems that
lie protected her from that brute Gregson al
York railway station, and she repays him
by falling in love with him.. I made an
opportunity of observing them both closely.
There is no doubt that he is fond Of her, and
! find that he has got Ill inilu nee over hel
which l must destroy as speedily rs ~possill,.
A commonplace, inotfensive young man, Lut
in my way, and therefore to !e got ont Of
it.n
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