Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-09-29


the machine not later than half past al
she said. The watch had stopped at :0i
and could not therefore, as his practica
experiment showed, have fallen or beer
thrown into the water sooner than five
minutes to / at the latest. The obvious
| inference was that Miss Ennis had I'M
doubtedly left the machine before the
murder was committed.
This was IN itself a considerable relief
to Mr.. Padger, but he felt that it was
not an entirely satisfactory result. That
| Miss Ennis did not actually strike the
| cowardly blow with her own hands was
no proof that she was not cogniZant of it +,
an accomplice before or after the fact
That man might have made his way
into the machine was no evidence that
! such a thing had taken place, and even
| if that were clearly shown it was only
! too likely to appear at the same time
that she had heen aware of the fact.
! Who the man had been was yet to be dis
| covered, and Mr.. Padger greatly feared
| that it lay between two men, with each
| of whom Miss Ennis had relations of
| some kind. Of these two, Mr.. Ennis
and DR.. Benton Mr.. Padger's suspicious
were manly directed to the latter.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE HAND OF CHANCE.
| Although he was avowedly waiting to
hear from the Cape before bestowing any
more attention upon the bathing ma
chine mystery, Mr.. Padger, as a matter
of fact, thought necessarily about the
affair. He was much exercised about
DR.. Benton s sudden flight from West
cliffe followed so closely on their inter
view at Monplaisir, and at the departure
oft Io , fI,os So
and so much earlier in the year than it
had been their custom to leave Was it
coincidence or had it been the result of an
arrangement between them? Had Dr..
Benton been aware of the interest he had
excited, or were his actions mere
ly prompted by some altogether uncon-
nected circumstance? To these questions
Mr.. Padger had no means of obtaining
an answer, nor did he see any method of
procuring one.
A month passed while he was occupy
ing his leisure in these useless specula-
tons, and he was no nearer a solution at
the end of that time than he was at the
beginning.
One day at the beginning of Septem-
Der, having a few hours on his hands, he
determined to devote them to the cultl-
walton Of his favorite accomplishment,
ana took himself to the neighborilg
swimming bath which he was in the habit
of visiting once or twice a week when
time allowed.
He enjoyed his swim immensely and
having worked himself into a state of ex-
IRENE personal satisfaction by beating his
own previous record in swimming under
water, he was about to leave when, in
passing the open door of one of the dress
iT,Cr ha
portion of the boards forming the floor,
the mark of that left foot with the great
toe missing, which had so long haunted
and puzzled him. The box, however,
was empty, and the bearer of that dis
tinctive mark, who had hitherto escaped
him, had, in all probability, vanished
again as completely as before.
AT all events, thought Mr.. Padger,
trying TO draw consolation from the re-
Election, 81 was right in my conjecture.
The murderer was man. "a
The attendant, to whom Mr.. Padger
was well known, happened to be close to
the entrance at the time, and he made
his way i'll that direction, in order to as
certain if possible whether the man was
acquain ted with the owner of that foot.
At first he could make nothing of him,
but when he was informed that he had
the great toe missing from his left foot,
he declared that he remembered him
perfectly, and that he had only left a
few minutes before.
''Does he come here often?'' asked !
Mr.. Padger hurriedly, anxious to be off |
in pursuit.
''oh, yes. He comes pretty fire.
quent, said the man. ''You can't |
possibly mistake him, because he is such |
q beautiful diver. -
You don t happen to know his name, |
Supposed said Mr.. Padger, carelessly |
toying with a shilling.
Ono, don It, - answered the attend |
ant regretfully.
Can you tell me what he is like?''
Well, he is looking, middle !
aged man, and to-day he IS got on a |
Light gray suit, but L don It recolIect
much about him except his diving That |
was beautiful, sure enough. You ought |
to have seen him, Mr.. Padger, for
you re no slouch yourself, though h 9
lays over you
IF you can find out his name for me
by the next time 1 come you sh all have
this, said Mr.. Padger, - pocketing the
coin, and he fastened out of the place.
He was only just in time, for as he
from the baths he perceived a
man in light gray suit turning the cor
ner atsthe extreme end of the street.
That's my man, - said Mr.. Padger
with conviction, land now 1 suppose
there is nothing to be done but to run
for it. -
Accordingly he set off at full speed,
regardless of the jeers and shouts of the
street boys, the cheers of the cabmen and
he undisguised amazement of the better
dressed class of pedestrians 1t was no
line to think of appearances, for if he
could not reach the corner before the
nan in the gray suit had disappeared he
night lose him, possibly for ever.
Painting and perspiring, he turned the
'orner at length, and with a rush of
'xultant joy perceived the unconscious
Granger walking rapidly EDWARDS about
hree hundred yards ahead.
Accommodating his pace to the other
nan s, so as to gradually overtake him,
dr. Padger followed. Down one street.
o the right, down another, to the left,
N and on they went for a good half
iour, the man in gray in front, and Mr..
'adger relentlessly following in his
rack
During this long chase he had ample
to consider the matter