The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1890-04-05
CHAPTER LII.

THE ST. JOHNS WOOD ESTABLISHMENT.
Cleopatra Villa was pleasant house
and very expensive one, as Lord CAL
liston found to his cost. But then, the
presiding deity, by name Lena Sarschine,
was very beautiful, and insisted upon
having her dwelling lifted up in cor
responding manner, so Calllston gave
way and spent o small fortune on this
bilou residence.
little worldly wise Ewes, the existence Of
whom was not supposed to be known to
the polite world, SO he felt quite at ease
when, upon ringing the bell, he was ad-
mltted to the garden by G solemn looking
man servant. He was we'll acquainted
with Collisions life, both public and
private-neither side being very reput-
sble-but then, with such advantages of
wrong doing as the world now offers, It's
hard to be yirtuous.
Calliston had come into the title
while IN his childhood, and, the estate
having been we'll looked after during his
minority, he found plenty of money to
spend when he came of age; and he GER
tainly did spend it. Horse racing and
yachting were his two principal pleas
ures, but curiously enough his name was
never mixed up with any well-known
woman, and few of his friends knew, ex-
cept by hearsav, of the divinity who
dwelt in Cleopatra Villa. Calliston had
fallen in love with her down in the coUn-
try some years before. Occasionally she
went to the theater, and sometimes drove
Ia the park, but at such rare intervals
that few people knew who she was. Cal
hston was very jealous of her and seldom
asked his friends to supper, but she was
reported hy the few who had been thus
rs.l tn Ia 1aa ffJt
with charming manners. The general
opinion was that he would end up by
marrying her, when his ENHANCEMENT
with Lady Balscombe became kownn, and
henceforward he was seen more by that
lady's side than in the ne;ghborhood of
st. Johns Wood.
Dowker, from some mysterious source
only known to himself was cogniZant of
all this, and hal now come down to dis
cover what connection the establishment
Of St. Johns Wood had with the murder
in Jermyn street
He knew that Calliston had gone off
with Lady Balscombe, SO said he had IA
message from him and would like to see
Miss Sarschine. The servant showed
him into a magnifcently furnished draw
ing room, where he waited the appear
ance of the lady, intending when she en-
tered to ask her all particulars about her
maid Lydia Fenny, with view to dis
covering the perp etrator OF the crime.
Being of an lnquiring turn of mind,
Dowker rose from his seat when the door
was closed, and, folding his hands behind
his back, strolled about the room, his
lank. gray-clad figure seeming sadly ont
of place.
Ii was not very large apartment, but
luxuriously furnished, the walls being
oil
graceful folds and caught up here and
there with thick silver cords. The car
pet, also Of pale green, was embroidered
with bundles of white flowers, and the
window curtains were of soft, white lib
erty silk. There were two windows on
one side in deep recesses filed with
brilliantly tinted flowers, white blossoms
prcdominatlng, and at the end Of the
room were folding doors opening into a
conservatory filled with ferns, in the mid
die of which a small fountain splashed
lnusically into wide marble basin.
There were low velvet covered longing
chairs al about, tables crowded With
bric-a-brac and photographs in oxydized
silver frames, while here and there on
the carpet We're skins of bears and tigers.
Contrary to the usual custom in drawing
rooms, there was only one mirror, a
small oval glass over the mantel-piece,
framed in rale-sre plush. In the cor
ners We're high palms and other tropical
vegetation, with white marble statues
peering from out OF their green leaves,
aud In one corner handsome grand
piano. on the top of which lay lot of
sheet-music. The room was illum mated
by two or three tall brass lamps with
bright green shades smothered in creamy
lace, and just over the piano were a num-
her of quaint looking weapons arranged
in a fantastic fashion. Highland broad
swords, Indian daggers AID Maylay
hrisses were all grouped round a small
silver shield handsomely embossed. and
though at first they seemed somewhat
ont of place against the rich silk hang
ings, yet when the eyes became accus-
toned to them the effect was not un-
pleasant
They were arranged in fantastic pat
tern, each side being the same. but here
Dowker noticed with much curiosity that
one side was incomplete, Maylay krss
having been removed. He looked at the
other side and there We're certainly two
arranged crossways. but on the other
there was only one. Dowker was startled
by this discovery, as it seemed to point
to the fact that the crime had been COM
mitted by the missing kriss. He knew
without doubt poisoned their dagoers,
SO the absence of one of those would
argue that it had been the weapon usel.
He gingerly touched the point of a kriss
with the tip of his finger. and then drew
it hastily away.
1T might be poisoned, he muttered,
looking At his finger to assure himself he
had not broken the skin Il wonder if
Ii ls-l'd like to find out.
CHANGING hastily round the room to
make sure he was alone, he took Il kriss
from the wall on the other side, so that
the pattern was now eqnalized, and
trusted 10 this fa TO hide his abstrac-
ZION OF the weapon. Then he took some
old letters out of his pocket and, tear
ing them up into strips, carefullg swathed
the blade of The kriss to prevent possible
accidents. AMI slipped the parcel into his
breast pocket.
III 20 and see a doctor. he muttered
TO himself as he buttoned his coat, and
Try the effect OF this on a dog; If the
symptoms of death are the same, that
will be ploo. conclusive that the miss
ing dagger was used to commit the crime
once establish that, II soon find out
the guilty party. as 1t must have been
some one n this house especially as
LYDIA Penny was n servant here"
re "1thei Lath again 10 MS cudlt ana
had inst sat down when the door opened
and woman eli eYel. Not at all pretty.
medium height dark hair and eyes, and
sharp, actiye-Iook KING face. which, how
ever. was disfgnred by marks of the
smallpox She was dressed in a we'll
made dark costume and wore a knot of
crimson ribbon round her throat. Dowker
surveyed this lady carefully and instant
Il came 10 the conclusion that this was
fellow servant of Lydia Penny ertainly
not Miss Sarschiue
Hang II. nuttered Dowher. he
wouldn't make love to that"
The newcomer advanced as Dowker
arose 10 his feet
lou want TO see Miss Sarse hine:" she
asked, looking AT the detective.
Yes: have | the pleasure
No: | am not Miss Sarschine, but |
can let her have any message YOU wish
delivered