Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1890-10-02
CHAPTER XII.
pANCyrp IN rryr rpoyr

bowed and took his leave,
passing out through the halls of Justice.
eyed by dozen or more stern myr-
midons of the law
AS he had sat, during his brief inter
view with Mr.. Bancker, with his back |
to the open door, he had failed to no.
tice the apparition of messenger who
made a significant signal to the detec-
tive, which virtually was the cause OF
Arnim's being discharged so suddenly;
nor did he, being wholly absorbed in
his own thoughts, see the elderly gen
tleman, of distinguished appearance,
who stood waiting for an audience with
Detective Bancker.
Had Arnim been of curious turn Of
mind, which decidedly he was not, and
had he chosen to listen at the door Of
the private office after the elderly gen
tleman had gone in to the detective.
the first words he might have heard
would have been:
Have the pleasure of meeting Mr..
Bancker, the gentleman in charge Of
the Clifford murder case?"
Yes, sir. And you are?"
Mr.. Edgar, the lawyer employed
by the late Mr.. Orrin Clifford at the
time of his death
Then permit me to say, Mr.. Edgar.
that you are the missing link in our
operations! Thank you for calling
upon me-
But as Rupert did not hear all this
and the mascot vitality important bust.
ness that followed, perhaps for the
present we need not be inquisitive; let
us, rather, return to little Oracle Gar.
land, our long-suffering heroine, where
we left her on the preceding night in
that upper room of the old building,
PROSTATE upon the lifeless body of her
supposed father.
The shock of the information which
Nicholas Garland had impaired with
his dying breath, coupled with the ex.
citement and fatigue of theSnight, had
bereft the poor child of her senses 70,
the time being, and like one dead she
hers needing not the\ dazzling
70. asssRtas;ase lantern that en- :
pale ofilax in its
1t may be needless to sta
lantern was held in the h.e tAat the
astute detective, Mr.. BancReer2 q that
much.
1t was he who, by chance. came upou
Max Boyden, as he came strolling down
the avenue to keep bis appointment
with Nicholas Garland; it was he who
Swallowed the two men to their lair in
the old granary, it was he who follow.
ca them into the deserted building by
means of the door which Boyden had
left unlocked; it was he who had
locked the door on the inner side after
little Oracle had found admittance
there, and it was he who now knew
more than was good for certain parties
in the case.
After the terrible climax had passed
Mr.. Bancker, in his cool. calculating
way, affixed the bulls eve to his belt
approached and gently raised the girl
from her unsuitable resting place. Al
most his first touch recalled her to her
senses.
"Oh, what has happened? Who are
Eou?" she walled in dazed way, strue-
Cling out of his arms and staring at him
wildly. -'-'-'
Always methodical and calm. if any.
thing, Bancker replied to each query.
A man has been murdered here. I
am friend"
1t all flashed back upon her now; the
desperate conflict between Garland and
Rn unknown man; the dying confession.
and then the silence of death!
:" man W gho orio1
unfairly at the dark, distorted form upon
upon the floor; "he was my fa- Oh,
no, no! Oh, sir, if, as you say, you are
q friend, tell me what it all means!'
know no more about it than YOU do.
my poor girl replied the detective
gently; probably much less. But we
will take time and clear up the matter
Who has done this thing 2" she de.
manded, shudderingly.
Il am not yet prepared to say, was
the evasive reply; "all that / have to
advise is that we leave the matter lust
where it is for tonight"
What! Leave him all alone here in
the dark"
"The body cannot be removed until
The Coroner is notified"
Then shall not leave him."
What was he to you?"
My Nothing"
She could not accustom herself IN
the thought that the man for whom she
would have sacrificed her very life. il
need be, was not her father: and the
detective, who was monument of pa.
hence in such matters, was not N
The least annoyed by her contradictory
replies; indeed, he went on systemat-
lcally:
Where is your homer"
Il have no home"
How came you here?o
Il do not know"
We'll, we'll talk of this another
lime, when You are rested and less ex-
,ited. In the mean time you had bet
Ter come with me. My wife viii
make 20" comfortable for the night at
east
Oracle clasped her hands, and the hot
ears coursed one after another over |
Ter pale cheeks.
Must leave him ?" she sobbed.
You certainly can't stay here: YOU
'ould catch your death of cold, besides
DING no good"
ct v,osrvb@ ~. ,,~1J H. Vrylxt