Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-04-09
A Weird MYSTERY
Tracing a Dark Crime.
BY ALEXANDER ROBINSON, NJ. D.
cHAPrER xvITr,contInusal


Seabury house on that terrible night.
At first my search was without avail.
] looked in every crack and Granny
could find but success did not greet my
efforts II he had brought anything
with him the man seemed to have been
careful enough to have securely hid
den IL.
Still did not despair. 1t was not my
nature to give up easily.
The more difficulties that arose, the
more determined 1 appeared.
My search was continued with ever in
creasing vigOr.
Half OF the ten minutes had already
elapsed, and l could expect to hear the
footballs Of the Colonel on the dark and
narrow stairs at any time.
While l searched 1 kept my ears open
for such sounds
AT last believed was rewarded. In
q dark hole, where il had evidently been
thrown cOntemptuOusly as of little value
because it was alone, found a silver
spoon.
1t was old and light.
Upon the end was engraved a name.
l read IL with such satisfaction as the
hunter can feel when his game is sighted
along the gun barrel, or perhaps the
angler when a violent tug announces
that his line has been taken by the wary
bass.
A little diplomacy now and the game
was surely mine.
The name was sSeabury.n
The spoon had come from the house
where the murder had been committed.
Mr.. Ketcham had been right in read
ing the handiwOrk of Colonel Cain upon
the pantry window.
He had been there. This man knew
more concerning the mysterious murder
than perhaps any living soul.
III he had mot committed tho rrimR
himself, then he could tell who did.
felt n savage delight in the thought
that 1 now held a key to unlock the
mystery.
Mr.. Ketcham might yet be forced to
learn the truth from me.
My hopes beat high. I threw the lone
spoon back whence it had come
Why had he taken that one article,
only to cast IL cOntemptuOusly aside when
he reached his den? All! the rendering
of this answer would lift the veil from
the whole.
I meant to solve it very soon.
1 must confess that the appearance of
this spoon on the scene Of action gave
my theory a hard blow.
II l was to look upon the man as the
Nemesis, following his intended victim
from cline TO cline with but one object
in view-the death Of old Doctor Sea-
bury, what in the wide world could he
mean by carrying OF this solitary spoon?
Was It his nature asserting itself?
He was burglar by profession, and on
seeing a spoon lying in his way as he
made his retreat from the house, he
could not resist the temptation TO pick
1t up The act was done mechanically.
and when on reaching home he found it
in his pocket, with the hated name OF
Seabury engraved upon the end, he cast
II from him in the Hottest of scOrn-
- n
1 could not but confess that IL was
rather flimsy foothold, but it was the
best l could find.
On the other hand, what?
Suppose this man was a simon-pure
burglar, who had never heard of Sea-
bury before, and who had entered the
house OF the old Doctor intent on rob
bery-why had he failed to accomplish
his end?
This was an interesting question.
To answer it properly l would have to
know exactly what passed, and through
him alone could this be gained.
It was easy to believe that he had
been IN the house about the time the
crime was committed
Hence, IL was necessary TO find out
what had scared the burglar away. Had
he seen the murder done? Perhaps he
had caught a glimpse Of Mr.. Ketcham as
he hastily entered the dimly lighted hall,
and recognizing the detective, had fed
the moment the other went upstairs.
On the basis of this theOry-which, be
it remembered did not accept as yet
this wEs n very reasonable conclusion,
and one which would bear further anal
ysis-
These thoughts were not laggards.
They flashed through my mind with
intense rapiditY. I saw the two paths
open before me, and must soon know
which it was for me to tread.
BY this time I expected to hear my
quOndam friend returning. Surely all of
ten minutes had passed away since he
went on.
listened to hear him, but as yet there
were no sounds to indicate that he was
coming up the stairs.
Perhaps I could not do better than to
look around some more. There might be
other things to discover.
I was in the act of putting this idea
into execution when far down below I
head some one on the stairs.
Was it the Colonel?
The unknown was undoubtedly coming
up the stairs with all the rapidity he
could throw into the movement
Immediately I began to wonder
whether anything had occurred to alarm
the man. In no other way could I &C
count for the mad haste with which he
assembled the rickety stairs at the risk OF
his life.
With no little anxiety then I waited
for his appearance on the scene.
I had not long to wait.
The footballs drew nearer until they
were at the top of the upper stairs.
Then there could be heard hand CROP
ing along the wall as if for the door.
When the door opened, as I expected,
Colonel Cain pushed into the room. In
- al. \ l.
with the other he closed and locked the
door. His face was expressive Of the
widest alarm.
CHAPTER XIX.
kept cool
There wns no use getting excited. for