Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-22

|
and Raiph's conviction of her supreme lowell
ness grew even stronger. But Violet Stout
| the name was killing.
II am trying to persuade your father that he
should not run away. Will you support me?"
"Yes, indeed! I've told papa that it's
cowardly, when all our people have to remain. "
''They'd 20 il they could! Besides, the villain
who did it does not want to kill them It's me
he's after, and when I'm out Of this place they
can sleep sound"
"But. papa, there IL not the slightest danger.
Unless the man Is mad he won't try again until
the excitement has blown over" As wise 81
pretty, Ralph thought.
| "That's perfectly true" he said. ~ guaran-
tee you quiet night. SIR
| IF I'm blown up your guarantee will be no
satisfaction! But. come now. captain. You
take command Of the garrison and stay with
| u.s."
You put the whole defense in my handsi
Then shall be delighted"
Bravo! Now I'll tell you all about it"
mot now, MIR. Stout. We are going TO enjoy
our lunch now and attend to business after
ward. I'm so sorry" he said, turning to Violet.
'to have missed the regimentai ball. But
trust our fellows made it pleasant-I'm quite
sure they tried"
He chartered on resolutely, to Mr.. Stout'i
amaze-indignation, indeed. But under this
! treatment Niolet's nervousness gradually sub
| sided. Before the end of lunch she began to
smile-even to laugh. And her laugh was the
very prettiest Ralph had ever heard or seen.
| But Mr.. Stout keeping an outraged silence,
drinking more champagne than usual, having
| been awake since the middle OF the night, found
himself unable presently to keep his eyes open;
/ Observing this without surprise, Ralph asked
| Violet to perform her fathers duty by "tellinR
| him all about it"
| need not repeat the story. which, in truth,
came to nothing beyond those facts already un.
| derstood. Neither criminal nor motive could
| apv one suggest.
Then they withdrew quietly and Ralph went
down to examine. The inspector, refreshed,
| was waiting. All the broken glass had been
swept carefully into heaps. but there was q very
faint chance that anything could be discovered
there-the casing Of such an explosive would
| fly hundreds Of yards.
Ralph studied the damage with practiced
eve. 1t was worst by far in the left wing, and
| 1t grew comparatively less severe i'll proportion
| to the distance from that center. Gradually he
traced it back to a certain focus toward the
middle of the wing. And then he remarked
that the lower floors had suffered very much
less in comparison. The greater force Of the
explosive had not spent its utmost force there;
| which is to say that the dynamite-f dynamite
it were-had not been placed on the ground.
Ralph sent for ladder. and pursued his in
vestigations infinitely Point by point he mar
rowed the circle until he came to hole deeper
and broader and more clean in its outlines than
any of the rest 1t yawned between windows
above and below. Ralph looked into the first Of
these. The ceiling OF the room had fallen fiat
nothing could be upon the ground but
| plaster, with leths sticking through. Anything
alive in that chamber must have been crushed
| and buried in an instant. So it WAS with the
| room on either side Descending, Ralph in
| spected the lower floor. But the window whore
he looked for most injury had draperies nailed
| across it. The question was solved SO far
| who occupied the apartment up there?" he
asked
That one yonder-with the draperies nailed
across the windows Miss Stoufs, captain,
| believe"
| Ralph paused to consider. If dynamite had
| been thrown by hand, the man who threw il
must have been shlvered to pieces by the ex-
plosion-he could not keep far enough away TO,
4 safety. But there is no machine which would
| explode dynamite by the impact-except the
new gun invented by American; to sup
pose that the criminal used that was very ex.
| t-avagant
| He set himself to scrutinize the lawn, which
had flower beds and clumps of ornamental
shrubs here and there. The moon WAS full, the
/ sky clear, last night. man would naturally
seek some Swallowed spot.and would lie down tt
! fire-that Is. if he understood what the effect
would be. The belt Of shrubbery bounding the
| lawn on this side closed in some hundred yard.
away, making semi-circular sweep. A small
| acacia of rare species stood opposite the horn
/
| diamond wing. The chances 80, said Ralph
TO himself though:fully, that he would pos,
himself under that tree"
Explaining, SO far as was needful. TO the in
spector, he walked slowly and cautiousl,
toward it, that officer marching parallel at sil
! feet distance. Nothing was found till they
reached the tree. Every leaf had been stripped
| off it. and most OF the small boUchs: the ground
underneath was covered inches deep. But moi
| everywhere! Over space three or four fee,
That's where the ruffian lav! cried Ralph
| in triumph. STEADY keep off"
He moved toward the shrubbery and Their
| ont across the track which q man would b.
likely to leave in escaping to that shelter. II
was easily found-a print of heels in tho danny
| fugitive had scarcely been able to keep his feet
just Ralph expected. He had been hall
| stunned by the explosion, and in rising to flee
| staggered as if drunk.
| Between the shrubbery and the tree lay the
end, or tip, of a bed filed with Bengal roses
| The tracks led straight toward it. If only he
tumbled among those thorns. He did. One
heavy footmark, complete, was stamped into
| the soft soil-then the bushes caught him anG
he fell headlong among them. Traces
in abundance told the story. Nc
strip OF clothing had been torn out but many
OF the thorns held a tiny fragment Of wool. The
butt of some instrument too small for a CUR
was deeply impressed, as though the owner haG
fallen on it. Several gold coins lay scattered
over the earth as they sprang from his waistcoa,
pocket, and-a small silver matchbox with mi.
tails! This Ralph picked up secretly and hid
| Final evidence against a criminal who carries
sovereigns and silver match boxes is not to be
produced without reflection. At the further
edge of the little bed another footprint was dis.
| tinct Nothing beyond
NOW, Inspector Ralph cried joyously
"draw up your Indictment! Here are the
| farfc. A Wit laru fan md vol I,
his pocket, wearing what you call gentlemen
boots stole out from the shrubbery armed
with a cross bow and some tremendous ex
| plosive. lay down under the tree to fire, the
| leaves dropped all over and round him, as BIZ
| lay half sense!ess. Then he rose and stumbled
over the rose bed. All You have to do is te
| find that man."
| Wonderful, captain But how am to SGT
about it? All, here comes my commanding
| officer"
Ralph was glad to step aside now. The identi.
ication of a culprit like this might well prove
annoying to Mr.. Stout, and he wished to be
certain on that point before announcing hii
| grayest discovery-the match box. Aftel
| going through the evidence with Col. Davis
that excepted-he withdrew
| In the afternoon Mr.. Stout drove his guest tC
Ormstead. He was aware now that the person
suspected was no working man or casual male
/ factor; but this knowledge only increased his
| perplexitv. Ralph found means to suggest the
initials IT. S" But they conveyed no usefu
| significance to Mr.. Stout's mind. Possibly
therefore, the outrage was not designed g4ins