The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1895-07-13
THE MAN IN THE CASE.

world, o the apple tree episode TO
the present, have had their women.
Incidentally there's always a man
in the case, but most chroniclers for
get to mention him.
The woman in this present instance
was passably plain, but she had
knowledge and magnetism. She got
at the kernel of things, and among
the things she knew best were men.
Tom Benton first met her when he
was a bachelor. She was sweeping
the pavement in front of a tiny, I'M
pretentious frame dwelling at At.
lantic City, and not seeing him had
thrown much dust into his eyes.
Apologies followed. Her diction and
meditation of voice contrasted
strangely with her Bingham and her
mental position, and as Benton pass
ed on he fell to wondering. And that
night, by luck, her gown caught in a
nail in the board walk just as he
happened along in time to extricate
her. And then she threw more dust
in his eyes.
Her name was Cora Lentley. Or
dinarily close mouthed, to Benton
she told much. She lived with her
grandmother, she said. Grandma
was a Russian, wealthy, peculiar and
had rented a little cottage in al out
of the way street at Atlantic City.
Grandma never went out, and Cora
did all the homework. Only three
men ever called at the house-the
butcher, the baker, the milkman.
Unconventional acquaintance rip
en- fast, and as fast turn worthless.
But here was an exception. For a
month Benton and Miss Lentley were
boon companions. Their tastes were
identical, their logic ran to the same
syllogism-love, life and death were
all material bits that we're inmate
rial.
One day she passed him with a
tall, sinister looking man in tow,
The man said, ut must be done
quickly" and the girl answered,
"Ill catch the steamer tomorrow"
Benton only gave the conversation a
passing thought then. Later he
thought it over.
That evening he read that q Cap
tain Kolski, q well known Russian
who stood high in tho Russian po-
lice, was making a short stay at
one of the well known hotels. He
intuitively connected Captain Kolski
with the sinister man he had seen
with Miss Lentley in the morning.
Both were Russians, he argued, and
so had tastes in common.
For three days he saw nothing of
the Lentley oman Then his morn
ing paper enlightened him. The ar
ticle was headed, 1.-The Police .,Puz-
Zled, and a as follows:
Mrs. Ivan Palitski, q Russian,
was found dead in her bed this morn
ing at 1856 Atlantic avenue. The de-
ceased had lived in the house for the
past three months, her only compan.
ion being a domestic, who no doubt,
finding her mistress dead, fled fol
fear of being arrested. There were
no marks of violence on the body,
and death was no doubt duo to nat
ural causes. Mrs. Palitski was arrest,
ed ten years ago in Moscow, charged
with being a nihilist, but owing tt
rrnot no1itiool ion1opoa cbo woo no
leased and came to this country. NJ
papers were found in the house whc1
the police searched this morning, bu
her money and jewels were intact
showing that if foul play vas medi
tated robbery was not tho motive
The servant had evidently left tn
nous last Monday, for Mrs. Palitsk
lad been dead for several days"
When Benton had finished readin'
this piece of news, he thought he ha'
had a surfeit of Atlantic City, an,
the afternoon train took him to Phi,
adelphia.
Then the world logged on much a
it had before, and two years adde
their quota of wisdom to young Der
tons already ample store. One da
in Juno, while walking in Fairmoun
park, almost the first person he er
countered was the woman in the cas-
Miss Cora LentleS.
She was strolling aimlessly nea
the bridge that spans the Schuylki
at the Geological gardens. Her bro,
was contracted, her lips puckeret
her eyes intently following the tin
trail of water made by her parast
as she pushed it in front of her. Bel
ton placed himself directly in he
path, and she bumped into him. H.
hat flew off, and he grabbed it just i
time to wave it gracefully at her i
reversed position, just rs she uttel
ed an exclamation of surprised ret
ignition.
"Why, Tom Bentonl
"Hello, Cora Lentley. How's Ru,
sia?"
She looked up at him with a pu.
zled look on her face. "Russia?' 81
queried.
He laughed quietly. Lovely da.
isn't it?"
What about Russia?" she repea
ed.
I'm sure l don't know" he +