Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-03-26

L
more consequence than mere money
getting. Though he was much older
than myself. / had ventured to remon-
strate with him at times when Stall
| bridges schemes secured unenyjable
note; but there had been no open quar-
rel and I had always been Mt home in
| his house.
With this thought came the recollec-
ton of my duty 10 my uncle's family.
They should be informed at once, and
the painful task was surely mine.
spoke of this to Rodney, and he said
that I should go at once. l shuddered
when I pictured the grief of my aunt
and my cousin Emily, who has been al
ready mentioned as the betrothed of
Walter Norman. There was son, TOO,
who must be summoned from college
by this terrible news.
| AS l was about to leave the room,
the detective from police headquarters
arrived. His promptitude amazed me.
would have said that scarcely ten
minutes had elapsed since the commits
sion of the crime. In reality the inter-
val had been much longer Also, as
subsequently appeared, Que of the ten
ants in the building had notified the
central office on the first alarm.
The detective was in appearance the
most absolutely commonplace man
that | had ever seen Perhaps 1 was
expecting the detective of romance,
and thus derived an added impression
of the ordinary from this man, john
son. He was about the medium height,
and his face was of so conventional q
| type that l began TO wonder vaguely
whether / had seen him before His
expression was somewhat vacant. but
not with the vacance OF stupidity,
rather with the listlesness of man
who has nothing to do and very little
TO think about. lie was dressed in the
sort of clothes that one will see the
most of, if he walks about the city all
day.
excuse me-" he said, politely IF
you're not really in hurry, I'd like to
ask few questions before you 60"
He asked but very few, and seemed
almost Indifferent to my answers. In
deed, his indifference piqued me, and
accurately and to bring out all the
Joints. I succeeded in arousing Il GER
tain amount of interest when | told
him of the closing door, and of M pur-
suit of the murderer but he ceased to
pay attention to me when / said that
l had failed to get a glimpse of the es-
Gaping criminal.
Whose are thesc?" he asked, Ian
guidly, displaying n large number of
keys on n ring.
"My uncc's," l exclaimed. "Wherc
did you get them?"
81 picked them up" he said, pointing.
to the floor near the door which led to
the hail.
THE murderer must have taken.
item from my mcle's pocket and
locked the door Immediately after the
commission of the crimc," said. eve.
found it locked"
That was the way of it, of course"
said johnson. "Therc are bloodstainti
en- the door and the casing, as you
have doubtless observed"
/ had not seen them. but when John q.
son pointed them out they were obvi.
Gus.
"IIe washed his hands afterwards"
johnson continued! "There is the
towel on which he wiped Them
He pointed at the towel in question,
which was thrown over the corner ot
a looldng-glass that hung upon thc
wall.
"Why did he throw it up there?" /
pluttercd, half TO myself.
1T was not thrown" said Johnson
You can see that. 1t was hung up
there"
The top of the looking-glass, which
was very large one, was nearly eight
tct from the floor
"IIe must have beer n giant" l ex-
claimed, "to reach so high"
"A tall man, probably" said John
son. Has anybody mcddlcd with the
towel, the rack undcr it, the bowl,
or anything else hereubouts?"
Nothing has been disturbed" said
Stalbridge.
johnson examined the bowl.
mo blood here" he said; this water
is perfectly clean"
He pointed into the bowl where there
was a little water. On looking more
closely than johnson had done, | was
able to discover few spots of blood