Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1897-10-15
BRISTOWE'S RUSB.

BrlstOwe, that dry old stick OF Ie-
tective, throwing down his newspaper.
If that man hal had smattering Of
science at his fingers ends he could
have done the trick. Yes, you can all
see it now. All, j ought to know. 1t
was bit Of science that once helped
me to net $500, get az the root of as
queer a mystery as ever tackled and
possibly to save gentleman's life
into the bargain. Yes, | can tell you
just how it happened. ] wasn't on
the spot till after the crime, of course,
but know exactly what took place.
My wordl
1t was Sir Gavin Grey's case, if you
remember-Grey, the great London
banker. He had fine old place down
at Wimbledon that his niece, Kate
as sweet and lovable n girl as ever
walked this earth-used to keep for
him. Old bachelor, you know. They
say, and ! believe, that that girl might
have married any man she liked; but,
of course, it sohappened that the lucky
fellow who crept into her heart was
only cashier at her uncle's bank
Leo Markhouse by name. The old
gentleman was staggered at first, but
at the finish he gave way on the condi-
tion that they waited tilt the young
fellow proved himself fit for partner
ship and for such wife, aud things
went smoothly enough for time
Thar, 90 -,a a 1aa1lrr oroal
Would you believe it, this Mark
house was fool enough to go and make
use Of check that ought TO have gone
into the bank, and somehow or other
it was found out before he could pay
it back. 1t wasn't in Sir Gavin to
give any man second clisnce, sup
pose; at any rate, he called him in,
dared him to show his face there again
and sent him about his business, with
an alternative of prosecution. And
one evening, a week later, when the
old gentleman got back to his VIM
bledon house the first thing he heard
was that Markhouse had been there
and that Mas Kate he'd .e.c..s .:lr .:lr ..:.h. s..::..h!.
him-gone for good. Pretty romance,
eh :?
Now for the mystery. 1t seems
that for some days Sir Gavin was al
solutely crushed and never LEFT the
house. He used to go up to the girls
room to make suIe she wa3 gone, and
then he would go and sit in his study
for hours at stretch, hardly moving
all the time, they said. Well. there
was glass door opening on sort Of
balcony, aud one night, when he was
sitting there SO, that door opened, and
a man walked in. Burglar? No; it
was Markhouse, come there with his
wife to ask for one chance to redeem
his backsliding. He said afterward
they had meant to go boldly up to the
front door, because Miss Kate was
sure only one contrite word was
needed to go straight to the old gem
tleman's heart; but, as luck would
have it, he had seen the light in the
study and chose that way.
There was fine dramatic scene;
they say the noise of it could be heard
half over the house. Markhouse, he
pleaded hard and tried to explain
things, but the old gentleman was
hard as granite. At the finish 1'm
telling you Just what / had from
Narkhouse himself and from Silver
ley, Sir Gavin's man servant, who,
being privileged, was listening outside
the door the whole time) he dragged
open a drawer and threw packet on
the floor.
'gThere," he says, you've wasted
your time and eloquence. Your wife's
mother left her at death GOO aud
some jewelry. There it is and there
the way out, and l never wish to sec
either of you again.
Markhouse swears he never once
thought of touching the packet but
simply stood still for time, dazed by
the prospect aud the other mans bit
terness. Then he pulled the glass
door to and went down the balcony
steps and along the avenue to where
Kate was standing in tremble, star
ing at that light from the study. 1t
was queer she should say to him:
LEO, you never threatened himi |
heard your voices, butI was too fright
ened to move. Leo, don't harden
your heart so--wouldn't you be bitter
in his place?"
Perhaps" was all he said. sThe
air Of this place suffocates me.
Well, they had got to the end of
the avenue when there came after them
a hoarse scream, unnerving enough in
the circumstances. Just the one
word" Murder" and nothing more.
But the worst of it was that the sound
came from the house he had lust left,
OF course, he stood staring at the
girl incredulously, and the next thing
he knew was that she had broken
away from him and was fly ng back
up the avenue. He followed mechan-
ically, and instinct took him back 10
that study window. And, by Joyei
across the carpet in there, sure
enough, lay still figure; his wife
hung over it with clasped hands, and
the servants were buzzing aud whis-
pering behind. Murder? Well, the
old gentleman had been struck side
ways, it seemed, as he sat. There
was purple mark on his right temple.
and there was his own heavy ebony
ruler lying near by. And the man?
Well, Markhouse suddenly woke up to
the fact that they were pointing at
him and that the buzzing had stopped.
"There he ISL says some one.
Don't let him go'
''What?" He couldn't believe his
own eyes, of course. They were all
shrinking back from him-even his
own wife, he thought. sIs everyone
mad?" he asked. kate, what does
it mean?'
''Mean?" says Silverley, stepping
up, why, it means gnurder. MI.
Markhouse, and you mustn't leave
this house yet. Accuse you2-all Of
us. You came here for money, stealth
i'v; I was in the hall, and heard