Gulf Coast breeze. [volume] (Crawfordville, Fla.) 1897-19??, 1897-11-19

tective, throwing down his newspaper.
II that man had had a smattering of
science at his fingers ends he could
have done the trick. Yes, you can all
see it now. All, / ought to know. IL
was n bit Of science that once helped
me to net $500, get ut the root of as
queer a mystery as ever 1 tackled and
possibly to save n 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 l know exactly what took place.
My world
1t was Sir Gavin Grey's case, if you
remember-Grey, the great London
banker. He had a fine old place down
mt Wimbledon that his niece, Kate
as sweet and lovable 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, ii so happened that the lucky
fellow who crept into her heart was
only cashier at her uncle's bank
Leo Warehouse by name. The old
gentleman was staggered at first, but
at the finish he gave way on the condi-
ton that they waited till the young
fellow proved himself fit for partner
ship and for such wife, aud things
went smoothly enough for time.
Then came a deadly crash.
Would You believe it, this Mark
house was fool enough to 90 and make
use of a check that ought To have gone
into the bank, aud somehow or other
il was found out before no could pay
il back. 1t wasn't in Sir Gavin to
give any man n second chance, / 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, n week later, when the
old gentleman got back TO his VIM
bledon house the first thing he heard
was that Warehouse had been there
and that Miss Kate had gone of with
him--gone for good. Pretty romance,
ell ?
Now for tho mystery. 1t seems
that for some days Sir Gavin was abb
solutely crushed and never left. Me
houss. IA used W 60 ,trdto the gus
room to make sure she was gone, and
then he would go and sit in his study
for hours Mt stretch, hardly moving
all the time, they said. Well. there
was glass door opening on n sort of
balcony, and one night when he was
sitting there so, that door opened, and
man walked in. Burglar? No; it
was Warehouse, 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 contrito word was
needed to go straight to the old gem
tleman's heart; but, IA 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. Warehouse, he
pleaded hard and tried to explain
things, but the old gentleman was
hard as granite. At the finish I'm
telling you Just what | had from
Warehouse himself and from Silver
ley, Sir Gavin's man servant, who,
being privileged, was listening outside
the door the whole time) he dragged
open n drawer and threw packet on
the floor.
''There," he says, you've wasted
your time aud eloquence. Your wife's
mother left her at death 1000 and
some iewelry. There it is and there
the way out, and / never wish TO see
either of YOU again"
Warehouse swears he never once
thought of touching the packet, but
simply stood still for time, da2ed by
the prospect aud the other mans bit
terness. Thea he pulled the glass
door to and went down the balcony
steps and along the avenue to where
Kate was standing in n tremble, star
ing at that light from the study. II
was queer she should say to him:
"Leo, you never threatened himl
heard your voices, but kwas too fright
ened to move. Leo, don't harden
your heart so-wouldn't you he bitter
in his placer"
perhaps" was all he said. 'The
air of this place suilocates me-" &.
Well, they had got to the end of
the avenue when there came after them
q hoarse scream, unnerving enough in
tho circumstances. Just the one
word-"Murder," and nothing more.
But the wor of it was that the sound
came from the house he had just left.
OF course, he stood staring at the
girl incredulously, aud the next thing
he knew was that she had broken
awey from him and was hy .ng back