Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1897-09-16


driving at, though think you suspec
but how could You? Why"
But that is not all" the defective
went on, smiling. You remember, per
haps, that asked if it had rained gu
there recently. Well, | was trying tt
account. since there has not been any
rain lately, for thai naturally dry spo
of clay being soft enough to have re
ceived such distinct footprints. Oh
close examination. ! detected the fain
semicircuar mark OF a vessel in thu
edge Of the grass, and, at exactly thu
right distance from it, spot where 4
little water had trickled down from the
spout on the clay
"Ah. the watering pot" cried Welsh
Wonderful. wonderful. Now know
what all that rlgmarole to the garden
er meant"
Yes, and | found little water in 1t
too, and learned that ii had last night
been left on the floor when Robert de.
cared that he usually hung il up, and on
the bottom Of it the stupid rainmaker
had left trace Of the very clay in
which we found the footprints. But |
am too fast; foryou lemember,as stood
at the big tracks. sighted along over
the fence at my umbrella on the lawn"
II remember" said Welsh with u
laugh. And own | thought you
we're making blooming ass Of your
self, and simply pretending to make
Investigations when you knew you
were wholly at sea. But what were you
doing It lor?"
When | got my bearings in that
way, ! calculated that the handle Of
my umbrella was just about where her
sleeve must have been when she was
bending over. As | sighted along at
1t, | saw that II a bullet were fired from
where stood and passed through her
sleeve 1t must--as 1t would naturally
go in a straight lne--strike certain
portion of the wall Of the conservatory
beyond her. found, on examining the
wall, that it had not"
so you knew no shot had been fired?'
calculated the captain.
mo. not that" returned Hendricks,
for there were the specks on the gown,
you know. was, you see, convinced
that the specks were made by revolver
at short range. and woman of nerve
made them. captain, for the ball passed
very near the arm"
~ begin TO see what you suspect"
said Welsh, but am so much aston
ished that am unable to grasp 1t all.
Surely she could not be-
wait till have finished" the detect
i've interrupted. Don't jump to con
illusions, ! don't think you were watch
ing my work in the mayors study, for
YOU seemed on pins and needles to get
away"
you don't mean that you did not
really want to write that notew
NO; for | wanted her to do it." said
the detective. with a smile, taking from
his pocket the threatening letter ad-
dressed to the mayor. and the note
Lillian Walters had written at his die
lation. lie opened them side by side
on table, and continued. "Notce
this, captain; in the letter to the mayor
The writer has misspelled the word re-
ceived 1t struck me, you see, that in
nine cases out of ten a person that mis-
spells u word once will do it again; SO
IN my make-belieye note | purposely
made use Of that word. You see the
occurs on both these Sheets
And YOU infer that"
THAT the two communications were
written by the same person.
"lut evidently not on the same ma
hine," said Welsh "'rhis is purple,
90 thc other black"
"rrue; but don't you remember
surprised them all by telling Round
tree he had discarded an old machine?'
"les. All, that's a fact"
well, while you and the others were
at the telephone. the mayor showed
me upstairs to look at the grounds
from the lumber-room. There | saw the
typewriter, examined the ribbon, and
found that it was purple and beaten in
holes, as the writing in the threaten
ing communication shows by the badly
printed letter through it,"
II understand SO far" said Welsh.
"But what kept you so long in the rose
bushes when you went after the UNI
brellae thought you would never
come"
Hendricks smiled II went to find
her revolver. ] knew II must be some
where near, for had seen freshly
broken lockwood twig near the tracks,
and knew that she would not have
wished to be seen with the revolver
after the report. found it carefully
hidden in a thick cluster of long grass
about two yards from her footmarks,
| would have brought it with me. but
she will 90 for it tonight, and il it were
not there she would suspect that |
know"
"You have taught me lesson"
Welsh. 81 should have brought
il away, and told the reporters about
IA CI.1 ,t.,. a,...t L.,