Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1898-02-03


was the only one to accept, and be be-
came amused again when he tried to
get match from his pocket and was
prevented by the handouts.
"You may as well unohain me-, he
said. II promise not to break away. 1t
would be folly for me to try to down
the man at the door, you three and
your hosts Of hidden demons, who are
the genii Of the masters dark lantern.
II don't think shall run any risks"
said the detective, striking a match and
holding it to the end Of the young mans
cigar. ga bird in hand, you know,
is worth two OH the roof, as the Ger
mans put it,"
Ralph nodded.
1.-THE only thing that puzzles me-"
he said, lis my arrest. 1t is incongru-
GUS. I am the stone that spoils the
mosaic. I ought not to be in it, but it
seems that I am. Hendricks, have
had queer sort Of admiration for you
in the past, but have never thought
you could be stupid enough to arrest
the wrong man under any circum-
stances. If you don't unchain me before
1sxplain, you shall cease to be my ideal
detective"
II should dislike that" answered
Hendricks, "but presume my pride
must suffer-that is, if you are the
wrong man."
Ralph puffed two or three times to
keep his cigar alight Suddenly he bent
his puzzled gaze again on Hendricks.
Tell me exactly why you have ar
rested me-" he demanded. "You are
woefully off the track. Honestly, that's
q fact"
"Am II" Hendricks shrugged his
shoulders and glanced slyly at Lamp
kin, whose eye he caught II know
that on the night Of the murder you
came in at the side gate and crossed the
grass in bee line for the north walk.
found your tracks, the OILY footprints
not explained by others, near the body
Of your father. These tracks traced to
certain point on the walk, whero"-
"Where the maker Of them vanished
IN the air like the nightmare we saw
just now" put in Ralph, with smile
$50 it seemed at FIRST" agreed Hen
bricks, "but the other day Wilson, the
gardener, recalled the fact that in order
to surprise the young ladies, who had
expressed desire to have swing, You
had yourself late in the afternoon hung
one from a Dough of big oak. The
night your father was killed it was
hanging at the edge Of the walk, not
five feet from the spot where the foot
prints ended. What had become Of the
swing Wilson could not imagine, but
found it in the hollow Of the tree above
the lower boughs.
Hendricks paused, knocked the ashes
from his cigar and took two or three
draws at 1t, his eyes the while fixed on
the young mans face
Ralph smiled.
"Well." he said, Ego ahead"
1T suddenly occurred to you," con.
tinued Hendricks, that the sand was
taking the impression Of your feet, and
you sprang to the swing. You climbed
one Of the tow ropes to the boughs to
which 1t was fastened and then drew
the swing up after you. After this you
unfastened the rope and crammed 1t
into the hollow Of the tree"
''What did l do then?' asked Ralph
ooolly. II swear, you have as many
eyes as water beetle. wonder il even
you could tell what I next did,"
Lampkin, who had had considerable
experience with criminals, decided ad-
miringly that this was the coolest cul-
prit he had ever met. He glanced at
the adept and was astonished to see
broad grin on his face.
'You crawled out on long bough
till it bent down to the roof Of the
wood shed, " answered Hendricks. This
reached, you next went from it to the
roof Of the wellhouse, thence to the roof
of the veranda, thence into your room
through an open window"
Pretty good" said Ralph calmly
But has it occurred TO you, Hendricks,
that some one else might have done all
this2'
II went into your room and searched
it," went Gu the detective II found