Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-01-03
CHAPTER III.

-.
DR.. Lamrkin and Hendricks turn
ed round the house, taking the walk to
the left. As they were passing the
drawing room windows Hendricks
glanced in.
s. see another young lady and two
young men N there" he said; "mem-
bers of the house party, no doubt. -
''Shall you search the house?'' asked
Lampkin.
''I'd begin there first if it were not
for disappointing the police. They think
you don't know your business if you
don't address your first inquiries to the
corpse.
81 think ! should begin at the house.
too," said Lampkin.
''Why, old man?'
ST don't like the looks of that fellow
Montcastle.
Hendricks said nothing.
sit looks to me as if there were some
sort of secret understanding between
him and this Miss Benton, " the doctor
went on, watching Hendricks mex
pressive face.
The detective stopped suddenly,
turned and surveyed the building from
the side, his sharp gray eyes fixed now
on the windows, again on the doors.
"Oh. beg pardonp' he said. ''You were
saying that Montcastle-yes, he started
out to catch the 1870 train for New
York, but for some reason or other de-
cided not to leave. :"
care you sure of that?" asked Lamp
kin excitedly.
LAS sure as can be of any of my de-
ductions,' replied the detective, allow
ing his glance to rove down into the
garden, where, at the end of the north
walk, he could see a policeman on
guard.
Chow can you be SO devilish accu-
rate?" asked the doctor.
Hendricks smiled. He drew the note
book from his pocket, opened it and
took out the newspaper clipping.
"It's time table, he said. ''You
see, a pencil mark has been drawn here
at the 1:3O train. That shows why the
clipping was preserved. I know it came
from an afternoon paper because the
schedule was changed yesterday. From
the ragged edge of the paper, I can see
that it was half cut, half torn, from a
newspaper by an excited person in a
deuce of hurry. From the way it had
q been crammed into the book all in a
n wad and from the fact that the light of
NJ the electric lamp at the corner would
reach to the spot where we found the
book I Judge it was consulted again
after the cab started and that it slip
ped from the hands of the owner
'sUnnoticed by him?" asked Lamp
kim
IL n OO
great hurry to stop to regain it. You
know Montcastle said, as if it were on
the tip of his tongue, that it contained
nothing of Importance. That looks as II
he had since he lost it calculated on
\ the consequences of its being found. -
But why didn't he pick it up later?''
''Might have been afraid the place
was watched p
door leading to the back veranda
was opened.
"Sh!'' said Hendricks, covertly slid
ing the book into the pocket of his coat.
Ralph Benton came down the steps
and slowly approached them.
"Mr. Minard Hendricks. believe.
he began. 81 am Ralph Benton. My
sister told me you had come. If there
is ANYTHING, Mr. Hendricks, that / can
do to help you, I shall be only too will
ing I want this thing run to the
ground. Robbery was evidently not the
motive, and if my father had an
enemy
elias an examination been made to
show that your father was not robbed?''
Dr. Lampkin saw the young man
start. For fully 30 seconds he stared at