The times., 1899-03-26

from Peter Cadogan that there nan Deen
''sthrokes'' the night before, when the boys
were going home from the regatta, and that
/ the police were searching for one Jimmy
| Foley.
What do they want him for?'' asked.
Sure, it's according man that was
/ bringing car Of bog-wood was tellin me,
! SIR answered Peter, pursuing his occupa-
/ tion OF washing the dogcart with unabated
industry; they say Jimmy's wife went
roaring TO the police, saying she could
| get no account of her husband"
Il suppose he's beaten some fellow and
is hiding" 1 suggested.
We'll, that might be, SIR assented
! Peter, respectfully. He piled his mop Wig
| orously in intricate places about the
springs, which would. l knew, have never
been explored save for my presence.
ITS what John Hennessy was saying,
that he was hard set TO get his horse past
Ciuin Cross, the way the blood was
sthrewn about the road" resumed Peter;
sure they were fighting like wasps in it
half the night
''Who were fghting?"
Il couldn't say, indeed sir. Some o.
thin low, rakish lads from the town, 1
suppose" replied Peter, with yirtuous re-
/ spectability.
/ When Peter Cadogan was quietly and
intelligently candid, TO pursue an inquiry
was seldom OF much avail.
1
| ray, the district inspector, very alert and
I smart in his rifle-green uniform, going
forth to collect evidence about the tight.
He told me that the police We're pretty
certain that one of the Sons of Liberty,
named Foley, had been murdered, but, as
usual, the difficulty was TO get anyone to
give information; all that was known was
that he was gone, and that his wife had
identified his cap, which had been found
| drenched with blood by the roadside. Muir
ray gave it as his opinion that the whole
! business had arisen out of the row over
the disputed race, and that there must
have been dozen people looking on when
the murder was done; but SO far no evil
dence was forthcoming, and after day
and a night of search the police had not
/ been able TO find the body.
NO" said FURRY Knox, who had joined
u.s. land If it was any of those mountainy
men did away with him you might scrape
Ireland with a small-tooth comb and you IL
not get him.
That evening / smoked an after-dinner
| cigarette out of doors in the mild starlight.
strolling about the rudimentary paths OF
what would, l hoped, some day be Phil
| ippas garden. The bats came stopping
at the red end of my cigarette and from
the covert behind the house ! heard once
or twice the delicate bark of fox. Civ
ilization seemed a thousand miles off. as
! far away as the falling star that had just
1 drawn line of pale fire halfway down
| the northern sky. | had been nearly year
at Sheerlane House by myself now. and
| the time seemed very long to me. 1t was
slow work putting by money. even under
the austerities of Mrs. Cadogans regime,
| and though l had warned Philippa l meant
10 marry her after Christmas. there were
moments and this was one of them, when
| it seemed an idle threat.
/ "Pether!'' the strident voice of Mrs. Cad
| ogan intruded upon my meditations. Go
/ tell the major his coffee is waitin' on himi"
! went gloomily into my hideous study,
I and, with resignation born of adversely,
swallowed the mixture of chicory and
liquorice which my housekeeper possessed
/ the secret of distilling from the best and
most expensive coffee. Ny theory about
/ 1t was that 1t added TO the illusion that
had dined, and moreover that it kept me
awake, and / generally had good deal of
writing 10 do after dinner.
II was eleven o'clock when I leaned back
in my chair. having finished the notes
had been making on an adjourned case of
| stroke hauling salmon in the Lonen Riv
er; and wearied with the events of the day
| / dozed of. Perhaps ii was the conjunction
in my brain of this fishing case and Foley s
strange disappearance, for in singularly
distinct vision i saw before me the banks
| OF the stream, and some men in the attire
of constables landing, not salmon, but the
body of the missing man, The scene came
before me with wonderful clearness, and
impressed me so nightly that fell asleep
still realizing it.
1 got up early next morning and drove to
Skebawn 10 see Murray. | had made up
my mind 10 tell him what had happened
to me- trusting that his Highland blood
would save him frim despising the super
natural because he did not understand it.
| Murray was. ] discovered, not in mood
| 10 despise the supernatural, or anything
else that had suggestion TO make, having
been out till nine o'clock on the previous
night on fruitless search for any clew
I 10 the mystery of Jimmy Foley's disap-
pearance.
We'll, It's worth trying. I suppose" he
admitted, "but l may tell you the rivers
good mile from the place where the fight
was"
/ had sessions to attend on the extreme
outskirts of my district, and could not
wait, as Murray suggested, 10 see the thing
out, but throughout the day the question
as to whether or not / had made fool
of both him and myself was uncomforta-
bly, present with me. ] did not get home
till the following day. and when ! arrived
found letter from Murray awaiting me.
Your dream was right We found Fo-
ley's body knocking about against the posts
of the weir. The head was wrapped in his
own green jersey. and had been smashed
in by a stone. We suspect a fellow named
Bat Callaghan, who has bolted, but think
! there were lot Of them in il. / wish you
would ring up that familiar of yours again
and get us another tip. The inquest will
be held tomorrow"
reread the letter slowly, and as / did
: so l knew how skeptically little / had eX-
pected the news it contained. All the
psychological ambitions that had been
2 dashed by the painful episode of Great
Uncle Mccarthy revived, and feeling that
5 nothing could surprise me now, / laid out
s sheets of paper, and invited further de-
yelopments. Surprise. however, awaited
: me. but in the form of total failure. James
Foley refused to be rung up; the impene-
trable door had closed again upon him and
D his secret.
I The coroners jury took cautious view
i Of the cause of the catastrophe, and
0 brought in a verdict of death by misad-
venture" and / presently found 1t to be
e my duty TO call magisterial enquiry to
/, further investigate the matter. A few days
5 before this was to take place, ! was en-
S gagged in the delicate task of displaying
] TO my landlord, Mr.. FURRY Knox, the de-
4 fects OF the pantry sink, when Mrs. Cado-
, gan advanced upon US with the informa-
tion that the Widow Callaghan from Cluiu
e would be thankful to speak to me and had
y brought me a present of a fine young
e goose."
rs she come over here looking for Bat ??
e said FURRY, Withdrawing his arm and the
: longest kitchen-ladle from the pipe that hs
d had been probing. she knows you're
6 handy at hiding Mar