Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-10-11

IT, Inc nan VINO mad stood there was
taller than he and close upon if not over
six feet in height So far, he thought,
SO good. The search was narrowing.
Surely to trace man Of six feet in
that little town would not be difficult.
He wondered how tall young Marsden
was; then, setting to work again, drop
ped on his knees and carefully examined
the fireplace
No papers had been burned Only the
dead ashes remained on the hearth and
something he had almost overlooked,
but now caught up with an excited ex-
clamation and carried to the window
a plug of half burned tobacco that had
been cut out of a pipe, because it had
been rammed in too tightly, and dis
carded, dug out with the blade of a
knife, it was obvious. for dainty
shred of meerschaum adhered to the
side.
Another step-another clewi The
murderer was not a tramp who had be-
guiled the old man to let him stay the
night. Tramps were not SO wasteful of
their tobacco and did not smoke meer-
schaums.
Six feet high-smoked a meerschaum
pipe Darrent felt he was moving.
A quarter of an hour afterward,
when Policeman Thompson returned to
The Grange, he found Herbert Darrent
sitting in the library writing at top
most speed in his notebook, with a
fragment of thread, plug of tobacco,
a scrap of ivory, carved ivory chess
man and few matches spread out on
a sheet of paper before him.
Have You discovered any thing, sir p"
he ventured to ask as Darrent continued
to fill sheet after sheet as if unaware of
his presence
Darrent quietly nodded his head and
closed the book.
"Listen to me-, he said, land tell
me If you know any one who answers
to this description: Appearance, very
tall-say good six feet-and broad in
proportion, bronzed and bearded, strong
as an OK; temper very passionate;
dress of homespun cloth; soft hat;
smokes q meerschaum pipe; lately re-
turned from somewhere abroad, prob
ably South Africa"
Thompson, with his eyes wide open,
gazed in establishment at the detective
and shifted uneasily from foot to foot.
"He wears heavy gold signet ring
on the little finger of the left hand and
has recently cut the forefnger of the
right. Do you know him2"
"No, indeed, sirl You've made a
mistake. He wouldn't do it. He could
not.
"Ahl Then my description fits some
onel"
"It is Astray Marsden to the life, sir,
but he didn't commit the murder"
'That is to be proved. He was at
this house on the night Of the murder.
You met him on that night"
81, sirs"
"Yes, you, Thompson. You've got to
do your duty, whether it is palatable
to you or not. Astray Marsden left the
town nearly two years ago, came back
here the night of the murder and left
next morning. If you did not meet him
that night, you would not know he an
swered to my description. A man does
not look the same and certainly does
| not dress the same after an absence
abroad of two years. Where did you
meet himf"
"Near the Palace hotel"
"What timer"
"A little after o'clock in the morn
ing"
"Was it snowing9"
| "No, sir; it had stopped.n
"What did he say7 Did he seem ex-
oited3"
che did seem rather ratified. He said
that he'd come back to try and be
friends with old Marsden, but no one
could be, and he was off again"
every well; then one thing is GER
tain, and that is that Astray Marsden
was in this room on the night Of the
murder. 1t will rest for him to clear
himself or for the law to bring the
charge home to him. Marsden himself
opened the door, and the two men en-
tered this room. Marsden sat in his
chair there, the chessboard was on that
small table beside him, and he was un-
doubtedly working out problem when
he was interrupted. It needs only a
| glance at the bookcase to show his hob
by. Old Mardsen sat there, the board
beside him. The young man stood here"
-Darrent took up his position by the
fender again-"his elbow upon the
mantelpiece-so. You can see where
the elbow rested. He must be tall
man who stands 80. Thompson. That
gave me an idea as to his height; this
thread of wool, the texture Of his
clothes. He smoked as he talked
smoked coarse cut ships tobacco, not
the sort that man Of his breeding
would smoke unless he had been down
in the world, knocking about from one
country to another, and therefore
J bronzed, and, as man does not take
particular care of his appearance at
such times and certainly does not give
ten minutes every day to shaving.
bearded. You see, Thompson, things
are very clear when we look carefully"
Eyes, SIR" the officer mechanically
replied, gazing at Darrent. bewildered.
"The young man stood here, and they
talked. Perhaps young Marsden wanted
money-they generally do-and the old
man refused, tainted him. You know
old men can taunt, Thompson. The
words got higher and higher, the young
mans temper hotter and hotter, and
then he launched into furious out
burst, emphasizing each point by bring
ing his fist down upon the oak mantel-
shelf. Three times he did that, Thomp-
son. You see three marks made by the
conclusion as his ring struck the wood.
The strength in that blow would kill o
man, so be careful if you ever have to
deal with young Marsden. The old man
was frightened and faint and over
turned the board with the pieces upon
it as he started to his feet, and Astray
gave him some brandy in that little
glass from the decanter on the side
board. AS he handed it to him he placed
his hand upon tho mantelshelf, this
time the right hand. You see by the
| imEression the forefinRer waa honnd mn