Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-08-16
CHAPTER vi.
DETECTIVE IN THE CASE.

cess, Percy and felt so humbled that
we actually consulted with mother as
to whether the police should be invited
to take over the matter, or at least
asked to assist rs in our further in
quiriesL
Ny dear mother was, however, very
much adverse to such step. She had
always felt horror of the Russian de-
tective fcrce. that terrible third Sec
tion," the ununiformed, secret, mysteri-
ous, spying creatures who swarm, or
swarmed at that time, in the capital
CITY of the czar "For the love of heav-
en-" she entreated US with tears in her
eyes, ''let us keep our sorrow out OF
their knowledge. | would not have
those hateful people to know of our
grief or to handy about your dear IA
theirs name as stalking horse for their
arrestings and spyings We will leave
them out as long as we can.
Mother was convinced that Percy and
I had, as / have said struck the trail OF
the mystery at Erinofka. and this opin-
ion receiveda kind of terrible confrma-
ton few days later when, walking in
the Nefsky with Percy, l met Hubert,
the Englishman, who. with father and
another, rented the shooting Of that
splendid moor.
Hubert was decorously sympathetic
about our tamily trouble, for Of course
he knew of it, though we carefully pre-
served it from becoming matter OF
general knowledge and little tattle
Then he told me that he had just been
to Erinofka, and that an extraordinary
and horrible murder had been commit
ted in the village No stranger had been
eeen about the place, it was said, yet
one of the villagers had been stabbed
dead in his hut-heavep only knew why
or by whom. for he hadn't an enemy in
the world.
My heart almost stopped beating
wheh I heard this glanced at Percy
and caught his eye. His face had sud-
denly gone quite pale; go, he said after
ward, had mine.
"What is it3' said Hubert. "Are
you one who can't bear to hear of blood
shed3 I'm sorry told YOU"
~ don't like horrors, said, "but
do 90 on; what was the poor fellow
likeH Did you 90 and see himf'
II did, as it happens. A small fellow
with bald head, rather; little eyes and
longish beard.
1t was our mysterious informant to
the life
Then his tale had been true, and the
unfortunate fellow had actually met
his doom for breaking faith with his
terrible employers How did the rascals
know that he had broken faithf Was
it our fault3 God Forbid had tried
my best to shelter him. 1t was his own
fault. He ran the risk with his eyes
open. Probably the poor wretch did not
really believe the threats of those fear
full people whom he had driven to Ba-
lota.
And these were the very persons into
whose hands father must have fallen. If
it were indeed so. then God help himl
We decided to tell mother nothing Of
this last development. for it could only
frighten and shock her and would do no
good.
But we persuaded her to allow Us to
engage the services of private detect
i've, one who should be entirely uncon-
nected with the police. If we could find
a suitable person, we explained, he
could 20 to Erinofka and take up the
trail where we had lost it. We were
known there now and would be taken
in at every turn by those. or their
agents, whose interest it was to keep
the truth from US. A professional de-
tective would be far more likely to
manage successfully this delicate mat
ter of clew hunting than we should
Somewhat regretfully. my mother
agreed to allow us to employ such a
man, and by dint of many inquiries we
hit upon a young fellow. by name Bo-
rofsky, who suited Us very we'll
Borofsky was not very much older
than l. He may have been %. at most,
while my age was just 10 and Percy g
about the same; not very aged trio to
undertake and conduct so delicate an in
quiry as this of ours.
He dined with US on the evening of
his engagement. and we talked over the
entire subject Borofsky thought we'll
of the work we had done at Erinofka.
We had hit upon the right track, no
doubt. he said. But probably the ras.
Gals who had drugged and carried fa-
ther off had long since placed him in
safety, and even if we could follow the
trail as far as ST. Petersburg we should
lose it there
"But what do you suppose they
wanted with the count, Mr.. BorofskyT
asked Percy Money. by way Of ran
som, or whatF''
"Heaven knowsl' said Borofsky.
THAT is one of the things we must find
out
Then our friend startled us by saying
..By the way. the pristaf of the police
department of this district mentioned
your father to me today was at the
Office on another matter of business
which does not concern this affair
What do you think the pristaf said2'
81 am sorry you spoke to the police
about my father. replied somewhat
warmly ut is the very thing we are
trying to avoid. "
~ did not. believe me. 1t was the
pristaf who mentioned him. apropos of
nothing particular. and, mind you.
though l am no great lover Of the po-