Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-02-24
ks, looking up at the cut-glass

3
globes.
"As I said, no one has been in the
rooms since Mr.. Caruthers went away"
Not even his valet?'' asked the de-
tective.
1T looks SO, or surely he would have
extinguished the gas. It seems to be
burning in the next room too"
This chamber was a large luxurious
bedroom, and as they entered it Lamp
lxin's Imagination prepared itself for
horrible spectacle. To bis great re-
lief, however, everything here was also
in perfect order. The white lace COW
erlet lay as smoothly as newly fallen
snow. and the sheets and pillows looked
as if they had never been used. The
clerk now with look of growing curl
osity, if not of incipient horror,
stopped down and looked under the
bed.
Nothing there" he said. Then his
attitude grew more serious, as he went
| to the large closets one by one and
opened the doors. "There is the bath
room yet" he remarked, with shud-
der, his mind perhaps busy with DIT
of French history or some recent Amer
| lean horror. Its getting mighty COM
mon nowadays to commit bloody
crimes in bathrooms. Do you suspect
foul play, sir?"
| "You are going entirely too fast"
said Hendricks, in a curt tone. 1Every
matter choose to investigate need not
necessarily be a bloody one" He
smiled and added to Lampkin: 'My
reputation among the people is as red
as cranberry sauce"
The clerk bore the reproof with be-
| coming humility. He made no reply
| and hung back till the detective had
opened the door leading to the bath
room. Here the gas was burning also,
| and the small chamber, with its pol
ished tiled floor and glistening porce-
| lain walls, revealed no hint of blood
| shed.
The face of the clerk fell; his appetite
| for sensation was not to be fed on this
! occasion.
What time did Mr.. Caruthers leave
the hotel the night he left ?" Hendricks
| asked him.
II really don't know, SIR said the
clerk. 81 am pretty sure he did not
mention it at the Office, and that is Gus
tomary among our guests. That is why
I thought there might have been some
underhand-"
leave your pass key with me- in
terrupted the detective, coldly. ''My
| friend and I want to have little pri-
vate talk. When you go down. don't
mention our being here"
The clerk reluctantly laid the key on
a table.
'Fll not give it away, SIR" He moved
slowly towards The door. eff you want
anything, ring. I'll be on the lookout,
and will run up myself"
Good" said Hendricks, you are very
kind
The detective followed him to the
| outer door and closed it after him.
Then he came back into the bedroom.
ST hope this is only hoax, after all, -
| observed the doctor. what are you
going to do next?'
Hendricks shrugged his broad shout
ders; it amounted to shudder.
"We are going to look through those
trrnks-for trunk and the rest
is it really so bad as that?''
"My blasted premonition-whichf fac
ulty in my makeup has always been a
mystery to me-has hold of me with
its four claws" said Hendricks. ST
can't explain it, doctor, but the min
ute I entered that door and saw the
gas burning so brightly 1 felt murder
in the air. Sometimes on a day like
this-at a crisis like this-I imagine
that the spirit of the murdered man lin
gers round the spot where he lost his
life to try to give mea clew."
Lampkin shuddered as the detective
laid hold of the nearest steamer-tr trunk
and began to unstrap it. It was empty
save for some clothing in the bottom
The next trunk was large square one,
and its lock for several minutes resisted
the efforts of the detective to unfasten
it. Finally, however, aided by key of
his own, and no little experience in
such matters, Hendricks released the
brass hasp and it fell down with a
sharp click.
This trunk, also, contained nothing
of suspicious nature, and the same re-
suits were produced by a careful ex-
animation of two other trunks stored
in the bathroom and dress-suit case
of heavy leather which w as found in one
of the closets.
"Ah, / certainly feel better" cried
LamplHin, q triumphant ring in his
voice.
II don't" calculated Hendricks, with
one of his massive frowns, which al
ways made his great brow resemble a
miniature jutting crag.
'And why?"
because my anonymous corresponds
ent says I shall find the remains of
| Weldon Caruthers in these apartments,
and believe on my soul he meant what
he said''
'But that man downstairs said Ca
| ruthers' valet has received COMMUNE
cation from his master in Philadel-
phia."