Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1899-11-22
CHAPTER X.

buoyed up with hope. Together they
had gone page by page through old
Marsden 8 diary and together had como
to the conclusion that here at last was
something like the truth.
Astray was exultant in what he called
the full establishment of his innocence,
but Darrent's enthusiasm was little
less pronounced. He recognized that,
while there was undoubtedly much in
the diary that was true. there was also
much that revealed nothing but the
wanderings of an enfeebled intellect and
that in any endeavor to get the sentence
passed upon Astray Marsden revoked
there would be the greatest difficulty to
persuade the governor where the truth
ended and imagination commenced. II
Josiah Marsden dreamed that he had
killed his enemy. the man who logged
his footsteps through Europe and had
chronicled as fact in his diary that he
had done so, when it could be conclu-
sively proved that at the date set down
he had not been away from Norcombe,
Ills, it was equally possible that the
final entry, the one that said that
Astray had been and gone. might also
be regarded as the outcome of dream,
and Darrent was bound to own this
possibility to himself, although he now
thoroughly believed in the innocence OF
the man-that Astray might have re-.
turned.
He felt that Astray was innocent,
and yet if Astray had not committed
the murder. who had? Was it stran.
ger, perhaps tramp. after all3
1t would be hard, very hard, to make
the cool headed governor believe that
man who had been stabbed had in the
throes of death written, 81 am dying,
murdered by a stranger. :"
Why should he2 That was the ques-
ton that perplexed Darrent. Why? To
exonerate his son, with whom he had
quarreled that night, in case he should
be accused. Hum! 1t was possible when
one looked at it in that light
Perhaps that construction placed on
the paper, together with the diary,
might have some effect upon the govern
or. Anyhow he could but try. His
efforts had condemned Astray Marsden,
and now his duty was to obtain the re-
lease of Astray. and then together they
would search until they brought the
real culprit to justice.
In the midst Of these reflections, du
bious and anxious as to what the ulti
mate result would be- Darrent was in.
terrupted as he sat by the fire in his
own room at the Palace hotel at Nor.
combe by rapping at the door,
"Come inI' he cried. and Policeman
Thompson entered.
"Well Thompson, he exclaimed
heartily, for he had taken fancy to
the young policeman, what can dc
for your
Thompson was evidently i'll at ease.
He shifted awkwardly from one foot to
the other and twirled his helmet nerv
ously between his fingers
"Sit down, Thompson. Make your.
self at home"
"Thank you. sir
''Now. then, come What is it9''
81 suppose you're going back to Chi
cago for good. sir, now3"
"Oh, l seel You desire promotion,
| oht w u1 uuo w say WOlu W your
mayor2 I'll be delighted. "
mo; it's not that It's about the
trial, sir. I"
"Ohl Well, what is it2"
"Do you feel"- And Thompson
hesitated again.
do feel what, manP Go on, go on. :"
"Well. do you feel you've got the
right mani"
"Astray Marsden is condemned. IL
that all you We got to say 2"
"No, sir. I'm not blaming you for
any mistake. because you've only put
this and that together, but there has
been mistake"
"Well, if that's the case, we'll get
him out just as easily as we put him
in. Now. then, my boy" Darrent con-
tinued. rising and clapping his visitor
on the shoulder, lyon didn't come to
see me just to tell me that. What more
do you known"
"Well sir, of course I'm not a de-
tective like you are, but I've read lot
of detective tales. Pm very partial tc
them, and-er"-
"Well9"
"I've always found in them that de
tectives took such lot of notice o.
footmarks, and-er-well, you didn't. >
"The footprints were obliterated
trampled ort by lot of jays who hat
nothing bel;er to do than stare through