Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1900-02-16

Haven't you Gone enough for me al
ready? Haven't you put the rope round
my neck? What more can you do, eh 2"
''Perhaps I can help to take it off
again, if you are only reasonable and
will answer few plain questions
swell, go ahead. There's one conso-
lation-things can't. be worse even if
you do take down what I say and use
it in evidence against me. 1t won't
avail now" :. j. 80. =
''Why,'' calmly asked Darrent, .''did
you instigate Arthur Ridgeway to
steal that box of chessmen from The
Grange and send them to Miss Kings
ton % a.. -,~s*SS.:a5..
Astray gazed in establishment at Oar
rent. 1t was useless to attempt to deny
the fact since Darrent knew it. =.
because believed they were Of the
utmost value to me. =" '.f~.,
'Why2''' - ....>.~
t'Old Marsden had always led me to
believe they were. He had always told
me that there was some secret connect
ed with them that must one day know,
not in his lifetime, he said,' but when
he was gone. especially if he ever died
suddenly. When we were good friends
Snd used to play chess together in the
old days at TAe Grange, he would often
say as. we set out the men,, Don't for
get, Astray, if anything ever happens
to me you will find a secret hidden in
those pieces, in the ivory queen +:
The ivory queen2" !: H..
"The white ivory queen when
am gone, Astray, and I may go sudden
". One never >knows!'" s.,.s-'I -.
.'tHe said that?'',5 -.. 4, 49,
5@''Yes. Why should I lie now7 when
I am gone, you will find a secret in the
ivory queen that will explain all that I
dare not tell you now. That's what he
said many time. - = -s
''And SO, after the murder, you got
Arthur Ridgeway to impersonate de-
tective from Chicago and obtain those
chessmen for you and then send them
to Bideford, where you thought they
would be safef'' i =. !
eyes" :@%:. :&:
>'.And you do not yet know the se-
cret2' m - =.s@ ~
!: ''No. How could II You tracked me
down at ONCE, arrested me in Chicago,
and I've never been free an instant
since.', ~ *~#@s .5a MS
: ''Why did you never mention it at
your trial7'' ,,..,.,<. .# =.5% " .z
t'What good could it have done9 It
had nothing to do with the murder.
Leave me, leave me to myself I've
sworn to you that / am innocent.
What's the good2 You do not believe
it. I've told the parson here I'm inno-
cent. He does not believe it. All he
says is Repent, repent. lam sick Of
it all I'm condemned, and I've got to
suffer. For heavens sake, leave me in
peace until the end comesl'.'
And. despite all Darrent's efforts to
get him to talk, .Astray Marsden would
not open his lips again, would not utter
another word, but sat glum and tact
turn, staring into space with eyes that
saw nothing unless ii. was the chastity
outlines Of scafold with q dangling
rope. .s
3 1HQ1ng u useless TO finger, DaIrent
left the Jail and returned TO his own
room at the Palace hotel and, having
locked the door, took ont the two ivory
chessmen and carefully examined them.
The pawn was cut out OF one SOLID piece
Of ivory, with the exception Of the Hat
base. which, withSa dexterous twist of
his strong fingers, Dafrent unscrewed
There was no MYSTERY about that, and
he laid iton one side and picked up the
ivory queen. The little statue stood
about three and q half inches high, and
the base had d diameter of about an
inch and q half and formed i small cir
cular platform upon which the figure
stsod. tho flowing robe,re hing g the
edge all round. rs