Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1900-01-19
stain showed.

stain showed
''Do you know the house at all %
asked Darrent his eye upon the floor.
"No. sir; never entered it till the
day after the murder. We searched the
rooms, but as you know, discovered
nothing''
"Ah! WAC went over the honse?''
''Chief Dobson.a'
"Ah. Veil go over together present.
". Thompson. Now. tell me, is the
room exactly as it was when the crime
was discovered, eh? Nothing has been
disturbed, nothing removed?'
EXACTLY the same. Nothing has BEEN
taken away except box of chessmen.
l suppose Mr.. Dobson has mentioned
that to you already, STRIP
"Ah, yes They were called for yes.
terday morning, understand, by a
man who said he was a detective from
Chicago"
Eyes; that's what he said, sir. 80
''Did you see him?''
''No, sir. Mr. Dobson saw him. +
was on my round'
81 suppose you have never seen the
particular set Of chessmen?'
''No, sir.
'*And have no idea what they were
like?''
"Well, sir, | heard Mr. Dobson say
that they were Indian work in ivory,
very finely carved with figures, ele-
plants. men on horseback, and the
like
All the time that Darrent had been
questioning Thompson his eye had
never ceased to wander over the room
from the window to the bookcases, from
the bookcases to the lofty chimney piece
and back to the window again. Those
round panes in the doors of the dark
| oak bookcases seemed to Darrent to
glare down at him like wide open eyes
| wide open, staring eyes that never
| closed night or day, eyes that had gazed
down on Josiah Marsden score upon
| score of times, eyes that had witnessed
the murder.
What was Josiah Marsden doing that
fatal night? Was he sitting, solitary
and alone, by the fire, the gray ashes of
which still filled the crate, reading one
or other Of those treasures Of literature
! that lined the shelves?
Darrent walked round the room and
infinitely examined the fastenings of
the bookcases. No; the dust proved that
they had not been opened for weeks.
Had Marsden been seated there at the
| table with the chessmen and board in
front Of him, working out some prob
lem. when the assassin had crept noise
lessly in, stolen behind him and stabbed
him to death?
Was tl,ere nothing in all that room
to afford one tiny, clew to the murderer 2
Had there been a struggle between
| the murderer and victim, and in it had
there possibly been a tiny thread of
material torn, or button wrenchcd off,
or an ornament broken, that could af-
ford something of clew?. With eyes
fixed on the floor, Darrent stood think.
ing, while Thompson waited respect
fully on one side. Darrent paced the
length of the room from tho window t.
the fireplace several times and pom
dered. At last he paused in one of his
Journeys and gazed out over the whiten-
ed country. From the house to tho riv-
er not footmark married the surface.
The snow that had drifted on to the
broad window sill was undisturbed.
There had been no escape that way.
He faced round and stood with his
back to the light. The wintry SUI. was
shining full into the library and throw
ing ribbon of color across the floor,
and in it's track upon the polished wood
something white glittered. It was only
tiny speck, but it caught Darrent's
eye. He stopped, picked it up and ex-.
amined it closely. It seemed to be a
broken piece Of ivory, a little mite 81
lacelike filigree He looked at it IN the.
full liQht 0f tho