Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1900-05-05

had any feelings tender or otherwise
for this young fellow in her house.
hold. There was nothing in it. Mrs.
Marchmont had always been civil to
the young man, but indifferent; and
indifference, Colonel, knocks out any
idea OF either love or hate. mot only
exhausted this entire field with my
questions, but also subsequently with
my outside Investigations, until / was
satisfied that the lady WAS wholly un.
knowing of the fate OF her diamonds
and sincere in her belief in the secre-
tary's guilt; and in these conclusions
l was right.
"What, then, remained? Why, the
old man next. Colonel, you must have
known him, at least by hes.rsay.
Marohmont, the mnltimillionaire, to
whom the loss of fifty thousand ought
to be o mere fea- bite, but who would
feel worse about it than if he was stuck
fast to O bee hive; old Marohmont, the
meanest but the squarest man on the
street, whose word is as good as his
bond and much better, for that mat.
ter, because he never went Oh one in
his life; old Marchmont, the shrewd-
est, cunningest file in the hull hard
ware shop, who never speculates, but
who, having made his pile, knows how
to keep it. Why, the idea that he
had worked any hypothecating game
with them diamonds was ridiculous
Again, I landed plumb against stun
wall aud again 1 was right in getting
there.
"What else was there? Why,
finally, the servants. Lord, Colonel,
there wasn't too much Miss Leighton
could say good Of them. A lot of old
TRUSTEES, that you read about and
seldom see, devoted to their masters
interests, and each one with saw
ings.bank account! When I found
this out I didn't 60 any further, for
the crooked, Colonel, don't cotton to
a savings bank for a cent. They're
looking for large profits in order to
make quick returns of what they took
leastwise that's what they always say,
though in my experience restitution
is generally put off till the last mo-
ment. 1t was with heavy heart that
1 bid Miss Leighton good-by for day
or two, though I put on bash front;
for liked her style and her pluck,
and most OF all / liked her loyalty, as
men like things they may have
dreamed about when they were boys,
but have never seen before.
"As passed through the corridor,
the manager called me into his Office.
well, what did you make out of it?'
said he. Nothing said I. 'Of
course not said he; 4 looked into it
myself, out OF pity, you know, and
then I called you in, because she was
so obstinate that she said she would
go with it to 80 and so'-naming rivals
of ours-'which l didn't want. Just
sleep over it for q while. Cronkite,
you're good at that; and before you
know it she'll meet some one else she
likes, and then good.by to Proctor
and his case.'
II didn't answer, Colonel, being
hotter than before under the collar,
but slouched away in manner which
no doubt strengthened Mr.. Redclitfe's
contempt for nue.. Perhaps there is
where he made q mistake, too; for
when a mans pride is hurt and his
better feelings aroused, then's when
his thinking machine is going to do
double.quick work. The more con
sidered such treatment OF client, an
old employee, and house that had
been an honorable exception in pro.
flesh with full supply of crooked
ness, the hotter I got; and it was my
mad, Colonel, not my deliberate judg.
ment, that turned my thoughts in a
new direction, q direction which led
to the truth.
"The next evening. Colonel, Ispent
going over the record with young
Proctor's lawyer. There wasn't much
to it; the prosecution had made out a
prima facie case, by virtue of the sus-
picious circumstances I mentioned,
and all there was to Offset it was the
defendants bare denial, bold and can.
did. Old Marchmont volunteered the
statement that the safe was peculiar
English invention, designed ex-
clusively for the protection of valua'
bles within small space. Then,
later on, when asked By the defend.
ants attorney, more to use up time
than for any other purpose. whether
the lock ever got out of order, he an
swered that it had worked all right
before the burglary, but that the very
next day after, he had to send for q
man to come aud repair it, the tum.
blers being displaced by the violence
with which he had slammed the door,
in his rage over the discovery of his
loss.
"All night long, Colonel, my mind
was filed with wild ideas about that
safe, and the next morning the first
thing did was to walk by the SNOWY
offices that the English inventor had
taken in q fashionable part of the
town. They were closed; aud in
quiry at the agents showed that the
man had departed hurriedly and TO,
parts unknown. I didn't hesitate 6
moment, but went right up to old
Marchmont's house, and was lucky
enough to find him at home. At frs
he stormed, but on my appealing tc
his might and the weakness OF my
client, he consented to let me see the
famous safe. I swear, Colonel, If
had gone into ths library alone.
shouldn't have been able to find the
thing. In appearance it wasn't q safe
at all, but merely handsome cabinet
The little door to the compartment
seemed but part of the woodwork
and the combination knob but {
carved boss. Nothing, Of course, wal
within the tiny space but its proper
share Of emptiness. I raped along
the sides, the top, the bottom; aud
there raped and raped again.
"'Was the workman alone when hi
repaired the lock the next day?'
asked.
NsT c~o~o.n m oNonno6 mi