Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-05-15

tne lot or ffatnerly Bell.
For there was strength I'm, that per-
fectly-moulded face. as well as beauty.
1t was the face OF a man possessed Of
marvellous intellectual powers, and
none the less attractive. because. while
the skin was as fair as a woman's, and
the eyes as clear as a child's. the wavy
hair was absolutely white. The face of
a man who had suffered fiercely and
long. A face hiding a great sorrow.
Time was when Bell had promised TO
stand in the front rank Of operative
physicians. In brain troubles and ment-
al disorders he had distinguished him
self. He had a marvellous faculty for
psychological research; indeed, he had
gone SO far as to declare that insanity
was merely a disease, and capable of
cure, the same as any other ordinary
malady. IF Bell goes on as he has
started" a great German specialist
once declared. The will inevitably prove
to be the greatest b~enefactor to man
kind since the beginning of the world"
Bell was to he the man OF his time.
And then, suddenly. he had faded
out. as a star drops fIom the zenith.
There had been lark rumors Of a ter
rible scandal, q prosecution burked by
strong personal influence, mysterious
paragraphs in the papers, and the dis
appearance OF thu name of Hatherlv
Bell from the ranks OF great medical
tCrists. Nobody seemed to know any
TIL ng about II, but Bell was ignored by
all except a few old frienos, and hence
forth he devoted his attention TO Grim
inology and the evolution of crime. Tt
was Bells boast that he could take a
dozen men at hap-hazard and give you
their vices and virtues point-blank. He
had a marvellous gift that way.
A few people stuck to him, Gilead
Gates among the number. The million
aire philanthropist had need of some
one to pick the sheep from the goats,
and Bell made no mistakes. David
Steel had been able to do the specialist
some slight service a year or two be-
fore. and Bell had been pleased to mag
Nifty this into a great favor.
You are a fast walker" David said.
presently.
That's because I'm thinking fast"
Bell replied. "St,:rl, you are in great
trouble?"
ut needs no brilliant effort on your
part to see that" said David. bitterly.
Besides, you heard a great deal just
now when you-you--"
Listened" said Bell, (coolly. "Of
course 1 had no intention of playing the
e~avesdropper; and / had no idea who
the Mr.. Steel was who wanted to see
Miss Gates. They come, day by day,
my dear fellow. CARRIED in the garb of
Pail Mall or Petticoat Lane, as the case
may be, but they all come for money.
Sometimes II is a shilling; sometimes
a100. But I dnid not gather from your
chat with Miss Gates what your trou-
BILE really was."
Perhaps not: but Miss Gates knew
perfectly we'll"
Bell patted his companion approving
ly.
'It is a pleasure to help a lucid-mind.
ed mar like yourself he said. You
go straight to the root of the sore, and
cut all the superfluous matter away I
was deeply interested in the conversation
which I overheard just now. You are
in great trouble. and that trouble Is
connected with 219 Brunswick Square,
house where you have never been be-
FORE
MY lear chap. I was in that dining
room two nights ago. Nothing viii on
vince me to the"
There you are wrong, because I am
going to convince you to the contrary.
You may smile n shake your head,
but before an hour has passed / am GO
ing to convince you, beyond all Ques-
tion, that you were never inside No.
219."
Brave words" David muttered.
"Still, an hour is not a long time to
wait"
mo. But you must enlighten me, II
I am to assist you. / am profoundly
interested. You come to the house of
my friend on a desperate errand. Miss
Gates is a perfect stranger to you. and
yet the mere discovery of he- identity
fills her with the most painful agita-
ton. Therefore. though you have new
err been in 21s before. you are pretty
certain and I am pretty certain, that
Ruth Gates knows a deal about the
thing that Is touching you. On the
contrary, I know nothing on that head.
Won't you let me into the secret?"
"Ill tell you part Steel replied.
And I'll put 1t pithily. For mere ar
gument we assume that / am selected
to assist a damsel in distress who lives
at No. 219 Brunswick Square. We will
assume that the conversation leading
up to the flattering selection took place
over a telephone. AS a matter OF fact,
it did take place over a telephone. The
thing was involved with so much secre-
cy that I naturally hesitated. I was
offered s1,000 for my services; also, I
was reminded by my unseen messen-
ger that I was In dire need of that mon
ey."
And were your"
MY lea fellow, I don't fancy that I
should have hesitatei at burglary TO
get II And all I had TO do was TO meet
a lady secretly. in the dead OF night at
No, 219. and tell her how 70 get out Of
a certain difficulty. II all resolved IT.
self around the synopsis OF a proposed
new story of mine. But I had better go
into details"
David proceeded TO do so. Bell. with
his arm crooked through that Of his
companion. followed the story with an
intelligent and fiattering interest.
Very strange and very fascinating"
he said. presently. "r1l think II out
presently. Nobody could possibly think