Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1902-07-10
71scriinson
BY Fred M. d)hde AI/H0


thing David smiled. He may have
stabbed me in the back. but he is quite
ignorant as to what advice l gave to
Enid Henson. which brings me back to
the cigar case. You saw me looking at
it in Lockhart's? Go on"
yes watched you with great deal
| of curiosity. Finally. you went off out
of the shop. saying that you could not
afford to buy the cigar case. and 1
thought no more Of the matter for a
| time. Then 1 found out all about your
private affairs. Oh, am ashamed al
most, to go on"
The dainty little face grew crimson;
the hand in David's trembled.
But we were desperate. And. after
all. we were doing no harm. 1t was just
| then that the idea of the cigar case
| came into my mind. We knew that II
we could only get you to take that mon
| ey it would only be as a loan. I sug-
gested the gift Of the case as memen-
| to of the occasion. I purchased that
case with my own money. and 1 placed
| it, with it's contents. on the doorstep OF
| your house."
did you watch it all the time?"
mo, I didn't. But I was satisfied
| that nobody passed. and I was suffi-
| GENTLY near to hear your door open at
the appointed hour. OF course, we had
| carefully rehearsed the telephone con-
versation, and knew exactly what to
! do"
David sat very thoughtfully for long
time.
1.-THE case must have been changed,
he said. at is very difficult to say
how, but there is no other logical solu-
ton of the matter. At about half-past
twelve on that eventful night. you
placed on my doorstep a gun-metal CT
gar case, mounted in diamonds. that
you had purchased from Lockhart's?"
Yes: and the very one that you ad-
mired. OF that am certain"
Very we'll. I take that case with me
to 21s Brunswick Square, and I bring it
back again. Did take it with me or
not? Anyhow, it was found on the floor
beside the body. 1t never passed out Of
my possession, to my knowledge. Next
day leave it at the office of Messrs.
Mossa and Mack, and it gets in to the
hands of the police"
IF could only see my way to help
YOU"
"The change was made the day you
bought the case. By the way, what
time was it?"
II can't tell the exact time" Ruth re-
piled. SIT was on the morning of the
night of your adventure"
"And you kept it by you all the time"
| eyes 1t was in a little box sealed
with yellow wax and tied with a yellow
string. I went to 219 after I had made
the purchase. Ny uncle was there, and
he was using the back sitting room as
an office He had brought a lot of pa
pers with him to go through"
"Ah! Did you put your package
DOWN."
Just for moment on the table. But
surely my uncle would not
"One moment please. Was anybody
with your uncle at the time?
Ruth gave sudden cry.
'How sense1ess Of me to forget" she
cried 'My uncle was down merely for
the day, and, as he was very busy, he
sent for Reginald Henson to help him.
did not ina CINE that Mr.. Henson would
know anything. But even now cannot
see what"
"Again let me interrupt you. Did you
leave the room at all?'
Eyes. 1t is all coming back to me
now. My uncle's medicine was locked
I'D in my bag. He asked me to go for
it. and I went, leaving my purchase on
the table. It's all coming back to me
| now. When I returned Mr.,
Henson was quite alone, as somebody
had called to see my uncle. Mr.. Hen
i In ha or
soon, and as entered he crushed some
thing up into his hand and dropped 1T
into the waste paper basket. But my
parcel was quite intact"
yellow wax, yellow string and all?"
eyes, so far as I remember. 1t was
Mr.. Henson who reminded my uncle
! about his medicine"
"And when you were away the change
should be so friendly with both Henson
ard Bell Have they ever met under
your roof"
mo" replied Ruth. Henson has al
ways alluded to Bell as lost man. He
processes to be deeply sorry for him.
but he has declined to meet him. Where
are you going?"
II am going with you to see il we can
|
at No. 219. Bell tells me that your SER
wants have instructions to touch no pa
rers, and know that the back room Of
your house is used as kind of Office. I
want, If possible. to find the paper that
Henson tried to hide on the day you
bought the cigar CASE
The basket proved to be large one.
and was partially filled with letters that
had never been opened-begging letters,
Ruth said. For half an hour David was
engaged in smoothing out crumpled
sheets of paper. until at length his
search was rewarded. He held a pack
ct of note paper, the usual six sheets,
one inside the other, that generally go
to correspondence sheets Of good quail
ty 1t was crushed up, but Steel flat
tened it out and held it up for Ruth's
inspection.
"Now, here is a find" he cried. Look
at the address in green on the top: 10.
Downend Terrace Five sheets Of my
own best note paper. printed especially
for myself, in this basket! Originally