Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-05-08
vi.
A Policy of silence.

A Policy OF silence.
Steel dropped into a chair and gazed
ut Inspector Marley with mild surprise.
AT the same time. he was not in the
least alarmed. Not that he failed 70
recognize the gravity OF the situation,
only IL appealed. in the first instance, to
h professional side of his character.
'walen is quite sure9" he asked. mo
possible doubt about it?"
mot in the least. You see. ne recog-
nized his private mark at once, and
Brighton is not so prosperous a place
hat a man could sell a 2T0 cigar case
and forget all about it--that is. a second
case. I mean. It's most extraordinary"
"Rather! What a magnificent story,
Marley"
Very" responded Marley, drily. 1T
would take all your well known ingenu-
ity TO get your hero out OF this trouble"
Steel nodded. gravely. This personal
twist brought him TO the earth again.
He could clearly see the trap into which
he had placed himself. There before
him lay the cigsr case which he had
positively identified as his own: inside
his initials bore testimony to the fact.
And vet the same case had been identi-
fed beyond question as one sold by a
highly respectable local tradesman TO
the mysterious Individual now lying in
the Sussex county hospital.
May I smoke a cigarette?" David
asked.
You may smoke a score, IL they will
be OF any assistance TO you. SIR Mar
~. mm-FaN1 s4V l~rs6 $500 A. n Z. x,rn,
any questions. and I don't a you
well, TO commit yourself. But. really.
sir, o must admit
The inspector paused. significantly.
David nodded again.
pray proceed he said: speak from
the brief you ha re before you"
well, you see, It's this way Marley
said. not without hesitation. You call
us up 10 -four house. saying that a muir
der has been committed there; we find
n almost IT his lest gasp. in
your conservatory. with every sign OF a
struggle having taken rlece- You tell
us that the injured man is a stranger to
you: you go on TO say Eat he must
have found his way into your mousse
during a Eocturr al ramsle OF yours
Wen. that Sounds like common sense,
ON the lace Oh H. he EFAAfkIAA HAS
studied your habits. and has taken ad-
vantage OF 3her1. Then I ask III you are
In the habit of taking these midnight
strolls. and. with some signs OF hesita-
tion. you say that you have never done
such a thing before. Charles Dickens
was very fond of that kind OF thing. and
7 naturally imagined that Won had the
same fancy. But you had never done
a. n-yx. %s~rn a ~ N
g. nearly murdered I'm you house"
Perfectly correct" David murmured.
"GaborSau could not nave put IL better.
You might have been a pupil OF my re-
narkable acQuaints nee. Hatharly Bell
81 am a pupil OF Mr.. Bells" Marley
said. quietly. Sewn years ago he IN
dueed me to leave h Huddersfield po-
lice 20 20 into his office, where 7 stayed
until Mr.. Bell rave up the business,
when I applied for and gained my pres
ent position. Curious you should men
tion Mr.. Bells name seeing that he was
here so recently as this afternoon
"Staying In Brighton - Steel asked,
eagerly. What Is his address,"
mo. 21e Brunswick Square"
Ii took all the nerve tina David pos
sessed to crush the cry that rose TO his
&kNEsa ~ WAG AAAVA NAt9 ~ NAA1
the man he most desired TO see at this
juncture should be staying in the very
house where the novelist had his great
adventure. And in the mere fact might
be the key 20 the problem Of the cigar
case.
IN certainly see Bell he muttered
co on, Marley"
yes. sir. We now proceed 10 the cl.
a ease that lice hafora WON To was
also lying on the floor OF the conserv.
atory on the night in question. 7 sug.
gested that here we might have found q
clue. taking the ~precaution. al the same
time to ask IL the article in question
was your property. You looked at the
case as one does who examines an OBJ
1ect for the first time. and proceeded Il
declare that Il was not yours. I an
stantiy corrected yourself But, / ask
is II q usual thing for a man to forget
the ownership OF a s10 cigar case?"
"A nice point. IN I congratulate you
upon f." David said.
.-Then we will take the matter a little
farther. A day or two ago you were In
dire need of something like aI.ooo
Temporarily. az any rate. you were
practically at the end OF your
If the money were not forthcoming. In
q few hours you we've a ruined man. In
vulgar 2~ariance, you would have beer
sold up. Mossa a Mack had you In
their grip. and they were determined To
make ali they could out OF you. The
morning Following she outrage M your
house you call upon Mr.. Mossa and pro-