Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-09-04
By Fred M. Ohite
xL.
A Useful

than he cared TO ADMIT. ne ndu an
uneasy feeling that the unseen foe a
checkmated MIN again. And he a
built up so many hopes upon this
strangely unlimited guest OF his. III
that man spoke he could tell the truth.
And both Cross and Bell had declared
that he would not die.
David found Cross in a frame of
mind something like his own. 1t was
late in the afternoon before II trans
pired thai Van Sneck was gone. and,
unfortunately. David did not know
whhere to find Bell just at the moment.
Cross had very little TO say.
"A most unpleasa incident" he re-
marked. But these things will hap
pen, know. We have been so $
lately, and our vigilance has been
slightly relaxed. Oh, 1t is impossible
20 guard against everything, but he Is
certain to be found"
You don't think" David suggested.
''that anybody secretly connected with
the mans past"
mo, I don't!" Cross snapped; that
would be impossible. The man bad
something on his mind, and, so far as
bodily condition was concerned, he was
sgetting quite strong again. In his
dazed state he got UP n dressed HIM
self and went away. He seems to have
been seeking for somebody or some
thing for days. We are certain to have
kim again before long"
With this poor consolation David re-
turned home again. He was restless
and DESTROYS of human companionship.
He even :esented 1t, as a kind of af-
front, that his mother a chosen at
this time to go to Hassocks TO stay
with an old friend for a couple OF days.
That Mrs. Steel knew practically moth
Ding OF her sons trouble counted for
maught. Therefore 1t was with some-
thing akin to pleasure that David
found Ruth Gates waiting in the draw
ing room for him when he came in
from his walk on the following after
noon. Nothing had been heard of Van
&neck In the meantime. but, thank to
Chris telephone message late the pre-
vious night. he had got in touch with
BELL, who was coming south without
delay
There was a look OF shy pleasure In
Ruth's eyes and a deep carmine flush
on her cheeks.
You don't think that this is very
bold Of me?" she asked.
II am pretty Bohemian In any case"
David laughed, as he looked down,
Tondly, into the shy. sweet eyes. And
am too overjoyed to see you to think
6bou anything else. I wish my mother
was at home. No. I don't because /
have you all to myself"
David On an occasion like this you
ought to be the pink of propriety. Do
you know, I believe I have made a
great discovery"
Indeed, little .girli And what have
you found out?"
'WeIl, you must tell me something
Before my discovery seems valuable.
David, you are a close student of hui
man nature. Is It possible for men Of
phenomenal cunning to make careless
mistakes? Do the most clever crimi-
mails ever make childish ~blunders?'
my dear child, if they didn't the po-
aice would have very little chance.
uTor instance, / have discovered how
those enemies OF ours got hold OF the
note paper that iured Van Sneck here.
They sent a messenger to Carriers. in
EAST street. ~presumingly knowing that
my dies were there. and ordered a quar-
Ger OF a ream OF paper and envelopes.
These were sent to an address at East
Grinstead in a hurry. Now. that was
very clever an1 smart. but here comes
the folly. These people, in the stress of
business, actually forgot to ascertain
the cost and pay for the paper. so hat
At was down yesterday in my last quar-
ter's bin. oh, yes, I assure you, the
most brilliant criminals do the most
incredibly foolish things"
Ruth looked relieved. Her pretty
features relaxed into a smile.
Then / fancy Reginald Henson a
done so,'' she said. II fancy I have
solved the mystery of the cigar easel
mean, the mystery of the one / bought"
"And which was changed for the one
purchased at walen's, hence these
tears. But Lockhart's say that u case
was really purchased by an American"
Eyes, / know. And I fancy that the
honestly thought so. But I
think I can explain that"
II was David's turn to look up, ca
gerly.
500 you mean it," he exclaimed.
att will make a wonderful difference IL
you can. That has been one OF the
most bewilderinE knots OF the whole
puzzle. II we could only trace h num-
bers OF those notes, I suppose changed
Mt the same time as the cigar case"
Indeed, they were not" Ruth cried.
sT have asCertained that the case was
changed by Henson, as you and I have
already deci1ad. Henson made the ex-
change. not at the time we thought"
mot when you left the package on
che table for him to see?"
mo; at least I can't say. He had
the other case then, probably, passed
on to him by Van Sneck. Or perhaps
he merely ascertained what i had pur-
chased. That was sufficient for his pur-
pose. or course, he must have found
out all about our scheme. After l had
laid my cigar case on your doorstep q
man quietly changed IL for the one pur-
chased at walen's. But this is the al
ternate theory only. Anyway. I am
absolutely certain that o got exactly
the same notes that we had placed In
the original case"
"That might be" Steel said. thought
fully. but that does not explain the
49,. g.. y -Afrh.~k r~lA xn,a~ n 80 mn