Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-11-23

want 8 std telllcht.
'.Boots!" he echoed in a tone OF lmpa-
tience "vould a murderer wear creak-
ing boots? 1t was the door. OF course. It
opens noislessly, but when closed quietly
it creaks Curious, however, that nc
should have risked the creakins and the
awakening OF the household in order 10
close it, He had soma strong motive
in doing So
He evidently had q motive in the
crime" l remarked. If we could only
discover it, we might perhaps fix upon
the ASA ssin."
Yes he exclaimed thoug7tfully. But
to tell you the truth, Ralph Cd chap
the fact which is puzzling me most Of
all at this moment is that extra ordinary
foreboding of evil which you confessed
to me day before yesterday. You hac
your suspicious aroused, somehow. Cud-
gel your brains, and think what induced
that very curious presage of evil
eve tried and tried over again. but
I can fix on nothing. Only yesterday
afternoon. when Sir Bernard incidentally
mentioned old Mr. Courtenay. 1t suddenly
occurred to ME that the curious excite.
ment within me had some connection
with him. or course. he was patient
and I may have studied his case and
given lot Of thought to it. but that
as that from which I've been suffering
You certainly did have the blues bad
" the night before last" .ie said frankly.
"And by some unaccountable manner
your curious feeling was an intuition Of
this tragic occurrence. Very odd and
mysterious, to say the least"
"Uncanny. call it, declared.
Yes agree with YOU" he answered.
TT is an uncanny affair altogether. Tell
me about the ladies' Where are they?"
1 explained how Mrs. Courtenay had
been absent. and how she had been pros
trated by the news of his death.
He stroked mis- mustache slowly, deep
ly rejecting.
"Then at present she doesn't know
that he's been murdered? She thinks
that he was taken ILL., and expired sud-
denly
Exactly
And I went on to describe the wild
scene which followed my admission that
her husband was dead. I explained 1t t.
him In detail for I saw that his thoughts
were following in the same channel as
my own. We both pitied the unfortunate
woman. My friend knew her well. for he
had often accompanied me there and
had spent the evening with US. Ethel
wynn liked him for his careless Bohe-
mianisn. and for the fund of stories al
ways at his command. Sometimes he
used to entertain US for hours together.
relating details Of mysteries upon which
he had at one time or another been en-
gagged. Women are always fond of. nvs-
teries, and he o--en held bon of them
brea thless by his vivid narratives.
Thorpe. the detective from Scotland
Yard. a big. sturdily-bu!t. middle-age6
man, whose hair was tinged with gray,
and whose round. rosy face made him APP
pear the picture Of good health. Joined us
a moment later. In low. mysterious
tone he explained to my friend the cir
cumstance Of Short having admitted pos
session of the knife hanging in the hall.
In it Amber Jevons at once scented a
clue.
claimed. turning to me. MY impression
and told old Courtenay everything tina,
went on either in drawing-roon or kitch-
en-
Thorpe continuing, explained how the
back door had been found urfastened
and how Short had admitted unfastenins
it in order to go for to seek the assas-
sin.
"a ridiculous story-utterly absurd"
declared Jevons. "a man doesn't rush
out to shed blood for blood like THAR"
"Of course not agreed the detective.
ITO my mind appearances are entire.-
against this fellow. Yet. we have one
fact to bear in mind-namely. that being
sent to town twice he was afforded every
opportunity to escape
He was artful.' remarked. He
knew that mis- safest plan was to remain
and face it. If, IS seems very probable,
the crime was planned. it was certainly
carried out at most propitious mo-
ment'
1T certainly was" observed my friend
carefully scrutinizing the knife. which
Thorpe had brought to him. This" he