Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1902-09-25

You did not e the c~igar-case
AGAIN."
mo. Van Sneck gave me a cigar,
which he took from q common sort of
case that they give away with seven
cigars for q shilling. I asked him IL
he had see Henson, and he said that
he had. He seemed pretty full up
against Henson, and said something
about the latter having played him a
scurvy trick, and he didn't like II, and
that he'd be even yet. / didn't take
any notice of that, because ii wasn't
any new thing for Henson to play 1t
low down on his pals"
did anything else happen at that
interview Chris asked, anxiously.
Think! The most trivial thing to
you would, perhaps, be of the greatest
importance to us"
Merritt knitted his brows, thought
fully.
I'VE had a rambling kind of talk"
he said. ut vas mostly Van Sneck
who talked. l left him at last be-
cause he got sulky yer my refusal to
take a letter for him TO Kemp Town"
Indeed! Do you recollect where
that letter was addressed to-"
Well, of cours I've forgotten the
address; but it was to some writing
ntan-Stone, or Flint or"
"Steel, perhaps?"
That's the name! David Steel, Esq.
Van Sneck wanted me to take that let
ter, saying as 1t would put a spoke in
Reginald Henson's wheel; but didn't
see it. A boy took the letter at last"
did you see an answer come baLk?"
Eyes, some hour or so later. Van
Sneck seemed to be greatly pleased
with it. He said he was going to make
an evening cell late that night that
would cook Henson's goose. And he
was what you call gassy about 1t: said
he had told Henson, plump and plain,
what he was going to do, and that he
was not afraid of Henson or any man
breathing"
Chris asked no further questions for
the moment. The track vas getting
clearer. She had, of course, heard by
this time, of the letter presumably
written by David Steel 70 the injured
man, Van Sneck, which had been dis
covered in his pocket by DR.. Cross.
The latter had been written, most as
suredly, in reply to the note Merritt
had Just alluded to, but certainly not
written by David Steel. Who, then,
seeing that it was Steel's private Mote
paper? The more Chris thought over
this, the more she was puzzled. Hen
son could have told her, Of course, but
nobody else.
Doubtless, Henson had started on
his present campaign with a dozen diff
ferent schemes. Probably one Of them
called for a supply of Steel's note pa
per. Somebody unknown had pro-
cured the paper, as David Steel had
testimony in the form of his last quar-
ter's account. The lad engaged by
Van Sneck to carry the letter from the
Continental to Is Downsend Terrace,
must have been intercepted by Hen
son, or somebody in Henson's pay, and
given the forged reply, a reply that act
ually brought Van Sneck to Steel's
house on the night Of the great adven-
ture. Henson had been warned by the
somewhat intoxicated Van Sneck what
he was going to do, and he had pre-
pared accordingly.
A sudden light came to Chris. Hen
SON had found out part Of their
scheme. He knew that David Steel
would be probably away from home on
the night in question. In that case,
having made certain of this, and hav-
ing gained a pretty good knowledge OF
Steel's household habits, what easier
than to enter Steel's house in his abb
sence, wait for Van Sneck, and murder
him then and there?
1t was not a pretty thought, and
Chris recoiled from 1t.
"How could Van Sneck have got into
Steel's house?" she asked. For l
know, for a fact, that Mr.. Steel was
not at home. and that he closed the
door carefully behind him when he
left the house that night"
Merritt grinned at the simplicity of
the question. 1t was not worthy of
the brilliant lady who had so far got
the better of him.
"Latch-keys are very much alike"
he said. Give me three latch-keys,
and l will open ninety doors out Of a
hundred. Give me six latch-keys, Of
various patterns, and I will guarantee
to open the other ten"
81 had not thought OF that" Chris
admitted. did Van Sneck happen.
by any chance, to tell you what he and
Henson had been quarreling about?"
HE was too excited to tell anything
properly. He was jabbering some
thing about a ring all the time"
what sort of a ring?"
THAT / can't tell you, miss. fancy
1t was a ring that Van Sneck had
made"
"Made, Is Van sneck a working
jeweler, or anything of that kind?"
Hes one of the cleyerest fellows
with his fingers that you ever saw.
Give him a bit OF old gold and a few
stones, and he'll make you a bracelet
that will pass for antique. Half the
so-cailed antiques picked up on the
Continent have been faxed by Van
Sneck. There was that ring, for In
stance, that Henson had, supposed to
be the property Of some swell he called
Prince Rupert. Why, Van Sneck cop
led It for him in a couple OF days, till
you couldn't tell t'other from which"
Chris choked the cry that rose to her
lips. She glanced at Littimer, who
had dropped his glass, and was re-
garding Merritt with a kind OF frozen,
pallid curiosity. Chris signalled Litti-
mer to speak. She had no wirds OF
her own for the present.