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

duce notes sufficient TO discharge your
~debt-Bank OF England notes, the num-
bers of which. / need hardly say. are in
my possession. The money Is produced
from the case yonder, which case we
know was sold TO the injured man by
Mr.. wallen.'
Marley made a long and significant
pause. Steel nodded.
There seems to be no way out Of it"
he said.
II can see one" Marley suggested
"Of course. IL would simplify matters
enormously If you merely told me, In
confidence. whence came those notes.
You see, as / have the numbers. I could
verify your statement beyond question.
and
Marley paused again and shrugged
his shoulders. Despite his cold, official
manner, he was obviously prompted by
a desire to serve his companion. And
yet. simple as the suggestion seemed, II
was the very last thing with which
Steel could comply.
The novelist turned the matter over
rapidly in his mind. His quick percep-
tons flashed along the whole logical
line instantaneously. He was like a
man who suddenly sees a midnight
landscape by the glare OF a dazzling
fash OF light.
II am sorry he said, slowly, Every
sorry to disappoint you. Were our stu
atoms reversed, / should take up your
position exactly. But Is so happens
that I cannot, dare not, tell you where
/ got those notes from. So far as I am
concerned they came honestly into my
hands in payment for special services
rendered. 1t was part of my contract
that I should reveal the secret to no.
body. II I told you the storr, you
would decline to believe IL; you would
say that II was a brilliant effort of a
novelist's imagination TO get U OF a
dangerous position"
II don't know that I should" Marley
replied. II have long since ceased to
wonder at anything that happens in or
is connected with Brighton"
"AIl the same, I can't tell you. a
ley" Steel said, as he rose. MY lips
are absolutely sealed. The point Is:
what are you going to do?"
For the present. nothing" Marley
replied. $50 long as the man In the
hospital remains unconscious, I al do
no more than pursue what Beaconsfield
called "a policy of mastery inactivity
7 have told you a rood deal o than I
had any right to do. but I did so in the
hope that you touIe assist me-. Perhaps
in a day or two you viii think better OF
II. Meanwhile"
Meanwhile I am In q tight place.
Tes. I see that perfectly well. 1t IS
just possible that 7 may scheme some
way out Of the difficulty. and. II so. /
shall be only to, pleased TO let o
know. Goodnight. Marley. and many
thanks to YOU"
But with all his ingenuity and fer
tility OF imagination David could see no
way ont Of the trouble. He sat up far
into the night scheming: there vas no
flavor in his tobacco: his pictures and
fowers. his. silver and china. Jared
upon him. He wished. with al his
heart. that he had let everything go. 1T
need only have been a temporary mat
ter, and there were other Cellini tank
ards and intaglios, and line engravings
i'm the world for the man with money in
his purse.
He could see no way out OF IT at all.
was II not possible that the whole
thing had been deliberately planned so
az 10 land him and his brains into the
hands OF some clever gang of swind-
ierss Had he Dee tricked and fooled
so that he might become the tool OF 9TH
ers? Ii seemed hard 70 think so. when
he recalled the sweet voice in the dark
ness and its passionate plea for help.
And yet the very cigar case that he had
been told was the one he admired at
Lockhart's had proved beyond question
to be one purchased from waien's,
III he decided TO violate his promise
end tell the whole story. nobody would
believe him. The thing was altogether
too wild and improbable for that. And
ys1. he reflected. things almost as Inn
possible happen In Brighton every day.
And what proof had he 10 offer9
Well. there was one thing certain. At
least three-quarters Of those bank notes
the portion he had collected at the
house with the crimson blind-could not
possibly be traced TO the injured man.
| And. again. IL was no fault OF Steers
! that Marley had obtained possession OF
the numbers OF the notes. II the de-
tective chose TO ferret put facts for him
self no blame could attach 10 Steel. III
these people had only chosen to leave
ont of the question that COMPOUNDED
cigar easel
Dayid's train OF thought was broken
as an idea came to him. II was not SC
long since he had a fac-simile cigar case
in his hand at Lockhart's. I'm North
street Somebody connected with the
mystery must have seen him admiripg
IL and reluctantly declining the pur-
chase. because the voice from the tele-
phone told him that the case was a
present and that II had come from the
famous North street establishment.
"By Jove," David cried. I'm go 70
| Lockharf's tomorrow and see IL the
case is still there. II so, I may be able
TO rae it."
Fairly early the next morning David
was In North street. For the time be-
ing he had put his work aside altogesh-
err. He could not have written a dozen
consecutive lines to save the situation.
The mere effort to preserve a cheerful
face before his mother was a torture.
And at any time ne might find himself
forced TO meet a criminal charge.
The gentlemaniy assistant at Lock-
harris remembered Steel and the cigar
| case perfectiy well. lint he was afraid