Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-01-29
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A Unique Agent of Crime.

the result OI fOul play. lie !ldd eA-
amincd every inch OF the room in
which the dead man had slept his last
sleep, and found no evidence that it
had been entered in the night. Doors
were securely fastened on the inside.
Noticing few crumbs on the pillow.
he had rolled them in his fingers me
chanically. and found them to be
crumbs of rich cheese which his
uncle was accustomed to eat with his
dessert. He attached no importance to
the discovery at first, but, thinking
it over, an inspiration came to him.
He called in the Mexican woman.
Malta, did my uncle partake of
any supper or lunch after felt him
that night The thought that an
accute indigestion had killed him oc
CURED to the young man.
mo, eXcellenzia." She emphasized
her words with the sign of the cross.
.Then what We're crumbs Of cheese
doing scattered on his bead and pill
low
"Chee? Chee? Me not know, senior.
Me see not chee that day-it plenty
make in house.
Her English, good enough at ordi-
nary times, gave out entirely with the
stress of the tragedy, and there really
seemed no connection between few
crumbs of cheese unaccounted for and
the death of the master of the house.
Jack Lugren laid aside the puzzle as
insolvabe and gave his attention to
more important details.
One of these was having photo
graph taken of his uncle for reasons
of his own When the funeral was
over and his friend, Ross Morton, a |
young Engishman. a subaltern in the
royal navy, was staying with him
prior to the trip the two were about
to make to Japan, Jack made crit
ical examination of the picture with
magnifying lens. What he saw COM
PEELED him to drop it in alarm and
call to his friend.
"Iioss. for Gods sake come here
Tell me what you see.
Morton took the lens and examined
the photograph with the same care /
Jack had used. The devil he eX-
claimed. Look at the eyes. Some
thing not human is reproduced there. I
Do you see that frightful face? If
your uncle saw that, the shock must
have Killed him
Il do not believe in the supernatur- |
al, and if this is not trick of the cam
era, | shall find out what it is. Ross I
| sleep in that room tonight
let me occupy the lounge-you
may need assistance.
NO will keep the watch alone.
| can rot cope with supernatural
powers, but If anything in this world
attacks me | will down it. And
shall take all due precautions against
secret assasins. This night can
hardly wait
Old Malta was ordered to prepare
the room for its new occupant. Load
ing his revolver with unusual care,
Jack bade his friend good night and
RETIRED locking the only door belong
ing to the chamber and making a
careful survey of every nook and cor
ner. The bed had been draped in the
whitest of clean linen, and Jack rub
bed his hand over the smooth sur
face in appreciation Of the rest it
promised. Something stuck to his fin
gers. A subtle odor greeted his SEN
sitive nostrils. He touched his tongue
to the substance on his fingers. 1t
was cheese.
His first thought was to call Malta.
She did not answer, and he sought
her in the kitchen of the house. She
was startled by his abrupt entrance,
and showed fear, although a man was
with her. Jack had not seen him be-
fore, and his heart pronounced him a
picturesque vagabond. He asked Ma
lita who he was She answered sui
j lcnly:
Mine son. eXcellenZia.'
Jack was surprised. I never knew