The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1903-02-05
You have good fishing down here,

| Yes. l wanted 10 get u Jay resi-
from the store; SO came down here"
Better hire my boat. then. let II
as cheap as anybody"
"I1l take It tomorrow, then-and
hooks and lines?"
PLENTY. And cod lines, too. Eff We
go out far enough, ye can ketch cod, we
know, and SIGH"
! Loud saw that the man was laxative.
He drew out cigar case and said:
Here's a cigar that I'll wager Is bet
ter than your pipe. VIII you try IT,
When the man had lit 1t, he said,
eager to tell something new:
"P'r'aps you amt heard about that
Caryl murder?"
Loud pricked up his ears.
"CaryI! Yes, did see II in the pa
pers. Have they found out anything
about it YETI"
Don't know. Caryl was mighty
pleasant feller to see--free and easy,
and not above feller."
BLESS me! Was 1t Cotton where he
was staying?"
"Cartain-this is the place! He
boarded up there at that house on the
HILL" pointing; "and | always had a
kind o. notion that he was sweet on
Purcell's daughter, en- you can't get
me off it,"
Loud began to think he should soon
have n theory of the affair now. There
was woman in II, then. OF course
there was--he might have known
that.
"Didn't other folks think sol" asked
Loud.
Don't know mentioned my s'pic-
ions one time to Burt, and he was mad
as thunder; he wanted her himself.
Burt's been courtin' her this long time,
but somehow she don't take to him.
She's a lady, II she does live in that
little house, and cook and scrub"
Loud was getting excited now. Did
Caryl have rival In this Burt? He
was beginning to see light
'Who is Burt?" he inquired.
81 don't exactly know, though he's
been here, off'n on for a number o.
year. He's the only one that knew
Caryl when he came here, but it's my
mind that he was never exactly suited
to have him here, and he was plagued
IL joked him bout being cut out with
Kate by his friend and once he said,
he's no friend o. mine"
LIQUIDS eyes sparkled. Was this the
clue-the same jealousy which will
cause so many crimes as long as the
world stands?
Already, in the detectives eyes, this
Burt was the guilty one. He had
found his theory and was working II
out In his own mind He was SILENT
not having decided what questions TO
ask next, when his companion gave
short sigh and said:
81 told Burt ylsterd'y twas lucky he
could prove an alliby, or he might git
nabbed for this scrape of Caryl's."
"An alibi!" repeated Loud, his thee.
ry falling to pieces. Flows that?"
"Why, Burt was out fishin all night
with me the night Caryl was killed.
"Then he is safe enough from suspi-
clon."
"Sartain. Otherwise he might be
'spected, you know, bein' a rival, or
somethin' o. that sort My wife, she
has her queer notions, and she's been
into PurcelPs considerable these last
weeks, since Rothesay's been sick
there, you know. She says II Caryl or
Burt, or anybody's going to be jealous
about Kate, they'd better be jealous o.
that Rothesay. She says she's watched
him, and in spite of all the stories
bout his goin' to be married, it's Kate
Purcell that Rothesay loves"
And the man smoked on IN great
complacency, thinking Of his wife's su
perior discernment
Loud listened, seeing that the case
was getting more complicated than he
had foreseen even. He took 1t for
granted that the man told the truth
about Burt's being out fishing all night
on the night of the murder.
as this Rothesay fisherman here?"
he asked.
Lord bless you, not"
Then followed detailed account of
how Rothesay had come to Cotton and
his illness.
"that Rothesay didn't see Caryl all the
time the man was here sick; only at
the depot, when they had that row.
Thunder! | never saw anything done
SO quick as Rothesay gave the lick
across Caryls face. You see, / hap
pened to be on the platform; Rothesay
was white as a ghost, and didn't look
as IL he had the strength Of flea"
Then followed a garrulous account
OF the encounter at the railroad sta
ton, to which the detective listened
with intense interest
1t was very plain to be seen that
Rothesay and Caryl, for some reason,
were bitter enemies. Was Rothesay
the guilty one?-or could he, also,
prove an alibi?
Loud found himself more interested
In the case than In any he had worked
upon for years, but he sat, quite stolid-
appearing, only making remarks now
and then, to keep the man talking.
WAS Rothesay In love with Kate,
also?" he asked.
That's what my woman thinks l
told We. But don't myself believe
that that's what they Quarreled about,
though it might be. In course. Iheerd
the words as passed between 'em, an
when Caryl, In a powerful sneerin'
manner asked somethin' about the
others sister, then-gosh!-- the
sick mans arm fy out! Land! and
didn't the blood squirt from Caryls
nose! and for an instant, I VOW, 1
thought they'd pitch into each other
and have 1t out But the train came
along, and that's the end OF It."
"Odd, wasn't it?" responded Loud.
leisurely taking his cigar from his
mouth and blowing cloud OF smoke
away. Where is Rothesay now?"