The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-16
BOOK I.
The Forbidden Room.
CHAPTER discontinued.
| Remain.

This handkerchief had an interest apart
from the name on it. It was of dainty
texture and quite in keeping, SO far as
value went, with the other belongings Of
it's fastidious owner. But it was not clean.
Indeed it was strangely soiled, and this
soil was Of nature I did not readily
understand. A woman would doubtless
have comprehended Immediately the cause
Of the brown streaks found on it, but
it took me several minutes to realize that
this bit Of cambria, delicate as a cob
web, had been used to remove dust. To
remove dust! Dust from what? From
the nantel shelf probably, upon one end
of which T found it.. But no! one look
along the polished boards convinced me
that whatever else had been busted In
this room this shelf had not The ac-
emulation Of days, If not of months,
was visible from one end to the other
Of it's unrelieved surface save where the
handkerchief had lain, and-the greatest
discovery yet-where five clear spots just
to the left Of the center showed where
some mans finger tips had rested. Moth
ing but the pressure Of finger tips could
have caused just the appearance pre-
sented by these spots. BY scrutinizing
them closely I could even tell where the
thumb had rested, and at once foresaw
the possibility Of determining. by means
of these marks both the size and shape
of the hand which had left behind it SO
neat and unmistakable clue.
Wonderful! but what did it all mean
Why should man rest his finger tips on
this out theway shelf? Had he done
so in an effort to balance himself for a
look up the chimney? No; for then the
marks made by his fingers would have
extended to the edge Of the Shelf where
is these were in the middle of it. Their
shape, too, was round, not oblong; hence
the pressure had come from above and
ah! I had it, these Impressions in the
.dust@of- the shelf were just such as would
be made by a --person steadying himself
for a close look at the old picture. And
this accounted also for the overturned
chair, and for the handkerchief used as
buster. Some ones interest in this pic
ture had been greater than mine; some
one who was either very near-sighted OF
whose temperament was such that only
the closest inspection would satisfy an
aroused curiosity. 9
This gave me an idea, or rather i'm
pressed upon me the necessity of pre-
serving the outline OF these tell-tale
marks while they We're still plain to the
eye. Taking out my penknife, 1 light,
ran the point Of my sharpest blade around
each separate impression till I had fixed
them for all time in the we'll worn yarnist
of the mahogany. ~
This done, my thoughts required to the
question already raised. What was there
| In this old picture to arouse such curios.
ity In one bent on evil if not fresh from
hldeous crime? I have said before thai
the picture as a picture was worthless
| a mere faded sketch fit only fol
numbering up some old garnet
Then wherein lay it's charm--a charm
which I myself had felt, tho not to thi
extent? It was useless to conjecture. 4
fresh difficultye had been added to m,
task by this puzzling discovery, but diff
f1culties only increased my interest. I
was with an add feeling Of citation that
in a further examination Of this room
came upon two additional facts equal,
odd and irreconciable.
/ One was the presence Of penkrife witt
the file blade open, on a small table unde
the window marked by the loosened shut
ter. Scattered about it were some filing
which shone as the light from my lanter>
| fell upon them, but which were so fin
as to call for a magnify1ng glass to max
/ them out. The other was in connection
with a closet not far from the great bed
It was an empty closet SO far as the hook
went and the two great drawers which
found standing half open at is back; bu
in the middle Of the floor lay an over
turned candelabrum similar to the on
below, but with it's prisms scattered an
its one candle crushed and battered GU
of all shape on the blackened boards. ]
upset while alight, the foot which ha
stamped upon it in wild endeavor t
put out the flames had been a frenzie
one. Now, by whom had this frenz
been shown, and when? Within the hour
l could detect no smell Of smoke At som
former time, then? Say on the day {
/ the bridal? ID g4,st.
4 CHANGING from the broken candle at m
feet to the one giving it's last sp11tter i
the tumbler on the dressing table,
owned myself perplexed.
4 Surely no ordinary explanation f1tte
these extraordinary and seemingly cor
J Trajectory circums tanees.