The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-01-03


| impression upon me and started me of
| on an entirely new train Of thought. What
! had the detective said? The guilty person
| must have been able to procure for some
vacant apartment. We only knew of three
| people who were in a position to have done
| this. Miss Derwent, the French butler
| well. why not the French butler? Those
eyes looked capable of anything. was
! sure that his wife was afraid of him, Tor
was certain that she had meant to stop and
speak TO me. and had been prevented from
doing so by his sudden appearance. But
| what could she have wished to say to me?
| And why that CLEAN of hatred In her nus.
| bands eye? / felt myself so innocent
| towards them both. In fact. had not even
| thought of them since the eventful Thurs
| day, and might easily have passed her by
| unnoticed II she had not been so eager to
| attract my attention. Well, 1t would be
| queer If 1 had tumbled on the solution Of
| the Rosemere mystery!
AS was now almost opposite my club. /
| decided to drop in there before going in
| search OF McGorry. There were hardly any
people about and when | entered the read
| ing room 1 found that it contained but one
other person besides myself. The man was
very intent upon his paper, but as / APP
preached he raised his head and / at once
| recognized Mr.. Stuart The very person,
| Of all others, l most wanted TO see. Fate
| was certainly in a kindly mood to-day, and
| L determined il should not be my fault If
did not make the most of the opportunity
thus Unexpectedly afforded me- so when /
caught his eye / bowed and walked boldly
up to him. He answered my salutation po-
litely, but coldly, and appeared anxious to
return to his reading. but / was too full of
my purpose to be put off by anything.
said: Mr.. Stuart, you have quite forgot
ten me, which is not at all surprising. as
/ only met you once before, and that time
was not introduced to YOU
He smiled distantly and looked inquiring-
ly at me through his single eyeglass. =.
1T was last Thursday at the Rosemere,
i explained.
He appeared! startled. think the idea
@. my being detective suggested itself to
him, so L continued, reassuringly:
MY name is Fortescue, and / am doc
tor. My office is vis-a-vis to your building,
so, probably on account OF my, my prox S haS
naturally become much interested in this
very mysterious affair"
Indeed he remarked.
This was not encouraging, but ] per-
"a very remarkable case. isn't it?" 1
said, trying to appear at ease.
"A most unpleasant business" he replied
CURLY.
My obstinacy was now aroused, so drew
a chair up and sat down.
| MIR. Stuart. / hope you won't think me
| very impertinent if L ask you whether you
have any reason to be dissatisfied with
your two servants?"
| He now looked thoroughly alarmed.
NO why do you ask?
"You probably know that the identity of
the dead man has never been established?''
ION the contrary" interrupted Mr.. Stu
art. II am just reading an account of how
1t has been ascertained that the body is
that of man called Greenwood.
oh" replied. airily. that is only bit
| OF yellow Journalism. If you read to the
end you will find that they admit that the
police place no credence in their story.
have just been talking to Mr.. Merritt about
| IT
Merritt. the detective, you mean?"
yes" l answered.
"welI. he must be an interesting man.
should like to see him..
why, you have seen him. l said; "he
was the short. clean-shaven man who stood
beside me and afterwards followed you
| out.
Really he exclaimed. 81 wish 1 had
known that; / have always taken great
interest in the man. He has cleared w
some pretty mysterious crimes.
81 am sure he would be only too delighted
to meet you. He's quite a nice fellow, too
and terribly keen about this murder"
added bringing the conversation back tc
the point l wanted discussed.
"Yes?' said Mr.. Stuart. 'Of course, an
interested in it. too, but / confess that te
have a thing like that occur in building
! where one lives is really most unpleasant
, / have been pestered to death by report
ers."
"well, assure you 1 am not one"
! said. with laugh, but, all the same.
What are they?" he cautiously inquired
! do your butler and his wife get alons
we'll together"
why do you want to know?" he asked
in his turn. l told him what had just hap
pened He smiled.
"Oh, that doesn't mean anything. .Ce
| he regards as the most fascinating of hel
| SEX and has a habit of watching her.
believe, so as TO guard against possible
lover"
! do they quarrel much?"
: mot lately, L am glad to say. About 3
! | year ago it got so bad that was forced
| TO tell them that if l heard them doing 81
: again L should dismiss them both"
Dear me, was it as bad as that?
why, yes. One evening when l came
home l heard shrieks from the kitchen. and
r on investigating, found Celestin busily en-
, gagged in chastising his VIE.
Really"
: did not seem to mind 1t much, although
7 she must have been black and blue from
5 the beating he gave her. 1t was SOM
: trouble about a cousin. 1 believe, but, a
G they are both excellent servants, though
2 1t best not TO inquire too particularly int
the business"
And an, have they been on amieable term
, ''Oh, yes; and, curiously enough, thei
i behavior TO each other is positively lover
E and he would beat her. and then they woul,
| bill and COO for month. At least, so
3 judged from the little saw of them.
{ seemed to have overcome his aversion o
{ | distrust and detained me for some tim
e longer, discussing the tragedy.
! When / reached the Rosemere i foun,
a | McGorry sitting in his private office an
: remarkably glad to see me. 1 offered hin
| a cigar and we sat down TO comfortabl
1 smoke. At first we talked OF nothing bu
e | the murder. hut at last managed TO orin
c the conversation around TO gossip abou
| the different people in the building. Thi
$ | was no easy matter. for the FELLOW consid
u cred IL either impolite or disloyal TO discus
e his tenants, but. luckily, when / broache
o | the subject OF the Argots he unbosome
4 | himself. He assured me that they wer
D most Objectionable people, and he couldn'
!. | see why Mr.. Stuart wanted TO emplo
{ | Dagos as he called them. He told me tina
| the woman was always having men hang
ing around and that her husband was YER
S violent and jealous.
e but they have stopped quarreling,
{; hear
5 stopped, is it?" he exclaimed. with fin
) scorn. II suppose Mr.. Stuart told you that
. | Little he knows about 1t. They darsn'
r make noise when he's about But Argot'
| been terrible to her lately. Why. the
, | made such a row that had TO go in Their
d the other day and tell him IL he didn't shu
| up I'd complain to Mr.. Stuart. He glare
S at me, but they've been quieter since then
K | l guess she's bad lot and deserves wha
r she gets, or else she wouldn't stand it.
e II say, McGorry, you have seen nothin
n of a straw hat. have your?
e ing me to death about that hat? No,
n haven't found one.
s That was ali could get out of him. No
much, but still something.
II Returning to my Office. sat for a lon
: time bordering over all 1 had seen an
- heard that morning, and the longer
N | tbougbt the more likely did il seem tina