Courier Democrat., 1903-02-05
~You have good fishing down here.

"TOller'ble-tOO many perch, though.
A feller gifts awful sick Of haulin' them
in. An then, the skunnin' o. them is
too tough. Come down to fish. eh!"
Eyes. wanted to get a days rest
from the store; so I came down here"
Better hire my boat, then. let IL
as cheap as anybody"
"Ill take it tomorrow, then-and
hooks and lines?"
PLENTY. And cod lines, too. Ef We
go out far enough, ye can ketch COD, We
know. and sich."
Loud saw. that the man was talkative.
He drew out cigar case and said:
| Here's a cigar that I'll wager is bet
ter than your pipe. Will you try it,"
! When the man had lit it, he said.
eager to tell something new:
"P'r'aps you amt heard about that
Caryl murder?"
Loud pricked up his ears.
"Caryl! Yes. did see 1t in the pa
pers. Have they found out anything
about it yet?"
Don't know. Caryl was mighty
pleasant feller to see-free and easy,
and not above feller."
"Bless me! Was it Cotton where he
was staying?"
"Cartain-this is the place! He
boarded up there at that house on the
hill" pointing; land l always had a
kind o. notion that he was sweet on
Purcells daughter, an you can't get
me off it,"
Loud began to think he should soon
have a theory of the affair.now. There
was a woman in it, then. OF course
there was-he might have known
that. 4.
.sDidn't other folks think so?" asked
Loud.
Don't know I 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, if 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
if joked him bout being cut out with
Kate by his friend, and once he said,
he's no friend O mine.'"
Louds 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 it
out in his own mind. He was silent,
not having decided what questions to
ask next, when his companion gave
short sigh and said:
II told Burt yisterd'y twas lucky he
could prove an alliby, or he might git
nabbed for this scrape of Caryl's."
"An alibi!" repeated Loud, his theo-
ry falling to pieces. "How's that?"
why, Burt was out fishin' all night
With me the night Caryl was killed"
Then he is safe enough from suspi-
cion."
"Sartain. Otherwise he might be
'spected. you know, bein' rival, or
scmethin' O. that sort. My wife, she
has her queer notions, and she's been
into Purcell's consid'able these last
weeks, since Rothesay's been sick
there, you know. She says if 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 forcseen even. He took it for
granted that the man told the truth
about Burts being out fishing all night
on the night of the murder.
"Is this Rothesay a fisherman here?"
he asked.
Lord bless you, no."
Then followed a detailed account of
how Rothesay had come to Cotton and
his illness.
'They say" the man continued,
chat 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 Caryl's face. You see, l hap
| pened to be on the platform; Rothesay
was white as ghost, and didn't look
as if he had the strength of flea"
Then followed garrulous account
of the encounter at the railroad sta
tion, to which the detective listened
with intense interest.
It 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 1
told ye. But l don't myself believe
that that's what they quarreled about,
though it might be, in course. 1heerd
the words as passed between 'em, an
when Caryl, in powerful sneerin'
manner asked somethin' about the
others sister, then-gosh! h!-didn't the
sick mans arm fly out! Land! and
didn't the blood squirt from Caryl's