The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-29

And Daisy, clinging tight to her fa-
Tiers arm, shuddered at the thought.
They came up from the lower floor,
and, as they gained the landing, Mer-
rick CHANGED to glance up the staircase.
and saw a fiat glass case hanging ON
the wall at the next landing.
why" he exclaimed, look there! If
there amt my old wampum!"
They climbed the intervening fight
OF stairs, and there the wampum hung,
sure enough, displayed to advantage
against the wall behind the glass.
Tears stood in Merricks eyes as he
gazed at 1t. There 1t is, Daisy" he
pleased voice. There it is That's IT,"
It's the only thing / ever gave him."
he went on again, after pause, land
1t don't seem much for what he did for
me, and trusting me, too, a stranger.
But I'm mighty pleased to see he took
care of it-mighty pleased to see that,
am. Yes. it's comfort, now, to see
he thought something of it-perhaps
more than I did. You'd say, gentle
men, looking at that glass case and all
that, he did think something Of it,
wouldn't you?"
"Oh, of course" answered Crook.
Didn't you see the numberless valu-
able things lying about below loose?
And then, look at this glass easel"
All, Tie AIueIlCdu dllSWGTGu, III
mighty glad to see that case and to
know you think he thought something
of that wampum. It's sort of lifted a
load off my mind, gentlemen, in fool
ish sort O. way"
And now they turned to the library
where Merrick's old friend had met
his death. Just as when Crook had
fore, there lay books and books
everywhere high and low. But now
the bloodstains were gone and the poor
torn body had been carried away from
the chair in which Crook had found it.
The door of the little safe still stood
open, the little sheet iron drawers were
still tumbled on the floor and the
drawers of the writing table were
splintered- and gaping just as they had
been left; and the chief constable ex-
planned the meaning of all these things
as he pointed them out
Nothing else seems to have been
touched" he concluded, casually push
ing open the cupboard under an old
glazed bookcase. Here, you see,
everything seems in order; and there's
a bottle of wine like the other
And in truth there was; for there
before their eyes stood another mag
mum of Tokay, the fellow to the one
that Crook had opened the night be-
fore, and one of the dozen without a
possible doubt!
But" said Merrick. "but-he only
bought one?''
Yes Crook replied, ''that is GER.
tain. I have it from the auctioneer's
clerk that he only bought one. That is
certain" ax-,
Had another already, expect" OBJ
served the chief constable carelessly.
Crook lifted the great bottle and saw
that the cork had been drawn; also
some of the wine was gone-three or
four glasses, perhaps. He took the
magnum to the light of the window,
held the cork fast, and slowly tilted it.
Nothing was there-nothing but the
wine. No diamond came tumbling
from the bottom into the neck.
Merrick and Crook looked one at
the other and put the bottle back.
What did it mean? The bottle had
been opened, certainly.
They made toward the door and the
chief constable marched into the corr
ridor. Merrick turned to Crook and
whispered:
What does it mean?" he said.
'.That scoundrel knew what was in
the house and he opened a new mag
mum for you! Why? How did this one
get here? Was it only for sixty or
seventy pounds that he did murder, or
was it for something more-something
in that bottle of wine?"
The men looked each in the others
face and passed out in the wake of the
chief constable.
(To Be Continued Next Sunday
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