Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-09-26

deal of fun out of it."
 'She was. She's the most unconven- tional creature ever met She'd inter- ct you, Godfrey"
 q don't doubt 1t In the least. But Tremaine interests me too. You don't happen to know what this business en- RaRement wasp and he looked at me with queer smile.
 "No l suppose that 1t had some 1hlng to do with his railroad"
 ssHis railroadr'
 I related briefly the project in which Gfemaine was engaged.
 well, perhaps it was connected with that" Godfrey said when had finish Cd, ''but indirect1y-very indirectly. He spent the evening in Dickie Delroy's box at the opera"
 It was my turn to stare.
 Godfrey" I said suddenly, there are two points I'd Ike to submit to you-both rather important ones, fan cy. But first I want you to tell me the story of the crime, just as 1t occurred. I suspect there were some details that didn't get into the Record. Start a cigar nrst"
 He took cigar and struck match.
 'There were," he assented, with a Umile, "a number of details that didn't get before the public. Most of them have m unfortunate tendency to impli- cate Miss Croydon"
 He got up and walked across the room and placed his finger over little hole in the woodwork of the bedroom door.
 There's where the bullet from her revolver struck" he said. There's no doubt about that. It was taken out and found to f1t I'd give good deal to know who 1t was she fired at and why she fired. I tell you, Lester, the more one thinks about that affair the more incomprehensible 1t becomes, there are so many questions which seem unanswerable. Who was Thomp- son? How did he get in condition to receive her? Was the murderer friend of Thompson's? If not, how did he get into the rooms? Above all, why, after he had knocked Thompson down. should he stand over him and shoot him through the heart? That savors more of a wild beast than of human belng."
 He paused a moment in sort of helpless perplexity, then sat down ab- vA v,o1 <n mo
 What were your points?' he asked.
 'The first" said. looking at him, twill. fear. help to tip the scale against Miss Croydon. She came here the morning after the inquest and tried to rent this apartment"
 He stared at me. astounded, his cigar in the air, while I repeated the story Higgins had told me. When 1 had fin- ished. he sat gazing into vacancy, his lips compressed.
 'I see it puzzles you" l said at last, enjoying his perplex!ty. q confess I couldn't make anything out of It."
 Puzzles mew he repeated, getting up again and walking nervously about the room. "Why. it's the most as- founding thing I ever heard. It's the most unexplainable feature of this whole unexplainable case. I should think she'd never want to enter these rooms again. But perhaps Higgins was mistaken, he added, stopping short
 "That might be-" admitted, though he swears he wasn't"
 Well, let's pass over 1t for mo- ment. What's the second point? Is 1t another staggererY
 Mot a staggerer. but another twist to the puzzle. imagine. Did Thomp- son have any jewelry on himY
 "Jewelry? Not bit. He was practi- cally in rags"
 "where was his body lyingf"
 "Right here," and be indicated the spot with his foot
 sAnd right there." said. two days later I found this. pressed into the carpet" and took little paper packet from my pocketbook.
 He opened 1t carefully and looked at what lay inside. Then he whistled softly.
 "A diamond. by all that's wonder fulr
 ..TelI me what 1t came out of" said.
 "0ne of a group. I should say: or perhaps a border around a larger cen tral stone"
 Precisely" I nodded. And last night I happened to notice that Mrs. Tremaine wore a pin with just such an arrangement of stones. One of the small diamonds In the border was missing
 Godfrey wrapped up the tiny bit of efystal and handed 1t back to me with an exceedingly thoughtful face
 That's a mighty pretty bit of evil dcnce.- be said at last though. of course. it may be ouly a coincidence. Taken by itself if isn't worth a cent: in connection with other evidence it would be worth a great deal-
 .And there isn't any othery'
 -Just one little bit You say Ire maine comes from Martinique. Well. among Thompso1's clothes I found peculiar nut. called a snake nut. which gruxs only in the West Indies. When you add to this that Thompson's cloth ing was all such as Is worn In the tropics. the presumption is pretty