Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-12-27


door next evening she told me CURLY
that she was not feeling well and in
tended going early to bed. SO l went
back to my room. rather glad Of the
chance of an evening to myself
Besides. Cecily was q good deal like
the highly favored dlsh-to be fully
enjoyed only at intervals. And, too,
there was only one point as yet unset
tled-where she and Tremaine had been
the night of the murder. That, l felt,
could be cleared up without much diff
fculty the first time she received me,
which would probably be not later than
tomorrow. l had premonition that
that line of Inquiry. too, would lead
nowhere, that Cecily would prove by
word that neither she nor Tremaine
had been anywhere near the Marathon
at the hour of the crime. In any event
| had plenty Of time, and l could spend
this evening very profitably in weigh
ing and classifying my discoveries, in
getting q fresh start.
AS l opened my door l noticed 1t
scraped on the carpet and an examina-
ton showed me that the carpet had
come loose along the sill. / stepped to
the speaking tube and blew down 1t.
Hello called up voice in a mo-
ment
sis that you, Higgins"
"Yes. sir"
ms is Mr.. Lester. Come up after
awhile, will you? I've little job up
hero 7 want Won IN do"
"All right, sir. Will half an hour
do?
ooh, yes. Any time this evening"
I got out pipe, tobacco and matches
and sat down in my most comfortable
chair. was no longer so discouraged
as l had been the evening before. On
the whole, I told myself, had pro-
gressod. l had succeeded in forging
the chain more tightly about Tremaine.
in strengthening it in many places.
could show certainly:
First.-That he knew Thompson and
had lied about it.
Second.-That he apparently hated
him.
Third.-That he had come to New
|
probably on the same errand.
Fourth.-That Thompson had Joined
him as soon MS released from Jail.
On paper, had to admit, the chain
appeared n good deal weaker than l
had thought it, There were many
gaps; indeed, now that l looked at 1t,
it seemed to consist largely of gaps.
Objections to the theory of Tremane's
| guilt doomed larger and larger. One
of the weightiest was Miss Croydon's
attitude toward him. That seemed I'M
oxpainable. The man she described
AS the murderer was quite unlike Ire
maine in appearance. Was She then.
shielding him? But why should she do
that? Above all. If he We're guilty of
such crime, would she have consent.
ed to his admission to the Delroy fam
lily? And, again, If she feared him
why not denounce him to the police,
or AZ least threaten to do so? That
would remove him from her path once
and forever.
This last question seemed so unan.
swerable that ! paused to look at II
again, for it was evident that one
really insuperable objection must in
validate the whole theory. BY the
commission of crime, especially OF
crime so serious as this one, would
he not place himself as much in Miss
Croydon's power as she could possibly
be in his? II she were still In his
power, then he had committed NJ
crime, and II he had committed NJ
crime, why, of course he had not killed
Thompson. But in that case who had
Where had that diamond come from?
knocked out my pipe and filled 4
again. felt a good deal as though
was wandering around and around IL
n maze. ! was getting little dizzy.
If Tremaine had not killed ThOmp
son, l asked myself again, who had
Not Miss Croydon! TO suppose that ,
delcately reared girl would smash |
man over the head with piece Of pip
was to descend to the ridiculous. Ye
II he had attacked her she might law