The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-09-06
CHAPTER Will


a red, dubious nose. and shifty, suspi
cious eyes. He saluted US with a touch
of his cap in military fashion
And what is your business, gentle
mem" he asked.
1T is less business than gratitude,
said Graden courteously. 1--WE have
made this little pilgrimage to thank the
producer Of the Lemsdorf hams"
You are not dealers, theny
No, but Il"
Then take yourself off,"
Herr Drobinr'
Go. clear out, Do not make myself
plain?' he cried, his flushed face nod
ding in time to his violent gesticulations
I viii have no spies about the place."
Grader sprang out of the sleigh and
strobe up to the angry farmer For q
moment I thought there would be a
scrimmage; but the huge bulk of his an
tagonist was not without its effect upon
the German. I have often noticed that
great stature has curiously soothing in
duence on the bad temper of an oppo-
nent.
why did you call me spyY' demand
ed my cousin
The people about here gossip of some
secret l hold" he answered sulkily
perhaps they speak true; perhaps false
WHO can say? At least, / am no longer
fol; my eyes have been opened. You
have a good thing here, Herr Drobin
There is a great future before you, il
only you keep your knowledge to your.
self, said the Englishman TO me- II
strangers come asking questions, they
will be spies; send them away 1t was
fne advice he gave me; anyone can see
that So be off with you.'
Il am an Englishman myself, Herr
Drobin. May 1 ask my compatrior's
n4meY'
II do not remember"
What, then, was he likey'
II cannot describe him."
you are discreet. herr Drobin- Come
now, let US strike a bargain. l will
make q guess at your secret; IL | am
right, you viii tell me what you know
of this Englishman."
The German started back. staring al
Graden with little, bloodshot eyes, in
which surprise and fury were oddly min
gled- Then. side by side. they stepped
into the shadow of the pines. whispering
together
fhey are all liars, these Germans .
said our driver confidentially. turning tc
me. For myself, / am a Pole"
''You heard what was said. Do you
know anything Of this English visitor tc
Herr Drobin?"
Most certainly. mine Herr He was
of the name of Wakefield. He has stay
ed several nights at the Golden Adler
For the rest, he has been the guest Of
him who lived out there" and be made
q gesture down the road that we had
come.
A name.ess fear took me by the throat
IA fear OF unknown possibilities
would have questioned the man more, but
at that moment Graden and the farmer
emerged from the shadow Of the pines
The latter had abandoned his trnculent
manner. Indeed, he seemed oddly sub
servient- As Graden stepped into the
sleigh, the man bowed low a elrtsy,
which my cousin answered with a curt
nod Of dismissal
"DriSe onr' he cried, and once more
we were ploughing our way ba tx to the
Lemsdorf road.
did you ever study the properties OF
the root called madden, commonly known
as dyer asked my cousin suddenly.
mo"
Then / must explain from the begin
ming. 1t is right that you should hear y
He pulled the flaps of his deerstalker
cap over his ears-indeed, it was bitter
cold-and settled himself amongst the
rugs / caught the outline of his face
as jaws set, the cheeks drawn. the eye
hard and keen, the whole purposefu1 and
remorseless.
when l was slicing the ham to-da v. .
he continued. ''an odd thing happened.
Ny knife struck the bone and passed
through it as if it had been putty. Al
a second glance 1 noticed that the inte-
rior Of the section so divided was of O
brownish red. 1t set me thinking.
began to remember certain facts. The
talk of The old servant concerning q
secret held by the owner of the pig farm,
ut Gran concentrated my suspicious. the
proximity Of the dye-works confirmed
them I was almost certain of Herr
Drobin's secret before he charged me
with coming to steal it.
Let me explain. Nader is a dive
as you know. But administered TO man
or beast, it has the curious effect Of
coloring and pulping the bones to a girls.
tie. 1t is used sparingly on a few South
German pig farms, that the hams NAV
appear tractive when carved. Her,
Dro5in Introduced it into German Po
land. He obtained the root as he reouir
ed it By arrangement with the dye works
Perhaps their presence suggested the
idea to him.
"Whether or no Marnac knew of tn.
uses of madden before he came to LENS
dorf, l cannot tell. From my talk with
Drobin it would seem that his visit to hi,
farm was more or les1 of an accident
But, either way, the visit gave him thf
weapon by which he might make a toad
of his enemy. That bitter criticism. you
may be sure. was for ever running il
his diseased brain. The practical detail.
be learned at the farm would help him IL
what he had undertaken. His advice
to that old German was a sound move
designed 20 cover his visits TO the arm
and the ssapicions they might afterward:
have excited
His method Of getting into touch with
bis victim was simple. He introduced
himself as an Englishman By q letter
which he himself wrote in his capac;ty
Of Heidelberg professor, well knowing
that the police had not ma de public theil
suspicious of him. He assumed the name
Of ksfield-the first that suggested
itself 10 him-and the nationality of an
Englishman. for, as we know, he spoke
the language to perfection. He admins
tered madden in some form until Mecher
sky grew i'll; after which, in his position
of medical attendant, the rest was easy
He fed when he knew thar the end Of
the tragedy was at hand. that every bone
Of mis- victim was fragile as thin glass
Probably he caught momentary glimpse
of us in the 'Goldner Adler; and hi
midnight visit was 10 assure himself Of
yoar identity. You were in great peri
that night. Cousin Robert: / shudder t
think how great.
He has probably escaped to-day
there is a fast train to the west at i.
O'Clock he could catch. But | VOW be
fore heaven, l vow before you as M
witness, that / will pursue this fiend un
til have run him down. Heaven know!
I have no hatred towards him. feel tt
him as a man might feel towards mao