The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1906-03-02

0y EuS&l0H0s NthtuP ~ w.
trust that when 1 see you in the even
ing I will be able to report that
have been able to do something for
this unfortunate youngster, who has
thrown himself upon my protection"
1t was late when my friend returned,
and 1 could see, by u glance at his
haggard n anxious face that the
high hopes with which he had started
had not been fulfilled. For al hour he
droned away upon his violin, endeay-
oring to soothe his own rufled spirits.
At last he flung down the instrument.
and plunged into a detailed account of
his misadventures.
IT'S all going wrong. Matson-all as
wrong as it car go. l kept a bold face
before Lestrade, but. upon my soul. 1
believe that for nee the fellow is on
the right track and we are on the
wrong. All my instincts are one way,
and all the facts are the other, and 1
much fear that British juries have not
yet attained that pitch of intelligence
when they will give the preference to
my theories over Lestrade's facts"
Did you go to Bleakheath?"
Yes. Watson, I went there. and l
found very quickly that the late
lamented Oldacre was a pretty con-
siderable blackguard. The father was
away In search Of his son. The mother
was at home-a little, fluffy, blue-eyed
person, in a tremor of fear and iEdigna-
ton. OF course. she would not admit
even the possibility Of his guilt. But
she would not express either surprise
or regret over the fate of Oldacre. On
the contrary, she spoke Of him with
Such bitterness hat she was uncon-
s~ciously considerably strengthening the
case Of the police, for, of course, if her
son had heard her speak Of the man
in this fashion, 1t would predispose him
towards hatred and violence. He was
more like a malignant and cunning ape
than a human being said she. and he
always was, ever since he was a young
man.
"'You knew him at thai tlme?"
said 1.
yes, I knew him we'll, in fact, he
was an old sutton of mine. Thank
heaven that / had the sense to turn
away from him, and to marry a better,
If poorer man. was engaged to him,
Mr.. Holmes, when I heard a shocking
story OF how he had turned a cat loose
In an aviary. and I was Mortified at
his brutal cruelty that I would have
nothing more to do with him. She
rummaged in a bureau, and presently
she produced a photograph of a won-
an, shamefully defaced and mutilated
with a knife. That is my own photo
graph she said. He sent 1T to me in
that state, with his curse. upon nv
wedding morning.
WELL said I, at least he has for
given you now, since he has left all his
property to your son.
".Neither my son nor / want any
thing from Jonas Oldacre, dead or
alive!' she cried. with a proper spirit.
and that same God who has punished
that wicked man will show. In His
good time. that my sons hands are
guiltless Of his Blood
We'll, 1 tried one or two leads, but
could get at nothing which would help
our hypothesis, and. several points
which would make against it. I. gave
it up at last. and off 1 went to Nor
wood.
This place. Deep Dene house, is a
big modern villa of staring brick
standing back in its w grounds, with
a laurel-clumped lawn in front of it.
To the right and some distance back
which had been the scene of the fire,
Here's a rough plan on a leaf Of my
note book. This window on the left
Is the n which opens into Oldacre's
room. You can look into 1t from the
road, you see. That is about the only
bit of consolation I nav had today.
Lestrade was not there, but his head
constable did the honors They had
just found q great treasure-trove. They
had spent the morning raking among
the ashes of he burned wood pile,
and besides the charred organic re-
mains they had secured several dis
colored metal discs. I examined them
with care, and there was no doubt
that they were trouser buttons. 1 even
distinguished that one of them was
marked with the name of Hyams.' who
worked the lawn very carefully for signs
and traces, but his drought has made
everything as hard as iron. Nothing
or bundle had been dragged through
a low privet hedge. which Is in a line
with the wood pile. All that, Of course
fits in With the official theory. !
crawled about the lawn With iii Aug
ust sun on my back, but I got up at the
end OF an hour no wiser than before.
Well, after this fiasco I went into
the bed room and examined that also.
The blood stains were very slight. mere
smears and discolorations, but I'M
doubtedly fresh. The stick had been
removed. but there also the marks were
slight. There is no doubt about the
stick belonging to our client. He adj
be made out on the carpet. but none
Of any third person. which again Is a
trick for the other side. They were
piling up their score all the time. and
we were at standstill.
"Only one little CLEAN OF hope did
I get-and yet 1t amounted to nothing.
I examined the contents of the safe.
most of which had been taken out and
left on the table. The papers a been
made up into sealed envelopes, one OF
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