Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1907-09-21

an heavy-set, with little black
moustache that turned up at tn ends"
8Qdfreys heart gave sudden leap
so Miss Croydon had told the truth,
after all. She was not trying to pro-
tect anybody And the case vas going
to prove simple one-he had been
reading a mystery into ii that IL did
not possess. that was always the
danger with your theorist. he told
himself. a little bitterly--he was
forever looking for hidden meanings.
for abtIuse clews, for picturesque solu-
tions instead of following the plainly
evident, Of accepting facts at their face
value. Well. Simmonds certainly would
not make that mistake, he would have
little difficulty in anding his man.
And then what happenedY' he
asked. II suppose this fellow went
away"
"Oh, yes; he stayed here talkin' quite
a while-he started L go once or twice.
but tn rain was too bad. But about
o'clock he said he couldn't stay no
longer rain r no rain, an was jest
buttonin' up his coat. when cab drove
up an "A woman got out She had Il
thick veil on, SOS ! couldn't Gee her
face, but from her style l ju, d she
was a high flyer. She come up t me
an she says, I want { go L apart
ment fourteen-Mr Thompson Mad
am, says l, ! wouldn't If | was you
Why she asked suick like, amt ne
there? He's there. says !, but he
amt in no condition { see a lady
Never mind. says she. I'll go up
An right, says / IN be back in a
minute l added { my friend. No
he says, can't wait; l must be goin.'
an he started toward tn door Well
good night / says, ustepped into tn
car an started it,
Il showed her III door o. fourteen,
an she knocked. / was waitin' at III
elevator, fer / knowed Thompson was
too dead drunk { hear her an I'd have
[ take her down agin when blessed
II the door didn't open an In she
walked. Well. sir / was so Gumfound-
ed | couldn't believe my own eyes!
But I'm she went, an l come on down.
tryin' [ fgger it out. II was mebbe
ten minutar later that / heard a pistol
shot an I knowed I'm a minute what d
happened That drunken brute had got
too familiar an she'd put bullet
in him Though, he added, reflective
ly, why, If she's straight, she'd go {
his room at all is moren kin see"
Was there only one shot?" asked
Godfrey.
"Only one" answered the janitor:
but il sounded like a small cannon.
1t didn't come from no sech little pop
gun as that which Mr.. Simmonds picked
w in tn corner. l rushed up tn stairs
an threw open tn door"
Wasn't it locked2"
mo; an that's funny, toe" he added
"fer | remember hearin the lock snap
after tn girl went in. Somebody must
a throwed ii back agin. Mebbe tn
girl did II, tryin' I get out, an Thomp-
son got hold Of her an then she let
him have IT."
Godfrey nodded with an appreciation
seemingly very deep.
That's II no doubt" he said. II
see you're a close reasoner, Mr. Hig-
gins"
Why" said Higgins. with a smile of
self-satisfaction, II alters have been
able L put two an two tgether They's
one thing. though, I can't explain AS
I was rushin' up tn steps. | heard tn
openin an shuttin' Of a door"
"Ah," said Godfrey thoughtfully
And there was no one in the hall?"
Not a soul; not a soul in sight"
Are you sure of that?"
Sure! O. course l am. There's a
light I'm tn hall-an', anyway, they
amt no place anybody could hide"
He might have gone into one Of the
other rooms, mightn't her"
They were all locked-Im certain O.
that"
Godfrey took thoughtful puff or
two.
1T was tn girl shot him-y' kin bank
on that" added Higgins with emphasis
But then" objected Godfrey, you
said the report you heard couldn't have
come from her pistol
Continued Next Weekly