The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-01
Che Solutions 81 Radford Sbone


deduction had made him almost a cult
among moneyed people with secrets to
find out. In six months he had become
the talk of the town, as the result of
his recovery of the duchess of Will
ford's Jewels-a case which was hushed
up before it reached the courts, and
with which 1 myself had no official
connection.
My way from my lodgings to the
scene Of the colonePs death led me
along the switchback crest of the
breezy down, amid the succession of
tees, bunkers and greens that formed
the East Loamshire golf course. / had
left the tenth tee behind and was
climbing the slope toward the bunker
"a turf bank with gaps for the pas
sage OF the players-when I heard
voices beyond and, sure enough, on
7-ssing through one of the gaps 1
saw a party Of three gentlemen on the
green below, at the spot which during
the past three days had been the
focus OF nv work
The short, stubby one in breeches
and CATERS l recognized as Mr.. John
Chetwynd, the murdered mans broth
er. He was standing aloof from the
other two, his figure thrown into re-
lief by a sOmber larch grove to the
right Of the green. The next one TO
fill the eye was a tall. loose ointed
man IN city clothes, who was very
slowly crawling, Ventre-a-terre, across
the green, like a gigantic earthworm
taking an airing. The third was a
stout smOoth-faced young man, also
wearing the silk hat and velvet col
Jared overcoat OF the town dweller,
who with clasped hands seemed to be
ecstatiCally following the serpentine
wrigglings Of the prone figure.
L went down to them over the zap
proach," tricky by reason of the stunt
ed heather.
"Ah, here is Inspector Peters" cried
Mr.. Chetwynd. Now you will"
But the man on his stomach twisted
round and shook his head reprovingly,
while Hle fat gentleman in his wake
/ held up warning finger. So halted
in my tracks till, some three minutes
later, Mr.. Radford Shone saw fit to
rise to HIS feet, pocketing the lens with
which he had been examining the
ground. Mr.. Chetwynd introduced us
formally, also the other man, whose
name he gave as Mr.. Samuel Martin.
There was an ingenious honesty and
earnestness about Mr.. Martin which
endeared him to me there and then.
That, by the way for Mr.. Radford
Shone claimed my chief attention.
Running the measure of my eye over
his lean face, I was at once struck by
the singular mobility of his protuber-
ant eyes. 1 had expected something of
what fictionists call latent fire" i'm
the eyes of the celebrated expert,
which would probably be deep set in
CavernOus sockets: but Mr.. Shone's
orbs were like large glass marbles.
never still for a moment. rolling and
goggling after the fashion of trans
parency" advertisements on the un-
foreground railway. His skin was sal
low and none too healthy looking. and
1 wondered how those spindly arms
and legs would serve him in a rough
and-tumble with an ugly customer
But after all, it was his brain that I
was most concerned with, and he was
not long in giving me a sample of its
quality.
well inspector" he began in a high
pitched key, after he had extended a
thin, nervous hand for me to shake,
still cropping in the dark eh?'
still cropping" I assented. with a
laugh. But you have had better luck.
I trust, Mr.. ShOne?"
DO you hear that, Martin ?" he said
turning on his stout friend so suddenly
as to make him jump. Can you be
surprised at the failures of the Off
Cial executive when one of their prin-
cipal men talks about luck in connec-
ton with a simple case like this?"
VERY Grass" I heard Mr.. Martin
murmur in response. He plainly did
not intend the remark to reach nv
ears, but Shone gave him away ruth
lessly by repeating loudly-"Crass in
deed. You are merciful in your
phrases. Martin, and just little silly.
I should have issued quite another
word if I had wanted to be rude-hon-
estly rude-to Inspector Peters
And he cold-shouldered his crestfalI-
en- follower in order to pulverize me
still further.
Luck, Mr.. Peters" he said. does
not belong to the equipment of the
skilled investigator, and I use the
word skilled as distinct from the term
experienced. A man may have all the
experience in the world and yet be de-
void Of skill. Now, I will give you a
lesson in what I mean. Do you see
those two mole hills, one on either side
of the green?"
Yes" I answered curtly, for I was
beginning to be nettled by his discour-
icons assumption of superiority.
Good" he proceeded. Exactly be-
tween those two mole hills. at a spot
in the middle of the green, I hone to
find confirmation of the only logical
explanation of Colonel Chetwynd's
death. Martini"
The stout young man who had been
drinking in his words, stepped for
ward
What is It, shone?" he asked ner-
vously.
This is one OF the rare occasions
when brute strength may come to the
aid-the supplementary aid-of the art
of subtle deduction. Down on your
hands and knees, my friend, and tear
up the turf along the line 1 shall indi-
cate-here, and here. and here"
He pointed with his skinny forefin-
ger to the ground, and Mr. Samuel
Martin, painting with responsibility.
fell upon his allotted task. Mr.. John
Chetwynd, who had not ceased to glare
balefully at me, drew nearer, and /
myself impened by a genuine curios-
ity, followed suit. Mr.. Radford Shone's
detective methods were certainly i'm
pressive to my workaday mind. and
there was no reason why they should
not be brilliant In other words, thew
might arrive by a short cut at the re-
suit for which I had been striving in
my Flooding way through three days
and a half.
Martin grubbed and tore at the turf
his jellybag cheeks shaking With ex-
element. and then, suddenly. Radford