Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1907-12-27

GT wall III the morning thompson was
found at the foot of the wall with his
head cut open and nearly frozen. Ire
maine got clear ava Thompson was
brought around with the greatest diff
Guilty and would say nothing except to
indulge in terrible imprecations against
his companion. You see concluded
Godfrey, looking up, W begin TO get
az the motive
Yes" / agreed. its very plain,
now you've started on the right track.
It's a good deal like Columbus's egg
Godfrey smiled and turned To the
sixth clipping the longest Of them all.
It's that way with most mysteries
he said, and here's the Internal evil
dence that all this theorizing is pretty
straight. It's the clew, too, which we've
been seeking so long"
1T explains Miss Croydon's presence
here?' / asked. intensely interested and
deeply stirred.
Just that" he said, and shot me a
triumphant glance. Let us see If you
can catch it. The clipping is i'm French,
and though my French isn't of the
highest order, | can get the sense OF it
pretty well. 1t is dated S%uresnes, and
is evidently a letter from a provincial
correspondent to a Paris newspaper,
who like most other provincial cores
pondents, is delightfully."- vague. How
ever, / gather from it that on
the night OF September Is, 1891,
a beautiful young English girl
name not given-ran away from
the convent school of the Sacred
Heart at Suresnes and that the next
morning she was safely married to a
gallant Frenchman'-Tremaine, Of
cOurse--by the cure OF the little village
OF Petits Colonies. The marriage was
quite regular-though no doubt the
cures fee was larger than usual-for
the banns had been published as re-
quired. Thus concludes the eloquent
correspondent, does the grand passion
once more prevail over the hypocrises
Of the cloister.' Evidently the cores
pendent is a rabid anti clerical"
But, STILL" I objected, II don't see
that that explains anything"
Let me help you. 1t was this clip
ping / happened to look at first the
night we found the body. / read two
or three lines aloud. then Simmonds
put 1T back In the pocket. 1t must have
been those few lines which told Miss
Croydon the nature OF the clippings
and their Importance to her. The date
line would have been enough to do
that. Besides, If she'G already known
OF them she'd have taken them before
we got here"
You mean Miss Croydon is the girl
who ran away with Tremaine? But
then, she couldn't have been more than
10 or u years old in 1891"
Eleven corrected Godfrey, and l
was struck by the radiant expression
OF his face as he took a yellow paper
from his pocket. Let me read you
two sentences from this old report
concerning the Croydon family-you
ought to have recalled them. my dear
Lester"
G ahead" | said helplessly.
Eldest daughter, Edith, born in
France. August &c, 1874. Educated at
school there. but broke down from
overstudy and returned to Beckenham.
Religion, Catholic Now" he demand
ed, do you understand who it was
married Tremaine at Petits Colombes
in 1912"
At last / saw it. and / could only sit
and stare ut him, marveling at my W
stupidity. This was the key-the key
to the whole enigma. Miss Croydon
had taken her sisters place. had tried
to buy him off. to get him put OF her
sisters way. 1t was Tremaine who had
opened the door-it was Tremaine
whom She had come to the Marathon
to meet. But-and / started upright
since they were Catholics, only his
death could release Mrs. Delroy. Per-
haps 1t was Thompson. after all, and
his death had released her. But no;
and In an instant the whole terrible
position of the elder woman burst up
on me. She was not Delroy's wife,
she was
80" / said hoarsely, '"Tremaine is
then the true husband OF Mrs. Delroy.'
Let us finish the story of the clip
pings before going into that" sug-
gested Godfrey. II confess, / dom
quite see the bearing of this next one
It's a New York dispatch. perhaps to
n London paper. under date of Feb
ruary Is, 1892, and chronicles the loss
II 80 ffn Anr L Tsnvt 49, xxyktI IN - -
I off the coast of Martinique. The Cen
taur was bound from Marseilles te
Fort-de-F France with a cargo OF wines
J and muslins. Let US leave II, for 9
' moment, and pass on to the next one
t which is the last.
s This is dated Sydney, Australia, DC.
tober %, 1895. and relates how a darins
T scheme to rob the Bank of New Soutf
{ Wales was frustrated by a sailor whC
!. had been a member of the gang, bu
: who got frightened and informed tn,
g police. The ringleader. a Frenchman
: was captured n would receive a tern
OF years in prison. There are fou,
: copies OF this clipping, which no doub
means that 1t is the one which Thomp,
son was some times in the habit o
/ sending to Tremaine, to remind him o
I that Australian experience.
S Now, don't % see, we reconstruc
s the whole story. Tremaine, startin,
out as q TAU ana rODDcr, escape
from prison. leaving his partner In tn
lurch, treacherously. no doubt, since 1
: awakened his violent anger-ther
isn't any hatred more vindictive tina
: that OF one criminal for another VIII,
: has betrayed him. Tremaine finall,
goes back to France and succeeds 4
I entangling Edith Croydon, then onl,
: about 16, In a marriage. We know hoy
! fascinating he Is, n It's not won
|. derfui that he should be able to mis-
lead an inexperienced girl. or cours
what he wants Is money. and SO sh
writes to her father. He comes for he
and takes her home-no doubt payin
4 Tremaine a handsome sum to TAX
! himself off-in fact, m~ortgaging hi
: home TO do 1t.
! Miss Croydon gradually recover
but she Is Tremaine's wife. Yet 1
, 1900 she marries Delroy. She mus
!, therefore have had good reason to be
4 lieye Tremaine dead"
Don't you seer cried. That's tn
meaning of that item about the found
ering OF the Centaur. with all on boars
. 1'remalne was n passenger and sh
knew It,"
Good nodded Godfrey. THAT
undoubtedly II. Let me see.' n h
turned back to the clipping. that wa
II In 1892. His name. perhaps, appeare
among the missing. she waited eigh
years. and at last, believing his deaf
h established beyond a doubt. marie
a-ain.