Alaska sentinel., 1907-11-14

being late for an appointment"
 Do you remember handling Mir. Cheeseman's box that day?'
 Yes. took 1t into the private room and afterwards replaced 1t"
 Was that after Mir. Cheeseman had gone?"
 After he had gone out; yes, sir.-
 How old Is Mir. Brinstair?"
 About slxty-ive. I think sir"
 ''In good health?'
 Fairly good. Work has been press. ing rather heavily on him of late. He had an unusually large number of briefs for this circuit"
 Accustomed to work late here?"
 Often"
 "A temperate man"
 strictly"
 Smoker
 Rather excessively, I should say ten or dozen cigars a day"
 Where does he keep his cigars here?"
 Tn a box in the drawer of his desk"
 "Oblige me by bringing the box here"
 The clerk went into the inner room and presently returned with a cigar box In his hand This" he said, "ls the only one I find, and 1t Is empty" Tarrant glanced at 1t, thanked him, and added that he had no further use for It.
 Well, inspector" said Tarrant, a few moments later; that document isn't here. I didn't suppose 1t was, but the time hasn't been wasted. Have you telegraphed to the Mansfield police yet?"
 No" answered the inspector, sur prised. Why"
 Well, 1 should if were you. Ask if a man answering Brinstair's descrip- tion has turned up, wandering In the streets of that town. 1 will come back in about an hour to see if you have an answer"
 They left the offices together, the ln- spector to act on Tarrant's hint, and the latter visited the nearest cigar shops Finally, at one of them, he learned that a gentleman who, from the shopkeeper's account, bore some re semblance to the missing man, came In few evenings before at about ten o'clock and bought a dozen cigars of a special brand not often called for.
 Asked if he had any conversation with this customer, the shopkeeper re piled, Well, now, I most forget. I re member he remarked 1t was hot night, and-oh, yes; he said he won dered if it would be cooler down on the water front. He lit one of the seen him since
 Tarrant wandered down to the water front, also lit a cigar, and leaned on the rail, with his eyes on the traffic on the river. He changed his locality three or four times, al ways, apparently, selecting spot near a seat where one or more of the home less frequenters of these outdoor lodg- lngs were sitting. Presently, an idea or a recollection struggled into the mind of one of the tattered and un- shaven ones, and be frightened up a bit, and called out to Tarrant, "Yer'll lose yer hat, mister, if you aln't keerful.'
 What makes you think so?" asked Tarrant, turning to him.
 "Well; a gent like you comes down here t'other night, and stands asmokin' at the river. an talking to hisself like, an, Gawd bless ye, his hat went over an be nearly went over after 1t. He might have gave me that hat instead O sendin' 1t down the river"
 I'm obliged to you for the informa- ton, my friend. Do you think 1t Is worth a quarterT'
 Thank e. mister; easy earned"
 Tarrant stolled back to Brlnstalr's offices. The inspector met him with an expression of admiration on his face. You hit 1t, MT. Tarrant," he said i; "our man was picked up wandering In the streets of Mansfield last night, quite out of his mind like. Couldn't remember his name, or where he lived, or what he was in Mansfield for. He was detained, and Is being taken care of but how did 1t occur to you, sir|
 "why, such things happen, inspector. There was no good ground to suspect foul play or suicide, and I imagined that a man who had oyerworked and oversmoked himself might collapse like that. You knew he had not turned up in New York. What more likely than he should follow ort a fixed purpose I 41.