The Sisseton weekly standard. (Sisseton, Roberts County, S.D.) 1892-1929, 1907-10-11
CHAPTER III.
A Private Inquiry.


Mr.. Bertram Hank had left the de-
tective department of Scotland Yard
under circumstances not altogether
creditable to himself, but, as nothing
could be proved against him to justify
more than a hint that he had better
resign, the authorities were unable to
prevent him poisoning forth as an
advertising private inquiry agent.
He had been recommended to Sir
Mark by the family solicitors, who
had previously employed him, and had
found him smart and successful. Mr..
Hank had taken up the inquiry en-
trusted TO him by Sir Mark Bretting-
ham with enthusiasm, firstly because
his client was a mar of vast wealth.
and secondly because it was a delicate
family matter, and the knowledge OBJ
tanned in the course of the investiga-
ton might be exceedingly useful later
Mr.. Hank, a gentleman with a close
cropped brown beard %sprinkled with
gray, bowed politely to Sir Mark as he
entered the library of Drycott Hall,
and with a quiet, professional cough
drew a notebook from his pocket.
Sir Mark" he said, Il have not
written you since our last interview
because l had no solid facts to lay be-
fore you. To-day l am, however, in a
position to inform you that my task
is at an end"
You have traced my son? He is
dead?'
Il have traced your son, Sir Mark
he is alive"
The baronet reeled as from a blow.
But he recovered himself with an eff
fort.
You are absolutely sure?"
Absolutely. There is not a single
flaw. Let me briefly tell you what 1
have done. With the information you
gave me l started first at the work.
house at which your wife died. That
was a clue. With considerable trouble
l was able to trace her from casual
ward to casual ward by the name she
had assumed in England-Mary Will
son-the name by which she was reg
1stered on the books of the %workhouse
IN which she died, until she confessed
her real one. You are aware that
every tramp is duly entered in the
books, and has to state the place at
which he or she slept the previous
night. They do not always tell the
truth, but they cannot have tramped
very far in a day."
Yes, yes; go on"
FURNISHED with the dates of this
registration at the various work
houses, it is not a difficult task to find
every one through which they have
passed. Eventually l traced Mary
Wilson to a workhouse in Warwick
shire, where she arrived on Oct. q of
the year she died. In all the places
up to this date she had no child with
her. But on Sept. 10 she was register
ed at a house about fifty miles distant
with a child. Therefore | had presum-
ably arrived at the week in which she
slept in the barn where she left her
child. The farm house, | coniectured.
would be somewhere on the main road
between the two warehouses;"
"Ah, you are keeping me in sus-
pense! Tell me the worst at once!"
Il must give you the facts, Sir
Mark. h period being fixed and the
area defined, l set to work to make ex.
haustlve inquiries. visited dozens of
villages and scores of farmhouses.
Eventually l was successful found
the farm. The farmer whose wife, it
seems, had taken pity on the tramp's
deserted baby was alive. 1 told him
was making inquiries on behalf of a
relative, and begged him to give me
any information he could"
You did not mention my name?'
said Sir Mark, a%nxiously.
NO"
"And the farmer told you"
That he had brought the boy up
and treated him as If he'd been his
own. He was a bright, clever lad
said the farmer, but he turned out a
villain. When he was twenty, and
might have been of some use to me
and have repaid us for our kindness.
he robbed me of a large sum Of money
and ran away
"And o know nothing more of
him?' I asked.
al didn't hear of him again until !
saw his name in the papers. He was
being tried for a robbery. 1t seems he
had enlisted and had robbed an off.
Ger. went to the trial to see if the
prisoner John Wilson was the boy whc
ran away from me, and / found tina,
he was. He was sentenced to a terri
of penal s%ervitude.'"
Mr.. Hank looked up from his notes
The baronet's face was deadly white.
You are i'll, Sir Mark" exclaimed
the detective. Shall l call for as
sistance? Can 1 find the brandy"
mo, no." gasped the unhappy man
go on. He was sentenced to pena
servitude, and now"