The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-05-29
xi.-continued.

rpy doublet. through which the BLOOD
was oozing fest. 1 made no doubt tina
i was O dead man, for 1 had never beer
~woundedein this way before. and tn.
blood scared me. l remember my pre-
vatling tden was a kind Of stunned pit.
Gor myself. Perhaps later hope 80
l should have come to think Of Pc
tron.lla and my uncle and other Deo-
pie. But before this stage was reached
the duchess rcassured me. Courage
lad" she cried heartily. ut is all
right. Dick. The villain struck him on
tile breast bone. an inch too low. and
has just ripped IN a scrap of skin. II
has FLOODED him tor the spring. that Is
all, A bit OF plaster
And q drink OF strong waters" sug
Eested the Dutchman soberly: his
choughts were always to the point when
they came.
yes. that. too" quoth my lady. "and
ne will be al! right"
1 thought SO myself when I had
emptied n cup they offered me.
events of the day. The sight of. blood
mad further upset me. l really think
1t possible l might have died of this
slight hurt and my imagination if !
mad been left to myself. But the
duchess assurance and the draft of
blood through my veins. made me feel
ashamed of myself. II tho duchess
would have let me. I would at once have
gone to search the premises. AS 1t
WAS. she made me silt still while she
q to and fro for hot water and plas-
Ger. and the men searched the lower
rooms and secured the doc afresh.
And so you could see nothing Of
hlm?" our host asked when he and
Master BERTHE returned. weapons in
hand. Nothing OF his figure or fuce?"
Nothing, save. that he was short" !
NH1EEk0 A~Ad e. tsN..l La - Z 800 H. ~ ~-..
rate, and I fancy Il good DEAL
good deal shorter than you are?'
my lady said uneasfiy. THAT is no
clew. In his unit nine people out
OK ~ are that. Clarence. now. is not
No" 1 said. "He is about the same
height. IL was not Clarence"
Then who could 1T be?" she NUT
tered. rising and then with y quick
ahudder sitting down again. Heaven
help us. we seem TO be in the midst of
9 What could be the motive? And
why should the villain have SELECTED
you Why pick you out?"
Ihereupon q strange thing happened.
Ihree pairs of English eyes mel and
slgnaled a onmon message eye to
eye. No word passed. but the message
wass"Vnn Tree!" When we had glanced
at one another. we looked all OF us at
bur host-looised somewhat guilttly. He
was deep in thought. his eyes on the
stove. but he seemed to feel our gaze
upon him. and he looked up abruptly.
Master Van Trce'-he said and
stopped.
said. appealing to him softly. We felt
q kline of sorrow for him and some deli
cacy. too. about accusing one of his
countrymen OF q thing so cowardly.
DC Won think 1t Is possible" she con-
ne can have done this. Master Lind
Strom?"
II have known him from q boy" the
merchant said. looking up. a hand on
either knee. and speaking with q sim
Pllctty almost majestic. "and never
knew him do q mean thing, madam
know no more than that And he
looked round on us.
That is q good deal. ,Stin he went
ON In. a ut OF te.fDusy when Master
Carey brought Dy,nphna horne. W.
must remember that"
Yes. I would lie knew the rights Of
snat matter" said the Dutchman
heartily.
and he has been hanging about the
place al day." my lady persisted.
Master Lindstrom rejoined pa
tiently. yet l do not think he did this
'"Then who did?' she said, somewhat
nettled.
That was the question. I had my
opinion. as l saw Master BERTHE and
the duchess had. l did not doubt 1t
Mas Van Tree. yet q thought struck me.
1T might be WELL" I suggested. "that
someone should ask Mistress Anne
whether the door was open when abe
keft the room. She passed out lust In
front of me-
but she does not go by the door.
my lady objected.
No: h would turn at once and ga
up stairs" l agreed. But she could
zee the door from the foot OF the stairs
I'll. she looked that way. l mean"
Ine duchess assented and went out
OF the room to put the question. We
Smree. leIt together. sat staring at the
4ull fame of the lamp and were for
the most part silent. Master Berthe only
remarktng that 1t was after midnight.
The suspicion he and 1 entertained of
9 Trees guilt seemed to raise a bar
saer et%een as and our host. My
h,,r ~ s,lghe as It was. snarted and
OuIheo and my head ached. After
been! "au
Vhen the duchess came back, as she
qid IN q few minutes. both Anne and
pympnna came with her. The girls
with cold and alarm. Their eyes were
pright. their manner was excited. They
were luil or sympathy and horror and
Wonder. as was natural, Of nervous
rear Tor themselves. too But my lady
cut shert their EXPLANATIONS.
Anne said che did not notice the
door" she said.
NO" the girl answered, trembling
vlsibly. as She spoke. 81 went up
straight to bed. But who could it be?
Did you see nothing of him as he
struck you? No a feature? Not an
o%utline?"
NO." I murmured.
Did he not say u word?" she con-
tinued. with strange insistence. WAS
he tall or short? Her lark eyes,
dwelling On mine, seemed to probe my
thoughts. as though they challenged
me to keep anything back from her.
Was 1t the mar you hurt this morn
ing??" she suggested.
NO." ! answered, reluctantly. This
man was short"
Short. was he? Was 1T Master Van
Tree, them"
We. who felt also certain that it was
Van Tree, started nevertheless at hear
ing the charge put into words before
Dymphna. l wondered. and l think the
others did. too, al Mistress Anne's
harshness. Even my lacy. so blunt and
~outsp0ken by nature. had shrunk from
trying to question the Dutch girl about
her lover. We looked at Dymphna
wondering how h would take it.
We had forgotten that she could not
understand English. But this did no,
serve her. for without a pause Mistres.