The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-01-17

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"Of course" he said. half to himself:
chow dense Of me not to have thought
OF 1t! Now. Thomas. we'll so up
stairs"
CHAPTER VII.
THE KEY TO THE MYSTERY.
Thomas led tho wa through the hall
n up the stair.
str?" he asked.
Let US ses Mr.. Tremaine.s room
first"
Very well. sir. said Thomas. and
opened q door Inc stood aside to let
us pass.
There was nothing at all extraor-
binary about the room. 1t was large,
nished-just the sort of a bedroom one
would naturally expect to find in a luz
urlous country-house. "
Godfrey cast Q glance about 1t. then
ne vent to one Of the windows. opened
It, and stepped out upon the balcony.
end where the heavy creepers were.
took a look at them. and finally came
back to the window. ~
That's all" he said. as ne stepped
through into the room. "Of course. I
didn't expect to find anything here
our TREND u much too clever to be
caught mapping that way. Thomas. I
suppose this table is just where it was
when Mr.. Tremaine had the room?.
Yes, sir"
Godfrey sat down at IT. measuring the
stanc from 1t to the window.
Lester" he said. 81 wish you'd 70
out and come up the walk and nee if
you can see me sitting here" ~
l ran down the stairs and did Az he
directed. but could catch not a rlinnse
OF him. Ivy
"Well?" he called down. coming to
the open window.
- can't see you at ALL" I said.
Il thought 80. Come up again"
He was sitting again at the table
/ when I opened the door.
now: take q look at 1t Lester" he
said. You'll see that the able ia 30
Tar away from the window that it's
quite impossible for anyone on the
at it.. Yet Drysdale stated distinctiy
that he saw Tremaine sitting at the
taoie writing when he came back from
mat mysterious walk. What would Won
argue from tnat?" ~
That Tremaine had moved the table
nearer to the window"
And why should he do thar"
ventured. petAopS' 1
He might have done. 1t. in the day
Ime, to get a better light. but at night
ne would get a much worse one over
there by the window than here. The
lights. youll observe. hang from the
center Of the ceiling"
Then he did It," I said. Gin order
that he might be seen from outside"
1t: not only that he might
De seen. but that Drysdale might see
him. wonder II his IL the kind. Of
paper he wrote on?"
ssVTy. N...-
we Keep a supply Of It in all TIL
guest rooms. sir" volunteered Thomas.
Godfrey took 1t up and looked
Of good quality. with the word Edge.
mere" embossed in blue at the top.
There were also on the table pens. an
inkstand. n two or three blotters. He
turned the blotters over. but only one
OF them showed any sign Of having
been used. n the marks on 1t were
! Godfrey. He bent over them with
puzzled face: then he got out a little
/, magnifying glass and studied them
Lester" he said. at last. II wish
pushed the blotter and glas. toward
me. What do o make Of it,"
I gazed through the glass at the
MARKS. U for q moment could mako
nothing of them. Then they resolved
themselves n a string OF letters
marching backward. fairly distinct at
ness at the other.
somebody seems to have beer
scribbling a lot OF disconnected letters
on 9 piece Of paper" I said. at last. y
can't make out any words. The let
tiers seem to DO mostly Be- and G'sN
yes. n here's an L"
Thomas" said Godfrey, "will you "a
down and ask Mr.. Delroy If he has a
sample II Mt. Tremaine'sI HANDWRITING
and. II &c: u he will let us see it for I
Thomas went out Instantly ana ]
looked at Godfrey In surprise.
you think those marks have SONS
value?" I asked.
Godfrey drummed absently on the
table and stared out of the window.
Il don't know" he answered: but In
an Investigation of this kind. no point
IS too small to be important. We've
got to examine everything. weigh ey.
) erything, pile up every little atom o.
evidence. II we expect to tip the scale
IN Y direction. It's very probabl.
q Tremaine never made these mark,
at all; even II he did. they probabl,
have no significance. But. In any event
1t won't do any harm to make sure
and, besides. I'd like to see a sampl,
: Of his handwriting. just for it's owr
sake-the handwriting Of a man Xix.
7 that ought to be interesting. All, her,
8 Is Thomas.
Here's q letter. sir" said Thomas.
Godfrey opened It and glanced ut tn,
Q contents.
He's a good penman." he said; "see
= Lester" and he handed me the sheet
the one on The blotter-much broade
e and more masculine-just such a han,
p as one would naturally expect a MAJ
d like Tremaine to write.'