Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1908-01-17
CHAPTER VII.
THE KEY TO THE MYSTERY.

THE KEY TO THE MYSTERY.
Thomas led the way through the hall
and up the stair.
Which room win you look at first,
sir ?" he asked.
Let us see Mr.. Tremaine's room
first"
Very well. sir" said Thomas. and
opened a door and stood aside 10 let
us pass.
There was nothing at all extraor-
binary about the room. 1t was large.
well-lighted, well-veHtilated, well-fur-
nished-just the sort OF a bedroom one
would naturally expect to find in a lux
urious countTy-house.
Godfrey cast a glance about It, then
he went to one of the windows. opened
II, and stepped out upon the balcony.
He walked along the balcony 80 the
end where the heavy creepers were,
took a look at them. and finally came
back to the window.
That's ALL" he said. as he stepped
through into the room. "Of course. [
didn't expect to ind anything here
our friend Is much too clever to be
caught mapping that way. Thomas, I
suppose this table is just where 1t was
when Mr.. Tremaine had the ROOM"
Yes, sir"
Godfrey sat down at it. measuring the
ulSldICt from III TO the u
Lester" he said, II wish you'd go
out and come up the walk and see IL
you can see me sitting here"
/ ran down the stairs and did as he
directed. but could catch not a glimpse
of him.
"Well?' he called down, coming to
the open window.
Il can't see you at ALL" I said.
II thought so. Come up again.
lie was sitting again at the table
when / opened the door.
Now, take a look at 1t Lester" he
said. You'll see that the table is so
far away from the window that it's
quite impossible for anyone on the
ground outside to see a person sitting
at 1t. Yet Drysdale stated distinctly
that he saw Tremaine sitting at the
table writing when he came back from
that mysterious walk. What would you
argue from that?"
THAT Tremaine had moved the table
nearer to the window"
And why should he do that?,
Ito get a better light, perhaps I
ventured.
He might have lone It, in the day
time. to get a better light. but at night
he would get a much worse one over
there by the window than here. The
lights, you'll observe. hang from the
center OF the ceiling
Then he did It," I said. "in order
that he might be seen from outside"
That's It; not only that he might
be seen, but that Drysdale might see
him. ! wonder IL this is the kind OF
paper he wrote on?"
w keep a supply OF II in all tn
guest rooms. sir volunteered Thomas.
Godfrey took 1t up and looked
at II. II was a plain white linen
OF good quality. with the WORD Edge
mere" embossed I'm blue at the top.
There were also on the table pens, an
inkstand. and two or three blotters. He
turned the btotters over. but only one
of them showed any sign of having
very faint-yet they seemed TO interest
Godfrey. He bent over them with
puzzled face; then he got out a little
magnifying glass and studied them
again.
Lester" he said. at last. II wish
you'd take a look at this" and he
pushed the blotter and glass toward
me. What do you max of it,"
/ gazed through the glass at the
marks, but for a moment could make
nothing of them. Then they resolved
themselves into a string of letter,
marching backward. fairly distinct al
one end but fading away to nothing.
ness at the other.
Somebody seems to have beer
scribbling a lot OF disconnected letter,
on a piece of paper l said. at last. :.
can't make out any words. The let.
ters seem to be mostly BIS and G's-
yes. and here's an l."
Thomas" said Godfrey, will you z,
down and ask Mr.. Delroy IL he has
sample of Mr.. Tremalne's handwriting
and. IL so. Is he will let US see II for
moment?"
Thomas went out instantly and
looked at Godfrey in surprise.
You think those marks nave som
value?" I asked.
Godfrey drummed absently on tn
table and stared out of the window.
Il don't know" he answered: but |
an investigation of this kind, no poir
is too small to be important. View
got to examine everything. weigh CIV
erything. pile up every little atom {
evidence, IL we expect to tip the seal
In our direction. It's very probab
that Trcmaine never made these marx
at all; even IL he did. they probabl
have no significance. But. In any eve
IL won't do II harm to make surs
anu, besides. I'd like to see a samp
: of his handwriting. just for its ow
sake-the handwriting of a man III
1 that ought to be interesting. All, hel
is Thomas
e Here's a letter. sir" said Thomas.
Godfrey opened X and glanced at Il
O contents.
He's a good penman." he said: Use
y Lester" and he handed me the shee
but It's quite n different hand fro
the one on the bio.ter-much broad
and more masculine-just such a har
p as one would naturally expect 8. ms
a like Tremaine to WRITE
He examined II again for a momer
IS then folded II up. and handed IL ba,
10 Thomas,
" Perhaps MIR. petroy will want
" again" he said. "Now let Us see NJ
m Drysdale's room"
Az he got up from the table. I motto,
Id that he still held the blottcr In n
hand. and ! saw him place II careful