Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1908-09-17

not return for the letters. He could not have known their value He
must have returned for some other reason. and. as he was leaving. saw
the letterbox,, and taking out the letters, held them tooether-so-and
tore them twice across, and then, IS the fire had gone out, tossed them
INTO this basket. Look' he cried, there in the upper corner of this
piece is a Russian stamp. This is his own letter-unopenedn
I'VE examined the Russian stamp and found it had been cancelled
it 81. Petersburg four days ago. The back of the envelope bore the
postmark OF the branch station in upper Sloane Street, and was dated
this morning. The envelope was of official blue paper and we had no
difficulty in finding the two other parts of it. We drew the torn pieces
OF the letter from them and joined them together side by side. There
were but two lines of writing, and this was the message: Il leave Pc
tersburg on the night train, and I shall see you at Trevor Terrace after
dinner Tuesday evening"
""That was last night! Lyle cried. He arrived twelve hours
ahead of his letter-but it came in time-it came in time to hang
himp"
The Baronct struck the table with his hand.
"The name" he demanded. GLOW was it signed? What was the
mans nameY
The young Solicitor rose to his feet and, leaning forward. stretched
out his arm. "There was no name" he cried. "The letter was signed
with only two initials. But engraved at the top of the sheet was the
mans address, That address was The American Embassy, St. Peters
burg, Bureau of the Naval Attache,' and the initials" he shouted. his
voice rising lnoa a. exultant and bitter Cry, "were those of the gentle
man who sits opposite who told us that he was the first to find the muir
dered bodies, the Naval AHache to Russia, Lieutenant sears!'
A strained and awful hush followed the Solicitors words, which
seemed to vibrate like a twanging bowstring that had lust hurled its
bolt. or Andrew, pale and staring, drew away with an exclamation
OF repulsion. His eyes were fastened upon the Naval Attache with
fascinated horror. But the American emitted a sigh of great con-
tent, and sank comfortably into the arm of his chair. He capped bis
hands softly together.
"captal!" he murmured. 81 give you my word I never guessed
what you were driving at. You fooled me, I'll be HANGED if Won
didnt-you certainly fooled me-"
The man with the pearl stud leaned forward with a nervous ges-
ture. "1ush! be careful" he whispered. But at that instant, for
the third time, a servant, fastening through the room, handed him a
piece OF paper which he scanned eagerly. The message or the paper
read, 1.-The light over the Commons is out. The House has risen"
"Hurrah!" he cried. "The House is up! We've WOMB He
caught up his glass, and slapped the Naval Attache violently upon the
shoulder. lie nodded ]oyouslv at him, at the Solicitor, and at the
Queens Messenger. "Gentlemen, to you!" he cried; "my thanks and
my congratulations" He drank deep from his glass, and breathed
forth a long sigh of satisfaction and relief.
"But | say protested the Queens Messenger, shaking his finger
violently at the Solicitor, Chat story won't do. You didn't play fair
-and-and You talked so fast I couldn't make out what it W a all
about. I'll bet You that evidence wouldn't hold in a court of law
you couldn't hang a cat ON such evidence. Your story is condemned
tommyrot. Now my story might have happened, my story bore the
mark"
In the JOY of creation the storytellers had forgotten their audi
ence, until a sudden exclamation from Sir Andrew caused them to turn
guHtly toward him. His face was knit with lines of anger, doubt,
"What does this mean 2" he cried. els this a jest, or ire you mad?
1t you know this man is a murderer, why is he at large? Is this a
game you have been playing? Explain yourselves at once. What
does it mean"
The American, with first a glance a. the others rose and boned
courteouslv
81 am not a murderer, Sir Andrew, believe me" he said "vou need
not be alarmed. AS a matter of fact, at this moment I am much more
afraid of you than you could possibly be of me. I beg you please to
be indulgent. [ assure YOU, W meant no direspect. We have been
matching stories, that is all, pretending that we are people W are not,
endeavoring to entertain YOU with better detective tales than, for in
stance, the last one you read, The Great Rand Robbery"
The Baronet brushed his hand nervously across his forehead.
10 you meah I" e me, he exclaimed, that none of this has
happened? That Lord Chetney is not dead, that his Solicitor did not
lind a letter of yours written from your post in Petersburg, and that
just now, when he charged you with murder, he was in jestw
81 am really very sorry" said the American, "but you see, sir, he
could not have found a letter written by me in St. Petersburg because
l have never been in Petersburg. Until this week, | have never
been outside of my own country. [ am not a naval officer. I am a
writer of short stories. And tonight, when this gentleman told me
that you were fond of detective stories, I thought it would be amusing
to tell you one Of my own-one I had just mapped out this afternoon"
but Lord Chetney is a real person." interrupted the Baronet.
and he did go to Africa two years ago, and he was supposed to have
died there, and his brother, Lord Arthur, has been the heir. And yes.
terday Chetney did return. I read it in the papers"
$50 did I :" assented the American soothinglv; "and it struck me
as being a very good plot fol a story. l mean his unexpected return