The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1908-01-16
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 will 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 to let
US pass.
There was nothing at all extraor-
binary about the room. 1t was large,
well-lighted. weil-ventilated. well-fur-
n~ished--Just the sort OF a bedroom one
would naturally expect to find In a lux
urlous country-house.
Godfrey cast a glance about II. then
he went to one of the windows. opened
It, and stepped out upon the balcony.
He walked along the balcony to the
END where the heavy creepers were.
took a look at them, n finally came
back TO the window.
That's ALL" he said, as ne stepped
through into h room. "Of course, I
didn't expect to And anything here
our friend Is much too clever to be
caught napping that way. Thomas, I
suppose this table is just where 1t was
when Mr.. Tremaine q the room?"
Yes, sir .b
Godfrey sat down at II. measuring the
distance from II to the window.
Lester" he said, IT wish you'd go
out and come up the walk and see if
you can see me sitting here"
1 ran down the stairs and did as he
OF him.
"Weli?" he called down. coming to
the open window.
II can't see you at all" I said.
II thought so. Come up again"
He was sitting again ar the table
when I opened the door.
Now, take a look at IL Lester" he
said. "Youu see that the table Ia so
far away from the window that fits
quite impossible for anyone on the
ground outside to see a person sitting
ut 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 tnat?"
That Tremaine had moved the table
nearer to the window"
And why should he do that?'
ITO get a better light. perhaps" I
ventured.
HI might have done 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
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 if this is the kind of
paper he wrote on?''
I'VE keep a supply OF 1t I'm all tn
guest rooms. SIR" volunteered Thomas
Godfrey too II 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. and the marks on It were
very faint-yet they seemed to interest
Godfrey. He bent over them with
puzzled face: hen he got out a little
magnifying glass n studied them
again.
Lester" he said. at last, ri wish
you'd take a look at this" and he
pushed h blotter n glass toward
me. VIVA do you make OF it,"
! gazed through the glass at the
marks, but for a moment could mako
nothing Of them. Then they resolved
themselves into a string OF letters
marching backward. fairly distinct al
one end but fading away to nothing
ness at the other.
Somebody seems to have been
scribbling a lot OF disconnected letters
IN a piece Of paper" I said. at last. II
can't make out any words. The let
tiers seem to be mostly BIS and G's-
yes. and here's an l."
Thomas" said Godfrey. will you "a
down n ask Mr.. Delroy II he has n
I sample II MT. Tremaine's handwriting
! and, IL sc, Is he viii let US see 1t for q
moment"
/ Thomas went out instantly and
looked at Godfrey In surprise.
You think those marks have SOM
valueT" I asked ..r.
, Godfrey drummed abseptly on the
= table and stared out OF the window.
II don't know" he answered; but Ir
: an investigation Of this kind, no poinr
Is too small to be important. View,
got to examine everything, weigh ev'
erything. pile up every little atom o
evidence, IL we expect TO tip the seal,
in u direction. It's very probabl
that Tremaine new mad these mark
: at all: eve IL he did. they probabl.
have no significance. But, In any ever
Ii won't do any harm to make sure
Q and. besides. I'd like to see a sampl
: OF his handwriting, just for it's owl
sake-the handwriting OF a man Xix
that ought to be interesting. All, her
g is Thomas"
Q Here's a letter. sir" said Thomas.
Godfrey opened 1t and glanced at tn
o contents.
He's a good penman," he said; "set
y Lester" and he handed me the sheet
but It's quite a different hand fror
the one on the blotter-much broade
q and more masculine-just such a han
p as one would naturally expect a ma
d like Tremaine to write"
He examined it again for a momen
then folded 1t up. N handed 1t bac
to Thomas.
VI Perhaps Mr.. Deiroy viii want
again." he said. "Now let US see M
n Drysdale's room"
AS he got up from the table, I notice
a that he still held the blotter in hi