Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1908-02-06

''IhiS Is the person 1DhO DlU be Chdrged."
anything without leaving something
behind-a pebble or a piece of coal or
something like that. The match had
clearly been brought in, because when
I asked for matches there were non in
the stand, not ever an empty box, and
the room had not been disturbed; also
the match probably had not been
struck there, nothing having been
heard, although of course a mistake
in this matter was just possible. This
match, then, it was fair to assume, had
been lit somewhere else and blown out
Immediately remarked at the time
that it was very little burned. Plain
ly it could not have been treated thus
for nothing, and the only possible OBJ
ject would have been to prevent 1t
igniting accidentally. Following on
this, it became obvious that the match
was used, for whatever purpose, not as
a match, but merely as a convenient
splinter of wood.
$50 far so good. But on examining
the match very closely observed, as
you can see for yourself, certain rather
sharp indentations in the wood. They
are very small, you see, and scarcely
visible, except upon narrow inspection,
but there they are, and their position
are regular. See, there are two on
each side, each opposite the CORE
spending mark of the other pair. The
match, in fact, would seem to have
been gripped in some fairly sharp in
strument, holding it at two points
above and two below, an instrument, as
1t may at once strike you, not unlike
the beak of a bird.
"Now here was an idea. What living
creature but a bird could possible have
entered Mrs. Heath's window without
a ladder, supposing no ladder to have
been used, or could have got into Mrs.
Armitage's window without lifting the
sash higher than the eight OF ten
inches 1t was already open? Plainly,
nothing. Further, it is significant that
only M article vas stolen at a time,
although others were about. A human
being could have carried any reason
able number, but a bird could only
take one at a time. But why should
a bird carry a match in its beak? Ger.
tatnly 1t must have been trained to do
that for a purpose, and a little consid,
GRAFTON made that purpose pretty clear.
A noisy, chattering bird would proba-
bly, betray itself at once. Therefore 1t
must be trained to keep quiet both
while going and coming.
II thought at once, Of course, Of a
jackdaw or a magpie, but the marks on
the match were much too wide apart
to have been made by the beak Of Ell
ther. I ~conjectured, therefore, that 1t
must be a raven. So that, when we
arrived lei the coach house, I seized
the opportunity Of a little chat with
your groom on the subject Of dogs and
pets in general, and ascertafned that
there was no tame raven in the place.
/ also, incidentally, by getting a light
from the coach house box of matches,
ascertained that the match found was
of the sort generally used about the es-
tablishment-the large. thick, red
topped English match. But I further
found that Mr.. Lloyd had a parrot
which was a most intelligent pet, and
had been trained into comparative
quietness-for a parrot. Also, I learned
that more than once the groom had
met Mr.. LLOYD carrying his parrot un-
der his coat. 1t having. as its owner