Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-01-18
CHAPTER VII.

dhd Ip lfe Stdlr.
Which room will YOU look at first.
Let US see Mr.. Tremaines room
! first"
Very well, sir" said Thomas. ana
/ opened a door and stood aside 20 let
| us pass.
! There was nothing at all extraor-
dinary about the room. 1t was large,
well-lighted, well-veHtilated well-fur-
nished-just the sort of bedroom one
would naturally expect to find in a lux
urious country-house.
Godfrey cast a glance about it. then
he went 10 one OF the windows. opened
II, and stepped out upon the balcony
lie walked along the balcony to the
end where the heavy creepevs We're
took 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 find anything here
our friend is much too clever to be
caught mapping that way. Thomas. /
suppose this table is just where it was
when Mr. Tremaine had the room p
Yes. sir
Godfrey sat down at it, measuring the
distance from il TO the window.
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.
"WelI?" he called down, coming to
the open window
I can't see you at all" l said.
Il thought so. Come up again"
lie was sitting again at the table
when 1 opened the door.
NOV, take look at il Lester" he
said You'll see that the table Is SO
far away from the window that MS
quite impossible for anyone on the
ground outside TO see "a person sittipa
at IT, Yet Drysdale stated distinctly
tnat he saw Tremaine sitting al the
table writing when he came back from
that mysterious walk. What would you
argue from that?"
That Tremaine had moved the fable
nearer TO the window"
And why should he do that?"
TO get better light. perhaps"
He might have done 1t. in the day-
time, to Get better light. but at night
ne would get q much worse one over
there by The window than here. The
Hshts' you II observe, hang from the
center of the ceiling"
Then he did it," | said, lin order
that he might be seen from outside
That's ii. not only that he mi mt
be seen, but that Drysdale might see
him. l wonder If this is the kind OF
paper he wrote On?"
We keep a supply OF II In all tn
guest rooms sir" volunteered Thomas.
Godfrey took it up and looked
at 1T. II was a plain white linen
of good quality. with the word Edge.
mere embossed in blue at the ton
There We're also on the table pens. an
inkstand and 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 ii were
very faint-yet they seemed 10 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. Il wish
you'd take look at this" and he
pushed the blotter and glass toward
me- What do you make of it,"
l gazed through the glass at the
marks, but for 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
scribbltng a lot OF disconnected letters
on q piece Of paper" ! said, at last. Il
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 go
down and ask MIR Delroy If he has Il
sample Of Mr.. Tremaine's handwriting,
and, if so. Is he will let us see 1t for a
moment?"
Thomas Went out instantly and !
looked at Godfrey in surprise.
You think those marks have some
value2 / asked.
Godfrey drummed absently on the
table ana stared out Of the window.
j don't know he answered: but in
an Investigation Of this kind. no. point
is 100 small to be important We've
got 20 examine everything weigh ev-
erything, pile up every little atom OF
evidence, IL we expect 10 tip the scale
in our direction. It's very probable
that 'Fremaine never made these marks
at an. even If he did. they probably
have no significance. But. in any event.
it won't do any harm to make sure;
and, besides, I'd like to see a sample
of his handwriting, just for its own
sake-the handwriting OF "A man lilI~
that ought to be interesting All, here
is Thomas"
Here's letter, sir" said Thomas.
I Godfrey opened it and glanced at the
contents.
Hes good penman," he said: 'see.
Lester" and he handed me the sheet;
but it's quite different hand from
TIC ptit pAl tHt ONAtA--ltlQCn DEbduel
and more masculine-iust such a hand
as one would naturally expect a man
like Tremaine 10 write"
He examined it again for moment,
then folded 1t up, and handed It back
/ to Thomas.
Perhaps Mr. Delroy will want 1t
again. he said Now let us see Mr.
Drysdales room"
AS he got up from the table, no iced
that he stiil held the blotter in his
hand, and | saw him place it carefully
In an inner pocket. After ALL then, hC
did attach some Importance to ii.
The room which had been occupied
by Drysdale was the coun erpart OF
Tremaine's, but II was in great dis
order. IN open trunk stood in the
middle of the floor. with clothing
strewn about 1t; the bed had not been
made.
we was ordered not Z do anything
toward settin' this room to rights" ex-
planned Thomas apologetically. "till the
coroner set us word we might He
amt sent no word yet"
1t was evident that Drysdale had
been packing very hastily when he was
interrupted by the arrival of the OH
GERS The clothing which was IN the
trunk had been crammed in carelessly
though, OF course, that might have
been done by the coroner after search
ing IT,
"Drysdale evidently didn't spend
much time in bed that night" observed
Godfrey, and Indicated a pile Of cigarot
stubs heaped high on an ash tray on
the able He must have had some
knctty problem to wrestle wi h to neeG
I so many"
He walked slowly about the room
locking at everything keenly, but touch
ms nothing; he stood gazing at the bed
for a long time. Then he turned again
| TO the table.
Here's the diary" he said. picking
UP little book which lay there, SO
Heffelhower didn't get II. Well, guess
| I'd better see that doesn't have an
other chance
He weighed II in his hand. and
couli sec how IL tempted him--perhaps
here lay the very key which he had