Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1909-08-05

the staircase-you see, know about
that-lf this visitor was woman, why
should not the same woman have
come back the following night, met Mr..
Armstrong on the circular staircase,
and in alarm, shot him?"
[ 1T was a man." / reiterated. And
then because / could think Of no other
reason for my statement, I told him
about the pearl cuff-link. He was in
tensely interested.
VIII you give me the link?"' he
said, when | finished, cor, at least let
me see 1t? consider it most impor-
tant clue"
Won't the description do?"
Not as well as the original"
We'll, I'm very sorry" 1 said as
calmly as could, "I--the thing is lost.
lit must have fallen out of box
on my dressing table.
Whatever he thought of my explana-
ton, and I knew he doubted it, he
made no sign. He asked me to des-
cribe the link accurately, and I did so,
while he glanced at a list he took
from his pocket.
"One set monogram cuff-links," he
read, zone set plain pearl links, wom-
ans head set with Diamonds and en-
eralds. There is no mention of such a
| link as you describe, and yet. if your
theory is right, Mr.. Armstrong must
have taken back in his cuffs one COM
plete cuff-link, and a half, perhaps, Of
| the other
The idea was new to me- If it had
not been the murdered man who had
entered the house that night, who had
| it been?
There are number of strange
things connected with this case" the
detective went on. Miss Gertrude In
mes testified that she heard some one
fumbling with the lock, that the door
opened. and that almost Immediately
the shot was fired. Now, Miss Innes,
here is the strange part of that. There
was no key In the lock, or on the floor.
In other words, the evidence points alb
solutely to this: Mr.. Armstrong was
admitted to the house from within
1T is impossible" broke in. "Mr.
Jameson, do you know what your
words imply? Do you know that you
are practically accusing Gertrude In
mes Of admitting the MANI
Not quite that" he said, with his
friendly SMILE I'm fact, Miss Innes,
long as learn only parts of the truth
Z from both you and her. what can do:
i know you picked up something in the
f1ower-bed; you refuse to tell me what
it was. / know Miss Gertrude went
back to the billiard room to get some
thing, she refuses to say what. You
suspect what happened to the cuff-link
but you won't tell me. So far. all l am
lsure of is this: / do not believe Ar
mold Armstrong vas the midnight Wis.
itor who so alarmed you by dropping
shall we say, a golf-stitk? And I be-
lieve that when he did come he was
admitted by some one in the house
Who knows-it may have been-Lid
dy?"
i stirred my tea angrily
''I have always heard" said dryly
chat undertakers' assistants are 10
vial young men. A mans sense Of hu
NOR seems to be in inverse proportion
to the gravity of his profession"
"A mans sense Of humor is a bar
barous and cruel thing, Miss Innes
he admitted ut is to the feminine as
the hug of bear is to the scratch Of
well, anything with claws. Is that you
Thomas? Come in"
Thomas Johnson stood in the door
way. He looked alarmed and apprehen
sive, and suddenly / remembered the
sealskin dressing.bag in the lodge
Thomas came just inside the door ant
stood with nis head dropping, his yes
, under their shaggy gray brows, fixet
i on Mr.. Jameson.
i Thomas" said the detective. no
} unkindiy, II sent for you to tell III
what you told Sam Bohannon at tn,
club, the day before Mr.. Arnold wal
| found here, dead. Let me see. Yo'
came Friday night to see Miss 1nnes
didn't you? And came to work her
, Saturday morning?"
For some unexplained reasol
t Thomas looked relieved.
t "Yes, sah," he said. "You see j
t were like this: When Mistah Arm
strong and the family went away
4 Mis- Watson an me, we was lef' il
! charge till the place was rented. Mis-
Watson, she've bin here good while
/ an she warn't skeery. So she slep' i
r the house I'd bin havin tokens-I to-
Mis- Innes some of 'em-an' slep' i
the lodge, Then one day, Mis- Watson
: she came to me an she sez, sez she
:. Thomas, you'll hev to sleep up in tn
e big house Tin too nervous to do it an
!, more But l jes' reckon to myself
r that if it's too. skeery fer her, It's to
T skeery fer me. We had it, then, sht
d huff, and it ended up with Mis- Watso
r,zrs S-v> --~,-r ,.r1,.-1.r 5--. M NV .vsrvzzxp,