Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1909-08-04

sit up and say something. Then we
shall have him where we want him."
Yes, l gesso," said Symonds, eye
ing the doctor. He suspected malice
on account of the proposition he had
made to rifle Hines pockets, and
which had been so contemptuously re-
fused. However, the doctors face
was straight and, muttering, the de-
tective entered the parlor. The next
instant a loud imprecation from the
wounded man and string of lurid ad-
jectives following from the same
source Indicated that the detective
might not feel above spite, whatever
stand others might take.
The doctor entered quickly at the
sound of the voice.
'Ah, this is good" he cried. 81 was
sure you would come around in few
minutes. But you mustn't excite your
self. Drink this and then you will be
able to tell us who assaulted you
For a moment Hines looked as if he
would like to charge the assault to
the detective, who stood woodenly re-
peating that he lad only meant to do
the invalid kindness by removing his
left shoe. But he swallowed the medi-
cine presently and, passing the glass
back, said
The man who shot me was Charlie
Mains"
The doctor examined him keenly as
he made the statement, and the detec-
tive thought, He's lying What for?"
And then he asked:
Tell us how it happened?"
Il scarcely know myself" Hines an
swered. He paused to consider, and
both men knew by the expression of
the eyes that they were about to hear
an invention and not the truth, at all
events not the whole truth. Charlie
wished me to lend him some money"
he finally went on, land l couldn't,
because l had none. He wrote to me
several times about it. One of his
the inner room. Would you mind
getting the bunch of letters on my
desk?" He looked at the detective.
III show you"
Symonds knew that the note re-
ferred to was the one in his own
pocket. The signature &C." then, was
not that Of Clements, but stood for
Charlie" While he fastened into
the study and brought out the letters,
placing the one wanted among them,
he was thinking, How bally easy it is
to raise false bunch! I'd have
crossed my throat that c. meant
Clements F."
Hines selected the note from the
pile and read it aloud, and then held
it up for them to see.
There's the date on the envelope"
he said, and there's the C. for
Charlie. The appointment was for
to-day, and he kept it. l could not
raise the money, and he said / could if
l wished, but wouldn't. We had
words and he struck me. Then he
grabbed my revolver from the table
and let me have it. didn't know any
thing after that"
The detective watched him with all
his eyes. Why did he think it neces-
sary to go into details, fortifying the
story with proofs? The natural way
would be for him to make the charge,
leaving the details and proofs until
they were called for. And then if
the story were true, where did Gle
ments come in? The lodging mistress,
who knew him, had admitted him to
the house at two minutes of three.
scarcely 20 minutes before the shoot
ing. Was Clements the guilty one,
and was the victim trying to screen
him? If so, why? And why should
he accuse Mains falsely? Moreover,
what about those hurrying women
heard by the young man in the hall
the very moment after the shooting?
Hines probably felt that the detec-
tive was skeptical, for after gazing
from him to the physician, neither of
whom spoke word in comment,
fact that must have struck him as
queer, to say the least, in the circum-
stances, he drew another paper from
his pocket, saying, as if to cap the
climax of proof:
This is the note in which he men
lions what he wants-ten thousand"
Ten thousand" Symonds ex-
claimed. Then he whistled softly.
Yes. You see how cautious he was
about tit is in cipher
He held it toward them and they
saw that it was the one the detective
had copied.
What does it say?'' asked sy-
monds.
He put it to his near-s;ghted eyes
and read slowly:
Il shall come Monday at three.
bringing receipt for $4,000, which
shall expect to find ready. Send me
your door key and have the way clear.
must not be SEEN"
..Ah, that's how he got in,' Sy-
monds exclaimed But" he added.
why didn't he want to be SEEM"
The patient waved his hand.
ASK me an easier one-he's
queer case. " he answered. And he
added the afterthought, perhaps he
fI,;c :.