The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-03-17

She limited that there were reasons
and she laid my attitude to beastly
motives"
Nonsense ] said, as easily as
could Hotchkiss had gone to the
window She was excited There
are no reasons, whatever, she
means"
Richey put his hand on my shoul-
der We've been together too long to
let any reasons or 'unreasons' come
between us. old man. he said, not
very steadily
Hotchkiss, who had been silent,
here came forward in his most inn
pressive manner, He put his hands
under his coat-tails and coughed.
MIR, Blakeley," he began, by Mr.
Meningitis advice we have arranged
u little interview here tonight. If
all has gone as planned, Mr.. Henry
Pinckney Sullivan is by this time un-
der arrest Within very few min
utes-he will be here"
N0lAtM W LClh w Alh bCloiC i'~
was locked up Richey explained.
Hes clever enough to be worth
knowing, and, besides, I'm not SO
cocksure OF his guilt as our friend the
patch on the seat of government. No
murderer worthy Of the name needs
six different motives for the same
crime beginning with robbery, and
ending with an unpleasant fatherin-
law"
We were all silent for awhile. Nc
Knight stationed himself at win
dow, and Hotchkiss paced the floor
expectantly ITS great day for
modern detective methods" he CHR
ruped. "While the police have been
guarding houses and standing with
/ their mouths open waiting for clews
to fall in and choke them, we have
peced together, bit by bit, a fab
ric--"
The door-belI rang, followed imme-
dately by sounds of footsteps in the
hall Mcknight threw the door open,
and IIotchklss, raised on his toes,
flung out his arm in gesture of su-
perb eloquence.
"Behold-your man" he de-
claimed
Through the open doorway came a
tall, blond fellow clad in light gray,
wearing tan shoes, and followed close
ly by an officer.
Il brought him here as you suggest
ed, Mr.. Mcknight" said the con
stable.
But Mcknight was doubled over the
library table in silent commissions oi
mirth, and | was almost as bad. Lit
tie Hotchkiss stood up, his important
attitude finally changing to one o.
chagrin, while the blond man ceased
to look angry, and became sheepish.
1t was Stuart, our confidential clerl
for the last half dozen years.
Mcknight sat UP and wiped hi
eyes.
; Stuart" he said sternly, there arr
two very serious things we hay'
learned about you. First you 1a|
your scari-pins into your cushion will
your left hand, which is most repre-
hensible; second, you wear-er-nigh'
shirts. instead of pajamas Wofs
than that, perhaps, we find that ON
of them has buttonhole torn out a
the neck"
Stuart was bewildered He locke
from Mcknight to me, and then a
: the crestfallen Hotchkiss.
AZ haven't any idea what it's al
: about" he said. Il was arrested a
reached my clearinghouse to-nigh
after the theater and brought direc
ly here. told the officer it was
. mistake
! Poor Hotchkiss tried bravely t
justify the fiasco
Z You can not deny he contendet
/ "that Mr.. Andrew Bronson followe
+ YOU to your rooms last Monday ey'
ming"
{ Stuart looked at us and flushed.
NO. | u0u utHg " hN 9~ihi "
E there was nothing criminal about !
d on my part, at least. Mr.. Bronson ha
been trying to induce me to secur
: the forged notes for him. But | di
e not even know where they were
! And you were not on the wrecse
s. Washington Flier?" persisted ilotc
kiss. But Mcknight interfered.
There Is no use trying to put Il
other mans identity on Stuart, NJ
Hotchkiss, he protested. He hi
a = been our confidential clerk for 8
- years, and has not been away fro
% the office day for year. a
afraid that the beautiful fabric "
have pieced out of all these scraps
going to be- crazy quilt His tor
% was facetious, but ] could detect II
- !, undercurreut OF real disappointment
p" paid the constable for his troubl
, and he departed Stuart, still ndi
- nant left to go back to Washingtc
Circle. He shook hands with NJ
- =. Knight and myself magnanimousl
but he hurled a look of utter hatr,
~ - at Hotchkiss, sunk crestfallen in h
~ chair.