The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1910-07-14

Will you give me the link" he said
when | finished. "or. at least, let me
see 1t? l consider 1t a most impor-
ant clew."
Won't the description do?"
Not as well as the original"
We'll. I'm very sorry" | said. as
calmly as l could. 1.-THE thing is
lost. lit must have fallen out Of
4 box on my dressing table"
Whatever he thought of my expla-
nation, and | knew he doubted it. he
made no sign. He asked me to de-
scribe the link accurately, and | did
SO. while he glanced at a list he took
from his pocket.
One set monogram cuff-links," he
read. lone set plain pearl links, one
set cun-links, woman's head set with
diamonds and eneralds. There Is no
mention of such a link as you de-
scribe. and yet, If your theory is right.
Mr.. Armstrong must have taken back
in his cuffs one complete cuff link, and
a half, perhaps, of the other"
h idea was new to me. II ii had
not been the murdered man who had
entered the house that night, who
had 1t been?
There are a number of strange
things connected with this case" the
detective vent on. Miss Gertrude
lnnes testified that she heard some
II fumbling with the lock, that the
door opened, and that almost immedi-
ately the shot was fired. Now, Miss
lines, here is the strange part of that.
Mr.. Armstrong had no key with him.
There was no key in the lock, or on
the floor. In other words. the evi-
dence points absolutely to this: Mr..
Armstrong was admitted to the house
from within"
1T is impossible" I broke in. Mr..
Jameson, do you know what your
words imply? DO you know that
you are practically accusing Gertrude
lnnes of admitting hat mani
Not quite that" he said with his
friendly smile. In fact, Miss lines,
as long as | learn only parts of the
truth, from both you and her. what
can | do? | know you picked up some
thing in the flower bed; you refuse
to tell me what it was. know Miss
Gertrude went back to the billiard
room to get something, she refuses to
say what. You suspect what happened
TO the cuN-link, but you won't tell me.
SO far, all | am sure of is this: | do
not believe Arnold Armstrong was the
midnight visitor who so alarmed you
by dropping-shall we say, a golf.
stick? And | believe that when he
did come he was admitted by some
one in the house. Who knows-it may
have been-Liddy!"
! stirred my tea angrily.
Il have always heard" ] said dry,
ly, that undertakers' assistants are
jOvial young men. A mans sense of
h-mcc seems 20 De III inverse proper.
ton to the gravity of his profession
"A mans sense of humor Is a bar.
barous and a cruel thing, Miss Innes.'
he admitted. 1T is to the feminine
as the hug of a 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 appre,
hensive. and suddenly / remembered
he sea!skin dressing bag IN the
lodge. Thomas came just inside the
door and stood with his head droop-
ing, his eyes, under their shaggy gray
brows, fixed on Mr.. Jameson.
Thomas" said the detective, not
unkindly, II sent for you to tell us
what 0 told Sam Bohannon at the
club, the day before Mr.. Arnold was
found here, dead. Let me see. You
came here Friday night to see Miss
lunes, didn't you? And came to work
here Saturday morning."
For some unexplained reason
Thomas looked relieved.
Vas, sab" he said "You see 1t
were like this: When Mistah Arm
strong and the family went away, Mis-
Watson an me, We was lef' in charge
till the place was rented. Mis- Wat.
son, she've bin here a good while. an
she warn skeery. So she slep' in the
house. I'd bin havin' tokens-I toll
Mis- lines some of 'em-an' slep'
in the lodge. Then n day Mis- Wat
son, she came to me an she SEE, SEE
she: Thomas, you'll hev to sleep up
in the big house. I'm too nervous
to do it any more But | jes' reckon
to myself that of it's too skeery fer
her, it's too skeery fer me. We had
It, then, sho' huff. and 1t ended up
with Mis- Watson stayin' in the lodge
nights an me lookin' fer work at de
club"
Did Mrs. Watson say that any
thing had happened to alarm herr"
mo, sab. She was jes' materially
skeered. Well, that was all, far's |
know. until the night | come over to
see Mis- lines. ! come across the
valley, along the path from the club
house, and | goes home that way.
Down in the creek bottom | almost
run into a He wuz standin' with
his back to me, an he was workin'
with one of these yere electric light
things that fit in yer pocket. He was