The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1910-08-26

webs to entangle him, is caught In a
sheet of fly paper, finds himself more
and more mired, and is finally quiet
with the sticky stiffness OF despair?
Well, I was the fly. l had seen too
much of circumstantial evidence to
have any belief that the establishing
Of my identity would weigh much
against the other discriminating de-
tails. 1t meant Imprisonment and
trial, probably, with all the notoriety
and loss of practice they would en-
tail. A man thinks quickly at a time
like that. All the probable conse'
quenCes OF the finding Of that pocket,
book flashed through my mind as ex-
tended my hand to take it. Then
drew my arm back.
Il don't want it," / said. Look in
side. Maybe the other man took the
money and left the wallet"
The conductor opened it, and again
there was a curious surging forward
Of the crowd. To my intense disap-
polntment the money was still there.
l stood blankly miserable while 1t
was counted out-fve 800 bills, six
twenties and some fives and ones that
brought the total to $3.50.
The little man with the notebook
insisted on taking the numbers of the
notes, to the conductors annoyance.
1t was immaterial to me: Small things
had lost their power to iTritate. l was
seeing myself in the prisoners box,
going through all the nerVe-racking
routine Of a trial for murder-the chal-
longing of the jury, the endless cross
examinations, the alternate hope and
fear. | believe | said before that l
had no nerves, but for a few minutes
ever comes to hysteria.
I folded my arms and gave myself
a mental shake. ] seemed to be the
center of a hundred eyes, expressing
every shade of doubt and distrust, but
| tried not to finch. Then some IA
created a diversion.
The amateur detective was busy
again with the sealskin bag, investi-
eating the make of the safety razor
and the manufacturers name on the
~bronze-green tie. Now, however, he
paused and frowned, as though some
pet theory had been upset.
Then from a corner of the bag he
drew out and held up for our inspec-
ton some three inches Of fine gold
chain, one end of which was black
ened and stained with blood!
The conductor held out his hand for
it, but the little man was not ready
to give it up. He turned to me.
"You say no watch was left you?
Was there apiece of chain like that?"
mo chain at ALL" I said sulkily. mo
jewelry of any kind, except plain gold
buttons in the shirt / am wearing"
Where are your ~glasses?" he
threw at me suddenly; instinctively
my hand went to my eyes. My glasses
had been gone all morning, and / had
not even noticed their absence. The
little man smiled cynically and held
out the chain.
II must ask you to examine this"
he insisted. isn't it a part of the fine
gold chain you wear over your carr"
! didn't want to touch the thing:
The stain at the end made me shud-
der. But with a bakers dozen of sus-
picious eyes-well, Wen say 14-there
were no one-eyed men-I took the
fragment in the tips of my fingers and
looked at 1t helplessly.
Very fine chains are much alike"
/ managed to say. For all | know,
this may be mine. but I don't know
how it got into that sealskin bag. l
never saw the bag until this morning
after daylight"