The Washington times., 1911-03-26
TIMES SlOO MYSTERY STORY BEST SOLVED BY MRS FRANCES NJ TOWNR
"Ihe Whole Truth" As Told By Author Of the Story

all eyes and ears for the other direc-
tion-toward- the house. And it is a
great pleasure to state that by the SIM
pie expedient of getting behind a tree
and walking about it as occasion re-
| teresting part Of the show-because Pell
appeared just them"
"Pell eh?"
I'm a slouch hat and a long coat!"
| Barrows murmured. They hadn't
spoken one minute before understood
that they were father and son. When
they had been talking five minutes, I
knew the whole thing!"
"Eh?" Gray interposed.
And they couldn't have arranged it
| better IL it had been rehearsed for
months! Do you know why Pell was
there? Because he wanted to hear the
actual details of the crime again, for
the purpose Of concocting a proper
story. / am almost certain that he came
to you. Gray, and confessed that Wilkes
Deston was responsible for the whole
business! Did he?"
well. I'll be-
"Hushr' Barrows smiled placidly. IF
you couldn't believe the faithful old
family servant, who should you be-
lieve? Anyway. that's what he was
there for, and the idea of his confession
was to stir up a-great hullabaloo and
give the young man here a chance to
make a really clean getaway. 1t seems
that he escaped to the city. found him
self stranded as usual-and came back
here to his poor father for money
! enough to take him out of the country"
RarroWs cleared his throat.
Now for the exact details of what
happened between Monday and Tuesday
OF last week. If 1 am wrong in any
particular, young Pell will correct me.
for he Is convinced that the truth is
his one possible hope now-eh?"
Yes, an make ii the plain trut'!"
said the harsh voice of the prisoner.
With pleasure! Here il is. Between
and o'clock Tuesday morning, Gerald
Forbes, who was evidently not yet
ready for sleep, heard a noise down.
stairs here. He went to Norman's room,
and Norman, who had decided not to
| climb into his own bed until Forbes
I was asleep, came out into the corridor
above. Pell himself, the butler, heard
Norman say distinctly: Get your pis-
| tol; mine is broken
THE noise was caused by this young
man trying TO pick the locks Of the
front door. 1t seems that he had prom
lsed to do this If his father didn't hand
out more money-and l guess the drain
on poor old Pell has been pretty steady
and pretty threatening. At all events
he was outside. Norman and Forbes
started downstairs togethe~, and Forbes
was simply frightened TO death! He
hung back and Norman took the pisto
from him and led the way. &etting the
drift of it?''
Precisely! Precisely! Precisely!
Burton said, eagerly. GO on!''
We'll, they got down to the door just
as the skeleton keys had finished work
PeIl himself was awake by this time
and watching. Norman's idea was tC
throw the doors open, have Forbes turr
on f4le light suddenly, and catch the
burglar. II worked so far as getting
the doors open and turning on the light
but the burglar happened to be this
party, and he grappled with Norman In
a second. As nearly as 1 understand
matters, the scuffle was extremely brief
Norman tried to shoot. Young Pell here
switched his wrist around and-cer'
tainly not by calm design. for ne didn't
have time-the pistol struck Norman's
head and exploded just as his finger had
frightened on the trigger"
But the position-everything about
the body indicated suicide" Gray pu
in.
1T certainly did, and I'll tell you
why later on" Barrows pursued
We'll, Forbes had been standing By
the light, frozen with terror. Th'
second after the shooting. young Pei
realized what had happened and look
ed around for way of escape: he
saw the doors open and concluded
that, as the household would proba'
bly, be out of bed in another ten sec
onds, they'd look there for him first
He started straight back through th'
"And Forbes imagined that he wal
going to be attacked" Burton ejacu
lated. That was 1t! see it now!
We'll. that was exactly what hap,
thought the fellow was after him and
fed headlong for the library. Youns
Pell went straight after him, and, TO
there was a little moonlight tha
the library. pause by the table anC
turn back for an instant and then
seeing that he was pursued, snatcl
up dagger. rip open the window ant
jump outdoors!
"1t was just here that Pell wen
straight after him-he wGS the onl!
eyewitness young Pell knew abou
at the time. I suppose his intention
was to kill Forbes, eh?'
He looked at the prisoner.
81 dunno what L was goin' t do!'
the latter said. $50 help me God.
!: don't. 1 seen him goin' an I knew h
could hang me for what he'd seen. an
1 went after him!"
Just so. At any rate, two or thre
dozen yards fom the house, Forbe
seemed to catch himself, he says. H
turned. all Of a sudden. and raised tn
knife and young Pell grabbed him b
the throat He says that Forbes wa
strong as a lion and that he wrenche
away. And then, instead of trying t
, go on with the fight, he gave on
shriek, dropped the knife ia-his pock
ct and ran like the wind. The younI
man here went after him, chiefly,
really believe, because 1t was good a
any other direction; also. perhaps. be
cause he meant to catch poor Forbe
and finish him.
He had no chance at that, though
= He says that Forbes was yards ahea.
; when he reached a summer house b.
[ the lake. He turned and saw this fel
low running after him in the Aoonlight
He shrfeked again and reached for tn
dagger in his pocket. He shatched
out, and young Pe1l says he saw hand
, kerchief and several other things com
out with it. He drove the thing into hi
heart, apparently in a perfect frenzy o
terror:-and he toppled over the railin
and into the lake. There was one splasl
and-we know the rest!"