The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1911-01-06

thought you were in lower ten, with
the notes"
l nodded CURLY.
I'm not trying to defend myself"
he went on. 81 was ready to steal the
uotes-I had to. But murder"
He wiped his forehead with his
handkerchief.
Well, | slipped across and behind
the curtains. 1t was very still. The
man in ten didn't move, although my
heart was humping until l thought he
would hear it.
Il felt around cautiously. 1t was
perfectly dark, and | came across q
bit of chain, about as long as my fin.
ger. 1t seemed a queer thing to find
there, and it was sticky, too"
He shuddered, and l could see All.
sons hands clenching and unclenching
with the strain.
"All at once II struck me that the
man was strangely silent, and I think
I lost my nerve. Anyhow, | drew the
curtains open a little, and let the light
fall on my hands. They were red,
blood-red."
He leaned one hand on the back of
the chair, and was silent for a mo-
ment, as though he lived over again
the awful events Of that more than
awful night.
The stout detective had let his cigar
go out; he was still drawing at II
nervously. Richey had picked up a
paper-weight and was tossing It from
hand to hand; when it slipped and fell
to the floor, a startled shudder passed
through the room.
There IA something glittering in
there" Sullivan resumed, "and on i'm.
pulse I picked it up. Then I dropped
the curtains and stumbled back to my
own berth"
where you wiped your hands on
the bed clothing and stuck the dirk in
to the pillow" Hotchkiss was seeing
his carefully built structure crumbling
to pieces, and he looked chagrined.
Il suppose | did-I'm not very clear
about what happened then. But when
| rallied a little | saw a Russia leath-
er wallet lying in the aisle almost at
my feet, and like a fool, / stuck II,
with the biz OF chain, into my bag.
Il sat there, shivering, for what
seemed hours. 1t was still perfectly
quiet, except for some one snoring. !
thought that would drive me crazy.
The more / thought of it the worse
things looked. The telegram was the
Hrct fhirr n0oinpk ~A-sk xxtny,1d r-k
the police on my track at once, when
it was discovered that the man In low.
er ten had been killed.
Then I remembered the notes, and
I took out the wallet and opened It,"
He stopped for a minute, as II the
recalling of the next occurrence was
almost beyond him.
II took out the wallet" he said sim.
ply, land, opening 1t, held 1t to the
light. In gilt letters was the name,
Simon Harrington"
The detectives were leaning for.
ward now, their eyes On his face.
Things seemed to whirl around for
a while. sat there almost paralyzed,
wondering what this new development
meant for me.
do you believe me now?" He
looked around at us defiantly. II am
telling the absolute truth, and not one
of you believes me!
MY wife, | knew, would swear I
had killed her father; nobody would
be likely to believe the truth.
after a bit the man in lower nine
got up and walked along the aisle to-
ward the smoking compartment. !
heard him go. and, leaning from my
berth, watched him out of sight.
TT was then l got the idsA Of
changing berths with him, getting his
clothes, and leaving the train. ! give
you my word l had no idea of throw.
ing suspicion on him"
Alison looked s~cornfully ixaredu.
lous, but / felt that the man was tell.
ing the truth.
Il changed the numbers Il the
berths, and it worked well. l got into
the other mans berth, and he came
back to mine. The rest was easy. \
dressed In his Enthusiastically, they
ntted-and jumped the train not far
from Baltimore. just before the
wreck"
There Is something else o must
clear up" I said. why did you try to
telephone me from NJ, and why
did you change your mind about the
message?"
He looked astonnded.
"You knew / was at M ne
stammered.
"Yes. we traced you. What about
the messenger"
well, It was this way: OF course.
I did not know your name, MI. Blake
ley. The telegram said: Man with
papers in lower ten, car seven.' and
after I had made what / considered
my escape. I began to think / had left
the man in my berth In a bad way.
ITO BE ~CONTINUEDl