The Washington times., 1911-03-17
CHAPTER XIV.
Mr.. Burton Expounds.
ARROwED-down!" Burton
IN repeated thoughtfully.

"
" Boiled right down to one
mani" said Gray. And tina
man is Mr.. Wilkes Deston himself!
The spectacled investigator blinkec
several times before muttering:
''It seems incredible!'
'welI--it does and it Doesn't" Gray
said. rising once more and resuming hi:
walk mo one under the sun can tel
how the mind behind that face is work
ing"
True"
1T may be that this cutting-off by hi!
father had some almighty good reason
in something Wilkes did years ago and
that nobody knows. II may be tha
Deston was right in thinking him in
capable of handling wealth. l dom
know. 1t may be, and very likely is
a proposition that Wilkes has beer
brooding over for years. Then again
it may be that having half the fortune
go to a cousin started him off; witt
both OF them marrIed eventually, yoL
see, Mr.. Wilkes would be cut off for
ever and a day"
But l cannot imagine the mans
numbering his brother
What" Gray started for moment
then he smiled. I forgot your views
Burton. Nobody thinks that he mur
dered his brother. He didn't. Norman
was a witness to the first tragedy and
to my mind beyond any doubt, shot
sending his brother to the electric
Chair"' Gray sighed again. And I'm
most awfully afraid that Norman was
the only eyewitness to the excitement!
Burton shook his head in slow mega
ton.
What steps do you propose to take,
Gray?"
Gray stared at him.
AT this moment, I'm blest If know!
Pray for the eyewitness who doesn t
exist, l guess. If can't turn
anything else over, I'll go and take Mr.
Wilkes Deston privately and confront
him with a circumstantial case that will
make his hair stand on end"
"Tn go armed and wide awake. never
br oke off and took to considering Bur
ton. why the deuce don't you say
something helpful OCCASIONALLY
Burton locked at him, long and
1houghtfully.
Your .cfrcumstantial case, while l
will admit that it needs only a little
strengthening here and there to make
it pretty powerful, does not agree with
one solitary deduction of my own,
Gray!" he said solemnly.
Let's have your deductions!
Not to amUse you" the spectacled
man assured him. L believe that l
shall follow BarroW's lead-but to the
extent of taking the next train for New
York and putting the whole thing be-
hind me-
Not before you air your views" Gray
assured him. Go on, Burton. Won
laugh. You and your funny methods
have accomplished fully as much in the
past as have. We've never struck
anything just like this beforehand III
admit that without a witness l couldn't
hang Deston. Go on!'
Mr.. Burton laid his cigar aside and
folded his hands.
DO you really wish to hear in full
detail the process by which l have
built I'D the only view / can take-the
cnces, and apparently insignificant bits
df past and present history of the par
ties concerned, together with suCn
and psychological data as
have been able to gather and put to-
gether?"
"WelI-in moderation" Gray smiled.
stick to the main conclusions, Burton.
Those are what l want to hear most of
1.-The strictly chronological data,
are, of course, rough in the extreme
although l may decide to examine
Forbes head more thoroughly later in
the day., Burton began. Such psy-
Geological conclusions as I have been
able TO form have, of necessity, been
built upon premises coming at second
hand, although, as stated before,
from a most careful study of this Mr..
Barker l have gained implicit faith in
tion and character estimate. A snap
shot photograph, too-and particular
ly such excellent ones as have been at
hand in this CaSe-is usually more
than the professional ar
tiCIe, so that l have really consider
able confidence in the strongly mark
ed elements of the several faces, al
though" He faced Gray squarely
and found that that gentleman was
Slancing absently across the room. Il
say that young Deston was murdered
and his cousin committed Suicide!"
he stated. loudly.
Gray turned back.
Why do you say it"
In DeStOnS case because his whole
character his life history as revealed
IN a thousand bits l have gathered
from Barker and the brother during
Your absence, his face, his head. his
every mental process make him one
OF the few men to whom suicide
would be an impossibility. Yet he
was shot to death. And since he could
not Kill himself, some one must have
killed HIM"
Burton stared defiantlv. Grsv nod
ded unsmilingly.
And as to Forbes?"
Ihere l am not so entirely GER
tam. burton confessed. But tak
ing several facts into consideration.
here is what have to ofrer. | Will r{ot
make it a positive statement. hut
believe that Wilkes Deston is as in
capable of murder as his brother was
of suicide or murder. either" He
cleared his throat. Now! 1t wouId
have taken a powerful man to over
whelm Forbes, eh?"
1T did"
In a word. there would have been
a mighty fight before any one could
stab him?"
Beyond any question-particuIarly
IN the high keyed state he seems to
have been in that night"
And has it not been your general
observation that when one man is
confronted with the certainty that
another intends to Kill him. he will
put up the very hardest, the most
fight that lies in him?"
"Of course"
Then, Gray" said Burton keenly,
will you tell me why there are abso-
lutely no signs of such a struggle on
the body? Even his necktie is not
markedly disarranged. Those big
show that somebody
gripped him hard for a moment, some
little time before mis- death, above the
low-cut collar. and that is all they do
show! The attempt to assault stopped \
right there! And why wasn't wilkes
wearing some signs of battIe?'' The
pale eyes blinked fast There wasn't
a mark on HIS face the first day we
saw him. looked most closely"
''Humph"
"Now you will admit that Norman
could have made those fnger-prints |