Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-02-15


4 the mention Of Mackay's name, curl
/ Osity had filed my mind as to what
! his researches would be in that d.
/ rectiOn. I had gone to Mrs. Dace's
with the mention of LeDuc's name
] that she might understand why I had
: repeated to him conversations which
I had occurred between herself and
! myself, that she might not feel that
l had tattIe-taled our private talks
without explaining the reason to her.
! But though I had paved the way by
/ which he might have had a confden-
! tial business chat with her. if he had
! ayailed himself of the opportunity it
! had not come to my knowledge That
/ LeDuc might. now have full informa-
! ton Of what I had done and feel at
/ liberty to interview her should he
/ desire, I now told him Of my talk
\ upon the subject with her; telling him
I that she had denied absolutely having
| repeated my half condolences to any
! one. and had seemed to be amused at
/ the idea that Janet was anything more
/ or less than an autOmaton. This in
| formation he received without COM
ment beyond the paradoxial remark
/ that he could not remember that he
/ had forgotten anything What else
/ have you got to tell me?" I urged in
/ finishing He closed his lips so
tightly around his cigar that it re-
/ sembIed a nail driven into a crack
/ and appeared to be filing himself to
| his toes with smoke as he reflected.
/ Presently he expelled the smoke from
/ his mouth after the manner of nur-
sery dragon.
Z don't know whether I am acting
wisely or not, but under your promise
to divulge nothing you may learn
! from me without my consent I am go
ing to risk it. know that you be
lieve in your cousin Bruce's honesty"
Implicitly"
But do you happen to know that
he has somehow or other managed to
| come into active control of enough
money to resume his operations on
change on a rather liberal scaIe?" he
| queried with a thin smile. I was as
tonished and told him so.
Well, he has" he pursued assert
/ lively. Furthermore, he is carrying
on his operations under some name
which does not sound at all like his
own. You look surprised That's the
way I felt when I first found this
out"
I Illuminated. But certainly he
would not be fool enough to openly
a@d VIGOROUSLY and under our very
noses begin the use of money dishon-
estly obtained almost the day after
the commission of a crime which |
he knows he has not absoIved himself |
off" I cried. LeDuc looked at me
queerly.
That is what almost any one
would think under first impulse. But /
when you are dealing with criminals T
you must remember that they do not |
reason and act just as do honest men. |
When a sane man takes his life and /
liberty in his hand and commits a
desperate crime, he is of necessity 7
more or less regardless OF cOnse- /
quences, as well as being driven by T
strong pressure. And in nearly all I
cases it is because Of this reckless
commit the crime itself with a skill |
and caution that is almost more than
human, yet the next day is apt to go
out and DO something so foolish that /
it instantly attracts attention to him.
For instance, having had no money
before, he now begins to spend it
layishly; or becoming under the in
ftuence of liquor boast or let things
drop that sound queer. If it were not
for these peculiarities Of the criminal T
make up, and the fact that he general
ly makes a confident of some woman
who betrays him, the road Of the
criminal would be comparatively safe
and that of the detective an unhappy
one"
But I cannot believe that there is
anything crooked about Bruce. De
ceit is foreign to his whole nature"
My friend thrust one hand in his
pocket.
Does he ever smoke cigarettes?"
he smiled
Frequently
any particular brandt"
paused to reflect. st think so. AS |
I remember, those that I have seen
were invariably Turkish abomfna-
ton with a serrated gilt band for a
mOuthpiece. What is your reason for
asking me that?" He withdrew his I
hand from beneath the table and /
tossed half-smoked specimen Of the |
species which I had been describing /
on the table before me. I looked at |
him inquiTingly.
I found that in the hallway of |
your house near the closet where
your uncle had been confined Per |
haps you noticed at the time that I /
picked up something which I did not [
show you"
Silently I sat trying to read his /
blank eyes. But as for divining what /
lay behind them I might as well have /
gazed at windows back of which the I
IL,