The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1912-07-04
The Amateur
DetectWe.~
How an InvestigatorsSolved
a Murder Mystery.
Nv HOWARD FIELDING.
Bv HOWARD FIELDING.

They told me at the railroad station
the way to the Grand hotel. and my
legs followed the directions without
the slightest assistance from my head
| was thinking about something else
all the time, trying to remodel my
brains so that they would be tit to cope
with the problem which confronted me.
When | came to the top OF the four
or five steps which led up to the hotel
veranda / seemed to wake as from a
strenuous dream. My train of thought
ran Off the track and fell into the abyss
Of the subliminal, and there was moth
ing whatever In my mind. found my
self looking at girl In reclining
chair on the veranda. She was pretty
as a flower and had deep blue eyes.
with long, dark lashes. 1t was her
eyes that had walked me.
There was something In her look
which gave me permission to speak.
''This is the Grand hotel" said l.
with the infection Of query.
That's its name," said she, and we
both smiled. The house was three
stories high and Of a very sober de,
sign. II think there Is no one in the
Office" she continued my father will
be here presently"
Her father? Was it possible that
the proprietor Of the Grand hotel in
the town of Attiebury, Aroostook coun-
ty, Me-. had such daughter as this?
I Immediately began to think Of him
as a very superior being, and when
moment later l heard his voice be-
yond the corner OF the house / turned
In that direction with considerable in
terest. I knew that the voice was bis
from the expression of the girls face.
which revealed affection and. to my
surprise, a touch of pain. The tender
ness came first and then the twinge,
rs IL she had remembered something
sad.
Ii the landlord had been common
place man, after this preparation for
his entrance upon the scene, could
never have forgiven him, but he did
not fall below the requirements. He
was sturdy. handsome, thoroughbred
Saxon, precisely the right type to be
his daughters father. His look to-
ward her was all tenderness and no
pain. She was an unmixed JOY to him.
He patted her gently on the shoulder
as he stood beside her chair while
greeting me with that old fashioned
heartiness which SO surprises ha-
bitual dweIler In great cities.
When we had gone into the office
he said, in most agreeably human
way, my little girls been sick. but
she's all right now" and he looked to
me for sympathy. not yainly.
.Tll risk a guess" said |. that she
was never seriously Ill before"
Never a day." said he. Il suppose
that's what frightened me. wasn't
used to It You can have pretty near
your pick Of the rooms" he added.
opening the ledger. We've got scarce
" anybody with us Just now"
Together we went upstairs. and while
1 looked over the rooms on the first
floor up he grew communicative ana
told me, as country innkeepers are
prone to do. the recent happenings In
Attlebury. Business was poor. ne
said, because recent strike troubles had
resulted In the closing down OF one OF
the chief Industries Of the town. This
had resulted In great falling off OF
the trade. and commercial travellers no
longer found 1t worth while to make
their occasional trips, the merchants
preferring to get along with reduced
stocks rather than incur obligations
for goods that seemed destined under
present conditions to remain on their
shelves.
Then he turned to his own affairs
and iamented that he was unable be-
cause of his poverty to give his daugh-
ter the advantages to which her edu-
cation fitted her. II was plain that
his whole thought was devoted to the
welfare Of his child. and, although she
was deprived Of no comfort. still the
fact that he was unable to provide the
iuxuries that he would have lavished
upon her weighed heavily upon him.
With touch of pride he told Of her
success at the academy where she
had been educated and beamed with
tenderness as be related her gratitude
to him. Then he returned to the old
subject of poor business and his in
ability to provide for her as he desired
and according to the manner he had
planned when things were brighter. II
was plain that his poverty was con.
slant source OF worry and unliappiness
to him.
| selected pleasant room and then
went forth upon my business. and
tirst called upon John Henderson.
who ran a bank In Attiebury and wns
making It pay. He was the brother
OF Major Thomas Henderson. editor
and publisher OF q Boston newspaper.