The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1913-03-20
way to a lowered brow and purseo

way to a lowered brow and pursed
lips
"A tattoo mark on his left arm?"
ne repeated. slowly. There's no such
thing there"
But there is" 1 insisted; there is.
1t least. on the left arm of the man
you've been treating"
Dr.. Massey was still thoughtful.
There Is some mistake" he decic-
ed.
mo, there is no mistake" I as
sured him. "Miss Grayson's eyes
were better than either yours or mine.
She saw at once that this outlaw was
not her uncle. and you and I fancied
We knew better. If you are still un.
convinced, doctor, I'll run you up in
my car, which is at the door, and
you shall satisfy yourself. Meanwhile
I'll give you some Of the confirma-
tory evidence"
He went with me; and to him and
O'Hara, at the same time. I related
the dumfounding occurrences Of the
previous night.
"And what did this McNlsh say?"
the doctor inquired. when I had fin.
fshed. did he admit the masque-
rade?"
"He became delirious. There was
no getting a sensible word from him.
My own idea IL that the delirium was
feigned."
Possibly"
isn't 1t equally possible. DOCTOR
I asked chat he has been feigning
since the frstf"
"No." was his answer. II don't
think 30. He may have exaggerated
his symptoms. when conscious. to
gain time; but II he had been able to
think clearly he would have secured
that letter before last night. You may
rest assured that that was the FIST
opportunity he had. after regaining
the power Of thought continuity. And
STILL" he continued. Fl am not en-.
tirely convinced that he is not Rob.
ert Cameron. II it is merely a resem.
blance. as you claim. then 1t is the
most remarkable case Of likeness that
I have ever encountered. Moreover.
there is one thing we must not lose
sight Of. His abductors. as has been
demonstrated by everything they have
done, are an unusually clever and
cunning lot Of men. To counterfeit
age, so far as the tattoo mark is con
cerned, is not so difficult as you might
imagine; and I should have to see the
scar before admitting that 1t is not OF
recent origin The letter might have
been a forgery. or a real letter. Sc
cured and placed in Cameron's pocket
for this very purpose. And hypnotic
suggestion would easily explain his de-
sire to secure and destroy It. The use
Of a foreign tongue in his dementia
even. could be accounted for in the
same way"
It was natural that DR.. Massey
should exert his ingenuity to reconcile
these divergent points. To him II
seemed. as it had to me, that a mis-
take as to the identity of the patient
was incredible. But now I simply
shook my head in negation..
"Wait until you see him again, do"
tor" / requested. "Wait until you reat
his face, not for what is on the sur
face but for what is behind It,"
The motor. drawing a swift diagona
to the curb, came creepingly to a hall
before the Cameron house. AS I was
about to alight, DR.. Massey laid a de
tanning hand on my arm.
'1f your conclusion Is correct
Clyde" he said. gravely. "what course
do you propose to take? Do you real
lie what is involved? Don't you sex
that your conviction and mine Is one
thing, but that to convince the public
is an entirely different matter? Car
we afford to give this man up for his
crimes until we have Cameron actu
ally here to prove that 1t is not hi
who was thus involved sixteen years
ago?
In the recent result of development
had not thought of that. But I saw
now that 1t presented a problem NJ
less perplexing than some of those
which had just been solved.