Putnam patriot., 1913-02-28


 be attacked, 1t is me, for vat has hap pened. and vat may yet happen, iss my fault
 Carolyn resumed her seat, Lucy, with wondering expression, took a chair, and Mir. Medders, nodding gravely, also sat down. Harry lounged on settee, and earelessly chewed an unlit cigar.
 ''It iss like diss," the Count said as though addressing a jury. Tn life dare iss many things yich seem i'm possible of explanation, but vich ven We know vat dey are. do not mean so much"
 MT Medders bowed assent and liar " looked at the Count with eonsid- erable admiration for his self-posses- sion and his control of the situation.
 You half seen somding,9 the Count continued, "vieh exeites natural sus- picion und distrust Ve half all seen dis Und, as usual, ven suspicion is aroused, i'd iss like a swarm of bees it lighds varever i'd pleases. Und also somebody geds stung" He chuckled to himself. but his chuckle did not raise an echo Id would be easy for me, he said. to allow you to continue init der i'm bressions you haff receifed. But l cannot allow it. Efen at der expense of wrong imbression of myselluf. l must gin you my explanation--vich you can belief GOT not belief, as you like. MT. Swifton iss a man dot you know-a man you will always know throughout hiss life. Mel am a strancher l han been teaching MT. Swifton some 'Cherman-but I resign now as his tutor"
 No, no, won't have that!" Harry bluffed.
 Unless you accept my resignation, cannot say vat I wish to say" the Count decided.
 Accepting Harry's silence as con firmation of the alleged resignation, he went. checking off his points as he made them, upon his fingers. First, vat do we haff? We han Cheneral Blazes coming here in a great rage, saying his wife is here. He iss assured dot she iss not, und he goes avay.G
 "Verily, I told him she had not been here I saw not her nor any other woman-not even that one who -"
 Lucy's father patted her hand and ceased speaking. The Count bowed to her and went on:
 Later, Cheneral Blazes returns. He iss sure hiss wife iss here. He has heard from der milliner store dot she Gss supposed to half called up from here on der telumphones. Der rest you all know-or think you know. He demands his vie. He iss again convinced she iss not here. und as he starts oud, he hears a sneeze. Such d sneeze is von dot iss echoed in hiss heart. lie beliefs 1t iss hiss own vife's sneeze. Der door iss opened. und in stead of hiss wife, oud comes der miflineri Amazement!"
 With a sense of 1he dramatic uni ties, the Count paused. The others nodded mutely in confirmation of his summing up of the evidence.
 "yel1, den," he resumed. Wat iss der natural deductions you draw. Darefore, und consequently. our first conclusion lss dot things look black for Mir. swifton. Iss 1t not so?"
 They agreed, silently.
 But " should it be so?" the Count asked, pleasantly. "Iss MT. Swifton der only man in der house? Iss he der only man in der world dot fiirts? May I ask " I, a poor. unknown. un- noticed Cherman---though i'd iss not so in my own country, assure you!
 -iss dare any reason " I should De neglected in your suspicions7"
 Lucy and Carolyn looked at each other trinmphantIy. Here was ray of hope for Harry, after all.
 But" the Count went on. '1 must beg you not to suspect me as you do MT. Swifton. 1 know you will not, for peebles do not giff such violent E. picion to stranchers as dey do to their own kind I will tell you how dis yom- an happens to be in dot room. I sent her darei"
 You did," Carolyn exclaimed. "Why. I thought Harry"
 Gro Be Continued)