The Green Forest tribune., 1915-09-10

o'eli IluS up. ttI0 you certain of that name?"
 ! only know what Cowan told me" was my uncle's reply But do you know him?"
 Not at all. Only I've heard that name before" l said q knew a man out Tn Italy of the same name. But where IS the visitor now?"
 Ill the hospital at Dumfries. They .ooh nm there in preference to leav- Ing him alone at Rannoch."
 "Alone?"
 ot course. Everyone has left, now 'he nost and hostess have slipped off without saying good-by. Scandalous @nalf' isn't 1t? But, my boy, you'll re- member that I always said I didn't Ike those people. There's something mysterious about them, I feel certain. nat telegram gave them warning of the visit of the man Chatter, depend upon 1t, and for some reason they're alrald ot him. It would be interesting to know what transpired between the two men in the library. And these are people Who've been taken up by every- pooy-mere adventurers I should call them! And old Sir George sniffed agaln at thought of such scandal hap penlng in the neighborhood. If Gilrae must let Rannoch, then why in the name Of Fortune doesn't he let it to respectable folk and not to the first fellow who answers his advertisement In the Field? It's simply disgraceful!"
 certainly it is most extraordinary story" 1 declared .Leithcourt evi- dently wished to escape from his wis., ltoS and that's why he drugged him."
 Why he poisoned him, you mean. CoWan says the fellow is poisoned, but hat he'll probably recover He is al ready conscious, hear"
 l resolved to call on the doctor. who happened to be well known to me, and obtain further particulars. Therefore at eleven o'clock I drove into Dunn fries and entered his consulting room
 He was spare, short, fair man, a trifie bald, and when I was shown in he welcomed me warmly, speaking with his pronounced Galloway accent.
 Well, it is a very mysterious case, MT. Gregg he said, after I had told him the object of my visit "The gentle man is still at the hospital, and I have to keep him very quiet He was poi soned without a doubt and has had a very narrow escape of his life. The police got wind of the affair and Mac kenzie called to question him. But he refused to make any statement what ever, apparently treating the affair very lightly. The police, however, are mystified as to the reason of Mr. Leith- courts sudden flight, and are very anx- ious to get at the bottom of the curious affair."
 Naturally. And more especially after the tragedy up in Rannoch wood short time ago." 1 said.
 That's just it." said the doctor, re- moving his -pinIesne.gs- sasllfdt rnbbil4, them. Mackenzie seems to suspect some connection between Leithcourt's sudden disappearance and that mys- terious affair. It seems very evident that the telegram was a warning to Leithcourt of the man Chater's inten- tion of calling, and that the last-named was shown in just at the moment when the fugitive was or the point of leaving"
 Knowing all that I did, I was not sur prised. Leitheourt had undoubtedly taken him unawares, but knights of in dustry never betray each other
 My next visit was to Mackenzie, for whom l had to wait nearly an hour, as he was absent in another quarter of the town.
 "Ah, MT Gregg!" he cried gladly, as he came in to find me seated in chair patiently reading the newspaper. You are the very person l wish to see. Have you heard of this strange affair at Rannoch?"
 T have" was my answer. Has the man in the hospital made any state- ment yet?"
 None. He refuses point blank" an swered the detective. But my own idea is that the affair has very close COuuCSticu Witil IhC bWo lily otSk lCo LII the wood"
 The first mystery-that of the man proves to be a double mystery" said.
 How? Explain it."
 Well, the waiter Olinto Santini Is alive and well in London"
 What" he gasped, starting up. Then he is not the person you identi- fled him to be-"
 No. But he was masquerading as Santini-made up to resemble him, mean, even to the mole upon his face.
 But you identified him positively"
 When a person is dead it is very easy to mistake 'countenances Death alters the countenance so very much.
 That's true" he said collectively. But if the man we've buried is not the Italian, then the mystery is con- siderably increased. Why was the real mans wife here?"
 And where has her body been con- cealed? That's the question"
 Again mystery. We have made a thorough search for four days, without discovering any trace of it. Quite con- fidentially, I'm wondering if this man