The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1915-06-26

| geant's errand, one or both, seemed to
cause my lady some little embarrass-
ment. She was for the first time In
all my experience of her at a loss what
to say at an interview with a stranger.
Sergeant Cuff put her at her ease di-
rectly. He asked IL n other person
had been employed about the robbery
before we sent for him and. hearing
that another person had been called In
and was now in the house, begged
leave to speak to him before anything
else was done.
My lady led the way back. Before
he followed her the sergeant relieved
his mind on the subject Of the gravel
walks by a parting word to the gar
dener. Get her ladyship to try grass"
he said, with a sour look at the paths.
NO gravel! No gravel"
Why Superintendent Scegrave should
have appeared to be several sizes
smaller than life on being presented
to Sergeant Cuff / can't undertake to
explain. I can only state the fact.
They retired together and remained a
weary long time shut up from all NOR
tai Intrusion. When they came out
MFR. Superintendent was excited and
Mr.. Sergeant was yawning.
s'The sergeant wishes to see Miss
verinder's sitting room.' a y Mr.. See
grave, addressing me with great pomp
and eagerness. 1.-THE sergeant may
have some questions to ask. Attend the
sergeant, il you please"
While I was being ordered about in
this way I looked at the great Cuff.
The great Cuff, on his side, looked at
Superintendent Seegrave In that quiet
ly expecting way which 1 have already
noticed. 1 can't affirm that he was
on the watch for his brother officers
speedy appearance in the character Of
an ass. I can only say that l strongly
suspected it.
;, I led the way upstairs. The SER
geant went softly all W the Indian
cabinet Ind all round the boudoir,
asking questions occasionally only of
Mr.. Superintendent and continually Of
me, the drift of which l believe to
have been equally unintelligible to
both of us. In due time his course
brought him to the door and put him
face to face with the decorative paint
ing that you know of. He laid one
lean inquiring finger OF the small
smear just under the lock, which Su-
!. perintendent ~Seegrave had already no
ticed when he reproved the women
servants for all crowding together into
the room.
That's a pity" says Sergeant Cuff.
"How did it happen?"
He put the question to me. l an
!, swered that the ONE servants had
crowded into the room on the previous
coats had done the mischief. Super
/ intendent Seegrave ordered them out,
sir" I added, before they did any
t more HARM"
Fright" says Mr.. Superintendent in
) his military way. II ordered them out.
The petticoats did it, sergeant; the
petticoats did it."
did you notice which p%etticoat did
it?" asked Sergeant Cuff, still address
ing himself, not to his brother officer,
but to me.
mo, sir"
He turned to Superintendent See
grave upon that and said, you MOTTO
ed. / suppose?"
Mr.. Superintendent looked a little
taken aback. but he made the best Of
it. Il can't charge my memory, ser
geant," he said, "a mere trife, a mere
trifie."
Sergeant Cuff looked at Mr.. Seegrave
as he had looked at the gravel walks
in the rosery and gave us in his melan-
choly way the first taste of his quality
which we had had yet.
81 made a private inquiry last week,
: MI. Superintendent" he said. "At one
end Of the inquiry there was a MUIR
der, and at the other end there was
a spot of ink on a tablecloth that no.
body could account for. In all my ex-
perience along the dirtiest ways of this
dirty little world 1 have never met
with such a thing as a trihe yet. Be
fore we go a step farther in this bust
ness we must see the petticoat that
made the smear, and we must know
for certain when that paint was wet"
: Mr.. Superintendent. taking his set
:. down rather sulkily, asked if he should
summon the women. Sergeant Cuff,
after considering a minute, sighed and
shook his head.
"No," he said, well take the matter
of the paint first. It's a question of
, Yes or No with the ~paint-which is
short. It's a question of petticoats
with the woman, which is long.
What o'clock was it when the serv-
ants were in this room yesterday
morning? Eleven o'clock-eh? Is there
anybody in the house who knows
[ whether that paint was we or dry at
IL yesterday morning"
} "Her ladyship's nephew, Mr.. Frank
lin BLAKE knows" I said.