Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-04-26
CHAPTER XVII (Continued.)

turned owe the caves
"Ah.' he said, after a moment II
was sure of it. Here is the final link.
Have you a small hand mirror, Miss
Naughan?"
She brought n from her toilet table
and handed it to him in evident as
constituent.
What do you see in the mirror?"
ne asked, and held a page of the blot
tlng book at an angle in front of it.
MISS Vaughan uttered an eNclama-
ton of surprise, as she read the words
reflected there:
Mr.. Frederic Swain,
1910 Fifth Avenue,
New York City.
If not at this address,
please try the Calumet club.
Tall oaks from little acorns
grow" quoted Godfrey, tossing the
book back upon the desk. But for the
1act that you blotted the envelope, Miss
Vaughan. young Swain would never
have been accused OF murder"
II do not understand she MUIR
INJURED.
Don't you see," he pointed out, 1.-The
one question which we nav been un-
able to answer up to this has
been this: how did Silva know you
were going to meet Swain? He had to
know it, and know it several hours be-
fore the meeting, in order to have those
finger prints ready. l concluded, at
last, that there must be a plotting book
and there It is"
Miss Vaughan stared at him.
You seem to. be Il very wonderful
man." she said.
Godfrey laughed.
lit is my every day business to re-
construct mysteries he said. Shall 1
reconstruct this one"
please do" she begged, and mo-
toned us TO be seated.
Godfrey's face was glowing with the
sort of creative fire which, l imagine,
illumines the poets brow at the mo-
ment of inspiration.
Where did you first meet Silva"
he asked.
"In Paris"
What vas he doing there""
H was practicing mysticism. My
father went to consult him; he vas
much impressed by him, and they be-
came very intimate"
And Silva, of course, at once saw
the possibilities of exploiting an i'm
mensely rich old man, whose mind was
failing. So he comes here as his in
Structor in o~rientalism; he does some
Very marvellous things, by continued
hypnosis, he gets your father complete
ly under mis- control. He secures a
promise of his estate and a great en-
dowment; he causes your father to
| make a will in which these requests
are specially stated. lnen ne IeSi-
tates, for during his residence in this
house. a new desire has been added to
the old ones. 1t had not often been his
fortune to be thrown in daily contact
| with an innocent and beautiful girl, and
he ends by falling in love with you. He
knows of your love for Swain. He has
caused Swain to be forbidden the
house: but he finds you still indiffer-
ent. At last, by means of his own en-
treaties and your fathers, he secures
your consent to become mis- disciple.
He knows that, if once YOU consent to
sit with him. he will, in the end, doml-
nate your will, also.
but you ask for three days delay,
and this he grants. During every mo-
ment of those three days, he will keep
you under surveillance. Almost at
once, he guesses at your plan, for you
and, the moment you leave your room,
he enters it and sees the impression on
the blotter. He follows you into the
grounds, he sees you throw the letter
ever the wall, and suspects that you
are calling Swain to your aid. More
than that, Lester" he added. turning
to me, "he saw you in the tree, and S o
kept up his midnight fireworks, on the
| off chance that you might be watch
ing!"
agreed thoughtfully.
wien Ic dIlL lIdl SOu ~ sSSh-
ing your lovers aid" Godfrey continued
to Miss Vaughan, "a fiendish idea
springs into his mind. If Swain an
swers the call, if he enters the grounds,
he will separate him from you once FOR
all by causing him to be found guilty
of killing your father. He hastens back
to the house, tears the leaf from the
album of finger prints and repares the
rubber gloves. That night, he follows
you when you leave the house; he over
hears your talk in the arbor: and he
finds that there is mother reason than
that of jealousy why he must act at
once. If your fathe is found to be
days before will be invalid. Silva will
lose everything-not only you. but the
fortune already within his grasp.
He hurries to the house and tells
your father of the rendezvous. Your
father rushes out and brings you back,
after a bitter quarrel with Swain,
which Silva has, of course, foreseen.
filings himself into his chair again. 1t
is Silva who has followed you-who
has p~urposely made Il noise in order
tina you might think it was Swain.
And he carries in his and the blood
AXE handkerchief which Swair.
up to this point Godfrey went on,
every detail fits every other detail per-
fectly. But. in the next step of the
tragedy, one detail is uncertain-whose
hand was it drew the cord around your
fathers throat? l am inclined to think
It was Mahbub's. If Silva a done the
method less oriental: but Mahbub,
wen undo, hypnotic suggestion. would
kill only in the way to which he was
accustomed-with a moose. Pardon