The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-04-27
CHAPTER XVII Continued

An, he said, after q moment. II
was sure Of it. Here is the final link.
Have you a small hand mirror, Miss
Vaughan"
She brought one from her toilet table
and handed 1t to him in evident as
constituent.
What do you see in the mirror"
ne asked, and held a page of the blot
ting book at an angle in front of it.
Miss Vaughan uttered an exclama-
ton OF surprise, as she read the words
reflected there:
Mr.. Frederic Swain,
1910 Fifth Avenue,
New York City.
II 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
fact that you blotted the envelope, Miss
Vaughan, young Swain would never
nave been accused of murder"
Il do not understand" she MUIR
INJURED.
Don't you see," he pointed out the
one question which we have been I'M
able to answer up to this moment has
been this: how did Silva know you
were going to meet Swain? He had to
know it, and know it several hours be-
1ore the meeting, in order to have those
finger prints ready. concluded, at
last, that there must be plotting book
and there It L."
Miss Vaughan stared at him.
You seem to be very wonderful
mani" she said.
Godfrey laughed
1T is my every day business to re-
construct mysteries" he said. Shall
reconstruct this one?
please do" she begged and mo-
toned us to be seated.
Godfreys face was glowing with the
sort Of creative fire which, 1 imagine,
illumines the poets brow at the mo-
ment of inspiration.
Where did you first meet Silva %
he asked.
I'm Paris"
What was he doing there?"
He was practicing mysticism. My
father went to consult him; he was
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 orientalism: he does some
very marvellous things. by continued
hypnosis, he gets your father complete
ly under mis- control. He secures a
promise Of this estate and great en-
doWment; he causes your father to
are specially stated. Then he hest
tates, for during his residence in this
house, q 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, domi-
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
return to the house, you write letter,
and, the moment you leave your room,
he enters 1t and sees the impression on
the blotter. He follows you into the
grounds, he sees you throw the letter
over 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 so
kept I'D his midnight fireworks, on the
off chance that you might be watch
ing!"
agreed thoughtfully.
when he realizes that you are ask
ing your lovers aid" Godfrey continued
to Miss Vaughan, "a fiendish idea
springs into his mind. If Swain an
sWers the call, II 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 prepares 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 another reason than
that of jealousy why he must act at
once If your father is found to be
insane, the will drawn up only three
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.
You come up to your room; your father
filings himself into his chair again. 1t
Is Silva who has followed you-who
has purposely made a noise in order
that you might think it was Swain.
And he carries in his hand the blood
soaked handkerchief which Swain
dropped when he fled from the arbor.
up to this point" Godfrey went on,
more slowly, Everything is clear
every detail fits every other detail per-
fectly. But, in the next step Of the
tragedy, one detail is uncertain-whOsR
hand was it drew the cord around your
fathers throat? l an inclined to think
it was Mahbub's. If Silva had done the
deed, he would probably have chosen
method less oriental: but Mahbub,
even under hypnotic suggestion, would
kill only in the way to which he was
accustomed-with a moose. Parden
me-" he added, quickly, as she shrank
into her chair. II have forgotten
how repehent this must be to you. 1
have spoken brutality"
please go on" she murmured. 1t Is
right that l should hear 1t. can bear
It,"
There is not much more to tell"
saAa Godfrey, gently. whoever it was
that drew the cord, 1t was Silva who
moistened the glove from the blood
soaked handkerchief. made the marks
upon your fathers robe, and then
dropped the handkerchief beside his
chair. Then he returned softly to his
room, closed the door, pat away the
glove, cleaned his hands, made sure
that Mahbub waS in his closet, took
his place upon the divan, and waited. l