The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-08-24

10 NllCh iC uebO BOb u AdoC Mtll III
hand" as he calls it. He certainly
possesses a weird faculty for following
up the trail of blood. Once he holds
what he believes to be clue, his whole
appearance changes; his great, fat body
seems, as it were, to crouch together
ready for a spring, and there is weird
culver about his nostrils which palpably
suggests the bloodhound; only his
eyes remain inscrutably hidden beneath
their thick and flushy lids.
1t was twelve o'clock the next day
when our train steamed into Pashet
station. We had a chaise from there
and drove down to Saltashe Park,
the lordly country seat of Mr. Kelly.
At the door, Skin O. My Tooth
asked for the master of the house; but
hearing that he was out, he requested
that his card might be taken in to
Mrs. Kelly. The next moment we
were ushered into luxuriously fur
nished library, full of books and
flowers, and with deep mullioned win
dows opening out upon Queen Anne
terrace.
The mistress of the house-an ex-
ceedingly beautiful woman-received
us with every mark of eagerness and
cordiality.
She welcomed us-or rather, my
esteemed employer-most effusively
and when we were all seated, she asked
many questions about Mr.. Edward
Kelly, to which Skin O. My Tooth
replied as often as she allowed him to
get word in.
90, Mr. Mulligan," she said finally,
ri am so glad that you asked to see
me. | have been positively i'll and
devoured with anxiety about my
brother-in-law. My husband thinks
that | upset myself and only get hope
lessly wretched if l read about it all
in the papers, SO he won't allow me to
see one now; but / assure you, the I'M
certainty is killing me, as / feel sure
that Mr.. Kelly is trying to comfort
me, and to make Edwards case appear
more hopeful than it is"
Skin o My Tooth gravely shook
his head.
1T could not very we'll be more
hopeless" he said.
You can't mean that?" she said,
while tears gathered in her eyes
He is innocent, Mr.. Mulligan.. |
swear he is innocent. You don't
know him. He never would do any
thing so vile"
/ quite believe that, my dear lady;
but unfortunately, circumstances are
terribly against him. Even his dead
dog, Rags speaks in dumb eloquence
IN his masters condemnation"
"Rags!" she exclaimed in astonish-
ment; what can the poor doggie have
to do with this awful tragedy? Poor
old thingl 1t lost its way the very
morning that the terrible catastrophe
occurred. M. de Kerhoet was staying
here that day, and | had taken him
for drive to Hitching before luncheon.
On the way home | saw Rags in the
road, looking very sorry for himself
took him in the carriage with me and
brought him home"
Skin o My Tooth looked politely in
terested, but l hardly liked to breathe;
it seemed to me that fellow creature
life was even now hanging in the
balance
Rags knew all here just as well
as it did its own master" continued
Mrs. Kelly; and (Which my husband
went out with his gun in the afternoon
Rags followed him. while M. de
Kerhoet and | went on to garden
party"
And what happened to Rags after
that" asked Skin o. My Tooth.
"To tell the truth, the awful tragedy
| heard Of that afternoon drove poor
Rags out of my mind; then the next
day, | am thankful to say, M. de