Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-07-03

i see. And now tell me this.
F.! Your hearing is very acute, you say,
and you heard Mr.. Henderson enter
the house when he came in after
dinner from the garden. Did you
hear him re-enter it after returning
from the motor-drive?
Martin paused. Now you men,
ton it, sir, l remember that | did
not His ringing the bell in this
room was the first | knew of his
being back. | should have heard
him come in, if he had come in by
the front. | should have heard the
door go. But he must have come
in by the window" The man re-
Elected for a moment, then added:
AS general rule, Mr.. Henderson
would come in by the front, hang
up his hat and coat in the hall and
pass down the hall into the study.
1t seems likely to me that he was in
great hurry to use the telephone,
and SO went straight across the lawn
to the window-he was like that, sir,
when there was anything important
to be done. He had on his hat. now
remember, and had thrown his
great-coat over the end of the table.
He gave his order very sharp, too,
as he always did when busy. A very
preclpitate man indeed, was Mr..
Henderson; hustler, as they say"
All! He appeared to be busy.
But didn't you say Just now that you
noticed nothing unusual about him?"
A melancholy smile fitted momen-
tarily over Martins face. That OBJ
servation shows that you did not
know Mr.. Henderson, sir, if you will
pardon my saying so. His being like
that was nothing unusual; quite the
contrary. 1t took me long enough
to get used to it. Either he would
be sitting quite still and smoking a
cigar, thinking or reading, or else he
would be writing, debating, and
sending off wires all at the same
time, till it almost made one dizzy
to see it, sometimes for an hour or
more at stretch AS for being in
a hurry over a telephone message,
may say it wasn't in him to be any
! thing else"
Trent turned to the inspector, who
met his eye with look of answer
ing intelligence. Not sorry to show
his understanding of the line of in
Quiry opened by Trent, Mr.. Murch
for the first time put question:
Then you left him telephoning
by the open window, with the lights
on, and the drinks on the table; is
that it,"
That is so, Mr.. Murch." The
delicacy of the change in Martins
manner when called upon to answer
the detective momentarily distract
ed Trent's appreciative minG. But
the big mans next question brought
it back to the problem at once.
About those drinks. You say
Mr.. Henderson often took no whis-
ky before going to bed. Did he
have any that night?"
II could not say. The room was
put to rights in the morning by one
of the maids, and the glass washed,
| presume, as usual. | know that
the decanter was nearly full that ev-
Iening; | had refilled it a few days
Ibefore, and I glanced at it when l
brought the fresh syphon, just out
of habit, to make sure there was
decent-looking amount"
The inspector went to the tall cor
ner-cupboard and opened it. He
took out decanter of cut glass, and
set it on the table before Martin.
| WAS it fuller than that?" he asked
quietly. That's how | found it this
morning" The decanter was more
than half empty.
For the first time Martins self
possession wavered He took up
the decanter quickly, tilted it before
his eyes, and then stared amazedly
at the others. He said slowly:
There's not much short of half
| bottle gone out of this since l last
set eyes on it-and that was Sunday
night"
Nobody in the house, I sup
pose suggested Trent discreetly.
Out of the question" replied
Martin briefly. Then he added: Il
beg pardon, sir but this is most
extraordinary thing to me. Such
tlilllS HCVSl HdppCHCu III al my ~
perience of Mr.. Henderson. AS for
the women-servant they never
touch anything | can answer for it;
and as for me, when | want drink
l can help myself without going to
the decanters. He took up the de-
canter again, and aimlessly renewed
his observation of the contents,
while the inspector eyed him with a
look of serene satisfaction, as a
master contemplates his handiwork.
Trent turned to fresh page OF
his notebook, and tapped it thought.
fully with his pencil. Then he looked
up and said: Il suppose Mr.. Man
derson had dressed for dinner that
night"
Cterainly, sir. He had on suit
with a ress-jacket, what he used to
refer to as a Tuxedo, which he usual
ly wore when dining at home or in
formally"
"And he was dressed like that
when you saw him last?"
| Cali but the jacket, sir. When