The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1919-03-13
and bumptiousness."

Do' W gwen SioPilA
picture Of him at all events. I'll
reserve further consideration oil
his personality until | have seer
him"
"You believe implicitly all that
story Of Bates, do you, Mr.
Stone7" and Haviland looked
obviously at the detective.
Yes, | do, at present. If any
thing turns up to disprove any
part of it, | may have to revise
my ideas. But, just now, it seems
to me that Bates told the simple
truth. To be sure, he only told it
because he feared an accusation
of murder, and he knew that to
confess to the lesser crime would
go far to help him deny the
greater"
"You may be right. But might
there not be collision between
Friend Count and Bates?"
"Collusion?"
"Just that" and Gray shook
his head doggedly. "I've a vague
idea that Frenchy is mixed up in
this thing somehow. Now, he
couldn't possibly have admins
tered the poison, himself, person.
ally, nor could he have struck the
blow personally, but couldn't he
have hired the man Bates to do
it for him?"
"On the face Of things, Mr..
Haviland, does that look plaus-
ible7 Is the Count, as you de-
scribe him, a man who would err.
gage a burglar of the Bates type
to commit a brutal crime? Again,
If Bates were merely the Counts
tool, would he not, when caught,
pass the blame on to his en-
ployer7"
"He sure would! You are right,
Mr.. Stone, those two never hooked
up together! It's out of the ques-
ton. But, as Estelle and Bates
are in cahoots, why didn't she give
Miss Darlington the poison her
self"
"Well, she did fix the bromide,
hoping to make her mistress sleep
soundly. But the lady never took
it. Now, if the maid had given
or expected to give the poison.
why the bromide at all?"
"But, look here" broke in
Hardy, "mightn't it be that Els
telle did do the poisoning and ar
ranged the bromide as a blind, to
put us off the track, exactly as it
has done?"
There small use specializing
about that poison" said Stone
thoughtfully, eve must go at that
Systematically. We must find out
where it was bought and by whom.
can't go around buying
poison without a record
made Of the sale. We must
INQUIRE of druggists until we find
tut these facts"
"There's no druggist about here
Who would sell aconitine," said
"it doubtless was bought
New York"
"That, Of course, adds to the
difficulty of tracing the sale, but
t must be done. MI. Hardy, 1 will
lsk you to do all you a to find
,ut about that"
"You want to look up a French
'pothecary," advised Haviland.
THAT Count is at the bottom Of
his, as sure as shootin', and he IS
'ull clever enough to hide his
racks mighty closely. Why, that
nan is a fortune hunter and an
ldventurer, and he wanted that
$4,000, and he poisoned Miss
lucy to get it! That's what he
lid! And he was on deck that
after the jewels, that's
where he was! It was he in that
'oom talking, it was he who left
lis glove thereof course, he
know it-and now you We
got him under lock and key, I
rope you'll keep him there, and
lot let this Bates discovery get
i'm the slip. If the two were not
working together, then, surely
hey are incriminated separately,
Ind you want to look into the
.ase OF little old Mr.. Count"
"You may be right, Mr.. Havi-
and Fleming Stone smiled
It him, "but | think you are as
a lot because of your pref
,dice against the Frenchman. Was ,
lie very attentive to Miss CARING
.on7 Had he proposed marriage
herr"
ttThot wa don@ l., Ne