Omaha daily bee., 1919-07-14
WOMAN IN BLACK
BIZ EDMUND CLERIHEW BENTLEY


this sort of talk in Trent meant the
excitement of action, and was won
dering what he could be about. 81
came in to thank you, my dear fell
low, for looking after Mable this
morning. | had no idea she was
going to feel i'll after leaving the
box; she seemed quite unmoved, and
really she is woman of such ex-
traordinary self-command, thought
could leave her to her own de-
vices and hear out the evidence
which | thought it important
should do. 1t was a very fortunate
thing she found a friend to assist
her, and she is most grateful. She
is quite herself again now"
Trent, with his hands in his peck
cts and slight frown on mis- brow
made no reply to this. Il tell you
what" he said after short pause
Il was just getting to the really in
teresting part of the job when you
came in. Come: would you like to
see little bit of high class police
work. It's the very same kind OF
work that old Murch ought to be do
ing at this moment. Perhaps he is;
but hope to glory he isn't" He
sprang off the table and disappeared
INTO his bedroom. Presently he came
out with a large drawing board on
which number of heterogeneous
objects was ranged.
First | must introduce you TO
these little things" he said, setting
them out on the table Here is a
big ivory paper knife; here are two
leaves cut out of diary-my own
diary; here is a bottle containing
dentrifice; here is a little case of
polished walnut Some of these
things have to be put back where
they belong in somebody's bedroom
at White Gables before night. That's
the sort of man | am-nothing stops
me. I borrowd them this very morn
ing when everyone was down at the
inquest, and | dare say some people
would think it rather an odd pro-
ceeding if they knew. Now there
remains one object on the board.
Can you tell me, without touching
it, what it is?'
certainly cant" said Mr.. Cup
Piles, peering at it with great i'll
terest. 1T is ah ordinary glass bowl
1t looks like a finger bowl. | see
nothing odd about it" he added after
some moments of close scrutiny.
That" replied Trent. "is exactly
where the fun comes in. Now take
this little fat bottle, Cupples, and
pull out the cork. Do you recog-
nze that powder inside it? You
have swallowed pounds of it in your
time, l expect. They give it to
babies. Gray powder is its ordinary
name-mercury and chalk. 1t is
great stuff. Now while | hold the
basin sideways over this sheet of
paper, | want you to pour little
powder out of the bottle over this
part of the bowl-just here. +
Perfect! Sir Edward Henry himself
could not have handled the powder
better. You have done this before,
Cupples, l can see. You are an old
hand"
81 really am not" said Mr.. Cup
Piles seriously, as Trent returned the
fallen powder to the bottle. 81 as
sure you it is all complete mystery
to me. What did I do then7
81 brush the powdered part of the
bowl lightly with this camel hair
brush. Now look at it again. You
saw nothing odd about it before. Do
you see anything now?'
Mr.. Cupples peered again. "How
curious" he said. eyes, there are
two large gray finger marks on the
bowl. They were not thre before"
Il am Hawkshaw the detective"
observed Trent. would it interest
you to hear a short lecture on the
subject of glass finger bowls? When
you take one up with your hand you
leave traces upon it, usually prac-
tically invisible, which may remain
for days or months. You leave the
marks of your fingers. The human
hand, even when quite clean, is never
quite dry, and sometimes-in mo-
ments of great anxiety, for instance,
Cupples-it is very moist. 1t leaves
a mark on any cold smooth surface
it may touch. That bowl was moved
by somebody with a rather moist
hand quite lately" He sprinkled the
oowder AGAIN "Here nm the other