The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1919-04-17
CHAPTER XvIu-ContinueC.

tndC Sile WOulQ. uOL udNe AhFchCCo
all that talk. Even If she were in
the room herself, and the remarks
, were addressed to her, she might
be trying to lay the blame else
where; to create that converse
ton ont Of her own brain is too
prepoSterous. You see, Hardy,
these things must be weighed III
the balance Of probability. If
Miss Ffayne had set ou+ to invent
a To- oil stuff which she merely
pretended to overhear, she wduld
have had two sides to the CONVEX
sation. 1t is that unusual effect
of one voice only that gives her
story the stamp Of truth" &.
"But there must have been an
other voice; even though inaudible
to her.
"That's just the point. There
may have been-probably was.
But if the story was her own in
vention, she never would have
though of representing that sec
ond voice as inaudible. Now, Ell
ther she did hear Miss Darlington
say those things, or she didn't. 1
believe she did, because If she
hadn I she must have invented the.
tale, and if she had invented it,
1t would have been different.
Likewise, Miss Stua"t's snake
story. If it were not true that
her aunt asked her to buy that
snaEe, Miss Stuart must have
mac up that yarn. And if she
had made it up, it would have
beeli different. That's always. my
test for the truth of an amazing
statement. If the teller were fall
styling, would he tell it that way?
If so, thenyicsi is probably a lie if
not, then probably it is a true bill,
Now they say Miss Darlington
had a high, shrill voice. Did you
ever hear it, Hardy2" a. daa -
"No. | never knew the lady.
But I've heard a record Of it on
the photograph, and iii Is high,
and rather thin"
"On the monograph. How
does that happenG" ~.
Gray Haviland is a dabster at
that sort of thing, and he has peo-
pie sing for him and make records
Frequently. And once l heard
that they had a record of the dead
woman singing, and | asked to
hear it, merely out of curiosity or
O general interest. And it con-
tanned some spoken words, too,
and her speaking voice is high
and shrill, Just such as would car
,ry through a closed door. You
can, Of course, hear the record, if
You care to- ~..
4 do care to. I'll make a note
of that. Now, here's another
thing. Miss Stuart has declared
that she obiiterated a footprint
which was noticeable in that pow
der scattered by the dressing
table" ...g-
eyes, I know it. And Havi-
land states that it was he who
wiped out that print! What do
you make of that9"
"That Haviland did 10 it, and
Miss Stuart fbbed about it to
shield Haviland." j"
E"Oh, so it's Haviland YOU think
Miss Pauline is shieIding9"
II think it may be; at any rate,
she suspects some one dear to her
and
s"You're way off, Mr.. Stone!
III you'll excuse my saying so,
Miss Stuart has pulled the wool
over your eyes until you don't
know where you're az"
Fleming stone gasped. Pulled
wooi over his eyes! Over the
eyes, the gimlet eyes, the all-see-
ing eyes of Fleming Stone! What
could the man mean? And this so
called wool pulled by a woman!
What unheard Of absurdityl
"Mr. Hardy" he began. ~ !
"Yes, yes, l know. Nothing of
the sort, and all that. But it's
true, Mr.. Stone. Miss Stuart is a
siren from Sirenville. She can
make any man think black is
white if she so chooses. And she
has been bullied and cowed by
that old aunt of hers for years,
and for my part, Iadon't blame
her for getting to the end Of her
rope. If She" 90 ,ag 10
SSStop! Mr.. Hardy know you
think you're right, but you are
notl Do you hear, you are not !
And TIL prove it to you, and that
soon! III ferret out this thing,
aud I'll do it on this new theory
OF mine whether you believe it or
not!" h '@
Hardy looked at the man In
amazement. He had expected a
different mode of procedure from