Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-13
THE CURVED
b. CAROL VII WELLS. Autaor Of *:viely Van. Etc.

w AUSssO1 ~ ~
.ible. y, Not sufficiently clear to Judge
much Of / their characteristics, "
enourh to show that q stockinged foot1
had imprinted them.'
aWell what do you make OF the
tracks," asked Hardy, coming in ups
on his meditattons. .
"rhelr tale is . short one but
returned Stone, smiling 81
greeting to the younger detective.
"Astyou see, they go out OF n room
only, they don't come in"
. "Proving?"
"That the intruder came. in at the
door. accomplished his dreedtll pur-
pose, and then. stepped around here
in front of his victsn,-here where
the powder is i. spill, and then vghv went did
he dEo1this?"s
He heard something to brighten
"fie saw something that frightened
him. doubt If he heard anything.
But he dropped his blackjack and
fed. Did you bring the photographs
of the scene?"
eyes here they are" Hardy
banded over r., : sn sssls Of t.. tho sn srqe tSnm
eagerly. Yet their ~gruesomeness lay
largely in the idea that the subject
of them was not q living PERSON
for, in appearance they were by no
means unpleasant to look at. The
face of Miss Darlington was serene
AID smiling, her wide-open eyes,.
though staring, were filled with q
life-like wonder: not at all an x
you see" volunteered Hardy, "she
was sitting here, admiring herself,
and happily smiling. when the villain
sneaked up behind her and gave her
that crack over the head"
But she was already dead when
she was hit or the head"
$50 the doctors think. but I believe
they're mistaken: Why, there's no
theory hat would account for hitting
a dead p%erson!"
And yet, that is what happened.
No. Hardy, the doctors r not mis-
taken about the hour of death, and
about the poison in her system and
all that. But the most obvious and
most important clue. for the moment,
is that blackjack. Just where was
it found?
ONeO vi ILLS SO0SIs I11OUCu VII puIe
pose, of course"
mo, I think not. Dropped by the
burglar, rather, when he was startled
by something unexpected You see,
he doubtless STOOD hereA where the
powder is busted about, and to drop
the thing quickly. it would fall or be
flung just there where it was found"
Yes, but what scared him, If he
didn't hear anything?"
SCoronthioo that f~i~Lk@-@S h;-. 90
terribly that he fed without taking
the jewels he had come for! Some
thing that made him make quick.
straight tracks for the door and
downstairs and out, by the way he
had entered"
e"Good lords Say, Mr.. Stone. you
think it was that make-believe Count,
don't your"
why make-believe ?" ~
"Oh, somehow, I feel sure he's a
fake. . He's not the real thing,-or
I'm greatly mistaken"
Let me see that glove found in
her hand. Have you it with you? ?"
Hardy had brought some Of the
exhibits held by the police, and. TAX
Ing the glove from his bag, he handed
It to Fleming Stone.
Stone looked at the glove hastily.
but, raising it to his nose, smelled Of
mo" he said, returning it, mo,
the Count is not the man who WELD.
Of that" w.
you know by smelling. BY the wayl
Mr.. Stone, I suppose you heard all
about the conversation that Miss
Frayne related as taking place in
this room after one o'clock that
niRht?"
Eyes, I've read the full account Of
it. What do you think about it."
IOh,'I think 1t was the Count, talk
ing to Miss Darlington before he
killed her. He has a very low voice,
and speaks almost %inaudibly always.
Then. you see, he is down in her will
for, ten thousand dollars Of those
bonds, and he's very fond Of
What's that? Who said he. was
fond of pearls?" Is
"oh, maybe o didn't hear about
that. Why. Miss Frayne remembered
afterward. that another sentence she
heard Miss Darlington say was, I
knows how very fond you are of
pearls She forgot that speech in
her evidence, but found it afterward
in the written account she had of
what she overheard at the door. And
his Countship is fond Of pearls. He
talked a lot about those the lady wore
that last evening. He says himself
pearls are a hobby with him."
80 o really think the Count was
in this room that night?"
Surely I do. It's no insult to the
lady's memory to say so. She had a
right to receive him in her boudoir II
she chose to do so. It's mo- secret
that she was trying to annex him,
and he was not entirely unwilling.
You see.-the way I dope it OUT
she had him up here to show OF her
stunning jewels. and 50 tempt him
on to a declaration that she couldn't
seem to work him >up to otherwise.
You know she said, Tomorrow these
may all be yours. III you will only
or some words to that effect. What
could all that mean, except as I've
indicated? And she said, You are
the. game I'm after,'-those weren't
|the words. know, but it meant
However. I can't think the Count
struck that awful blow that fractured
her skull. Villain he may be, even
ia murderous one, but that black
jack business. to my mind. points 10