The times-herald. [volume] (Burns, Harney County, Or.) 1896-1929, 1920-02-28

,ousness which now nc was beginning
to regret
Such an attitude ns he had assumed
could only be Justified by results, ana
the fear was creeping over him that
he could not produce those results.
Future was staring him In the face.
Since his arrivnl he had not ceased
10 brood over this problem, but ne
could see no light.
Mrs. Pickctt's pale eyes somehow
made him feel very young.
Elliott Oakcs' frst act after his brief
interview with the proprietress had
been to exnmfne the room where the
| trngcdy had taken place. The body
had gone. but, with that exception.
nothing had been moved.
Onkes belonged to the inagnifying-
glass school sf detection. The nrst
thing he did on entering tho room was
to make careful examination of the
floor. the walls, the furniture. ana the
wlBdow-sIll.
lie would have hotly denied the ny-
sertlon that he did this because II
looked well, but he would have been
hard put TO II 10 advance any other
reason,
lie discovered what probably. In his
hcart. no had expected 20 discover
nothing. There were PARTICLES OF dust
ON the ailoor. hut they conveyed moth
iru 10. him. There were marks on the
wIndow-siil, hut what they signiiied he
had no notion.
Howcvcr. he went through his per-
forvnrcc conscientiousiy. II was his
| way Of taking formal possession Of the
case. fI ~.
He rose. n little flushed. and, nban.
doning the magnifyingglnss made .
comprehensive. survey OF the room
from position near the door. II ne
discovered anything. his discoveries
were entirely negative, and served
only to deepen the mystery Of the case
Az Mr.. Snyder had said, there was
no chimney. and nobody could have
entered through the locked door.
There remained the window. II was
small. md apprchensiveness possibly
ON the score Of burglars had caused
the proprietrcss 10 make u doubly Sc
cure with nm iron bar. No human be-
ing could have squeezed his way
through H.
After quarter OF M hour he let
the room. locking the door behind him
No more unsatisfactory preliminary
Investigation could ever have been
made.
II wns late that night that he wrote
and dispatched 10 headquarters the re-
mort which had amused Mr.. SNYDER
The interval he nlled up by mating
guarded Inquiries among his fellow
bonrdcrs.
He had no difficulty In making them
talk. Nothing like the death OK Cap
tain Gunner had ever happened among
them, and the difficulty would have
been 10 start successfully any other
topic Of conversation.
Cnptnin Muller. the big German,
who. by virtue OF having been the dend
mans roommate. might. " he had de-
sired, have held the position of princi-
nal speaker and star-witness, was the
only man who seemed 10 have nothing
10 say. lie was plainly man of silent
habit, and not even his vicarious con-
ucction with the tragedy could shake
him from u.
The theories OF the others ranged
from hcart-disease--in spite Of the
doctors definite statement 20 the con.
trary--to the ingenious suggestion
from one Of the party that Captnin
Gunner had been bitten by snake nj
some previous date, several years be-
fore. and that the poison had lain dor
mnnt In his system until this moment.
The theorist claimed 10 have known
man who had made voyage with q
man 10 whom a precisely similar ex'
perience had happened. The only weak
spot In the story was the fact that the
speakers Informant had the reputa.
ton of being the most persevering liar
In his native state of Massachusetts.
and had twice claimed 10 have seen
the sea-serpeut.
Young Mr.. Oakes went 10 his room
with the beginnings of had headache
All the really reliable Information
which he had acquired from his com.
panions he had embodied In his report.
and, as he had admitted In that docu-
ment. Il did not lead to anything very
definite.
II was In his room that he first
snatched at the avenging Indian the
ory as a possible solution. and. II he
had been honest with himself he would
have admitted that there was a good
deal OF the emotions Of the drowning
man toward the straw In his attitude
toward II.
Nothing supported the theory ex'
cept his active imagination.
Captain Gunner had certainly visit
ed India In the course OF his wander
iugs. but there the trail stopped. He
had never shown any Of the signs
which might be supposed 10 mark the
man conscious OF being ceaselessly pur'
sued by the outraged servants OF an