The Washington times., 1920-05-23
A Fascinating Detective Story

the slip TO the CLERK. wAs pssaed y
onto his master.
The gin explained that Captain
Wharf was q sentlsnaa vho ottsn
stayed 1T the house. Did ~. then.
know all the gentlsass thai stsys1
1t the home, the o0r0nsr asked.
No, but Captain Wharf ves Asre
more than most, ed she hal often
seen him walking nth Der iaAy-
ship. and she oftss talked 70 tAe
servants up at thS h0ass. 20 that
she knew more or tsss about u
cominGs and goiAG1 thsSs.
II was no news 70 me that oer
household affairs we're the common
property and the tODac q ths oonr
mon gossip q ths vtlIaSs.
Was she quito ssrs thst this vas
Captain Wharf. she seas than
asked, whem sAe ha1 sesa thus
coming from tie euDmsr-hoase!
The girl replisl that IL vas very
sure. How Az yoe identify hior
the coroesr ssksd. thsn; but this
question hAA - - - n a
amended form esesrs ~ Htn
grsspe6 he meaning a II. Had
Captaia Wharf anything particular
in his aDpoarnnce b. which she
could recognize hin--could she b
suite 1t vas htn-by the 'poon's
light?
And to that she answered quite
readily end decisively that she
would have known him anywhere
by his long mustaches-peautiful
mustaches." they were. she added.
with the air az q ooan0isseur.
which I though rather repulsivs.
But as to the point OF fact she was
quite correct. Captain Wharf VS.
eminently . recognissbls nan.
even under the light of . moon Tar
less brilliant than II was that night.
] had not the slightest doubt that
II was he that she had seen: and
then the next question that natur-
ally cane to my mind was, What
was he doing theSea" andSthe an
swer came no less pat and newt
able, HE was there In order to-
meet my aunt--almost certainly BY
previous arrangement with her"
The coroner questioned the girl
as to the manner OF her meeting
him. She explained that she was
coming away from the house. after
leaving. the mendsd picture frame.
and that a. she passed the bit Of
byPath which led down on the
main path to the Summer-house she
saw some one coming from that lit
tie house. She herself was In the
shadow OF the big trees and did not
think that the person saw her. She
went on Tor q few steps past the
opening OF the side path and stood
q moment under the trees In order,
as she candidly admitted. to see
who 1t was that was coming from
the Summer-house. The person
came out to the junction Of the by
path with the main path and stood
there looking down the path toward
r the house.
"As II he was expecting some
one!" the coroner asked; but to
that leading question all the girl
had to say was that 1T might be.
II looked like It,"
As he stood. the moonlight was
full upon him. and though his face
was in the shadow while he was
actually looking down the path he
moved once or twice in such way
that the beam fell right across hts
face and she was quite sure she
could not have mistaken him.
AT what time would that have
been?"
Somewhere between nine and
half-past. Twas just past the half
hour when l got home"
"And was this person, whom you
recognized as Captain Wharf, still
looking down the path when you
went on, on your way home?"
mo. He turned and went back
down the path to the Summer
house again"
"You did not watch him. to see
whether he went into the Summer.
house?"
mo. l just went on home"
In answer to further questioning
she said that she had not men,
toned seeing Captain Wharf when
she went home. 1t had not &C.
Cured to her to do so. She did not
think anything about 1t or attach
any Importance to It. She supposed
that Captain Wharf was staying at
the house and had just strolled out,
as anyone might on a beautiful
night like that. It was only the
next day. when all the village was
talking about the tragic affair, that
she told her father what she had
seen, and he told her that she had
better say nothing at all about 1t.
Least said, soonest mended," was
the conclusive argument that he
had used to her.
The coroner let her go at that,
but he called up Mr.. Manson, the
father, and questioned him pretty
sharply as to what his motive could
have been In giving such counsel
as this to his girl-"calculated to
impede the course of Justice" as