The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1921-01-27
s1.5.s1n

Il
they had not been thought of
1 before by Groot or his colleagues:
"There's something in that, "
he agreed, "now Mr.. Stryker,
don't get excited, but where
were you Tuesday afternoon, the
day that Mr.. Trowbridge was
killed."
81 know all where I was, hnt
it's sort O confused in-my mind
[ was to the insurance agent s ,
and | was to the doctors to be
sized up for that insurance, if :
did decide to take it out; and
then | dropped in to see my
daughter, and her man was SO
sick 1 thought his last hour had
come, and [ ran over for a neigh
Dor, and somehow I was so up
set and bothered with one thing
and another that the more [ try
to straighten out in my mind the
order of those things, the more
mixed up I get. You see, it was
my day out, and that always flus-
ters me anyhow. I'm not so
young as I was, and the unusual
ness Of getting into street clothes
and going out into the world, as
it were, makes me all trembly
and | can't remember it after.
ward, like / can my routine days.
And then when I did go home
that night, first thing I knew
master didn't come to dinner!
That never had happened before,
unless we knew beforehand.
Well, then Mis- Black she ate
alone, and Miss Avice, she didn't
eat at all, and there was whis-
perrin and COINS on, and next
thing | knew they told me master
was dead. After that nothing
is clear in my mind. No, sir,
everything is a blur and a mist
from that time on. That there
inquest, now, that's just like a
dream,-a bad dream
"Then," and Groot egged him
gently on, "then about the night
you left the Trowbridge house.
Why did you do that?"
Stryker looked sly, and put his
finger to his lips. "Ah, thai
night! Well, if you'll believe
me, l heard them talking in the
library. You know, sir, I've a
right anywhere on the two floors.
[ amt like the other servants
I've a right,-so as I was a pass-
in, I overheard Mr.. Duane say
as how / was the murderer! Me,
sir, as loved my master more than
| can tell you. Sir, I didn't
know what | was doing then, i
just got out. heard 'em say
they had pos tive proof, ADD
somethin' about handkerchief,
and I remembered the sight OF
that handkerchief I'd seen-ob,
well, oh Lord-oh, Lord! /
didn't do it!'' The old man S
voice rose to a shrek and Mrs.
Adler exclaimed. "There now.
you We set him off! I knew you
would Now, he IL have Mysteries
and it'll take me all night to get
him ca med down, and me with
Mr.. Adler on my hands and him
ALWAYS worse at night
"Wa1t q minute commanded
Groot. IN nearly through,
and then III go away and he ear
have his Mysteries in peace. Go
on, Stryker, finish no this yarn.
What did you do when you heard
Mr.. Duane accuse you?''
Stryker looked at him solemn
| ~ and blinked in an effort to con
centrate. Then he said, why,
| | pretended I'd had a telephone
| call from Molly. and ran around
| here as fast as I could, and Molly
she says, they'll be after you,
go over to Mrs. Gedney's and
stay there. And I did, till you
spied me out. -
can right y and Groot rose
! to go. "Your father is all right,
Mrs. Adler. Don't coddle him
too much. It makes him child
ish. Keep him here with you.
and my word for it, no suspicion,
will rest on him. | had his alb:
pretty well fixed up anyway, be
tween the insurance agent and
the doctor, and his story jus;
1 about completes it. There ism i
one chance in {. thousand thai
he IL be accused, so keep him here
and keep him quiet. and I'll see