The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1921-01-13

OCfyKer S decamped, Jndt 8
ALL" Groot said; land flight is
confession. It's clear enough.
He wanted this insurance Of his
for his daughter, the agent told
me the policy is payable to her,
and he had to take it out before
his age limit was reached. He
knew Of the legacy coming to
him, and in order to get his in
surance, he FASTENED the realiza-
ton of his fortune"
1t did look that way, for Avice
and Mrs. Black agreed that
Stryker was devoted to his
daughter, and they knew of her
husband s desperate illness.
Knew too, that she would be left
penniless, and was herself deli
cate and unfit for hard work.
Stryker could support her while
he lived, but to leave her an in
come from his life insurance was
his great desire. Judge Hoyt,
too, said that he knew of this
fro mconvcrsations he had him
self had with Stryker. But he
had supposed the butler had
saved up funds for his insurance
premium. lie now learned that
the support and care Of the sick
man had made this impossible.
SO Stryker was strongly sus-
pected Of the crime, and every eff
fort was made to find the miss
ing man.
Meantime Alvin Duane came.
Though alleged to be clever de-
tective, he admitted he found lit
tie to work upon.
It is too late," he said, to
look for clues on the scene of
the crime. Had I been called in
earlier, [ might have found
something, but after nearly a
fortnight of damp, rainy wealth
er, one can expect nothing in the
way of footprints or other traces,
though, of course, | shall look
carefully"
Duane was middle-aged,
grizzled man and though earn
est and serious, was not bril-
liant member Of his profession.
He had, he said himself, no use
for the hair-trigger deductions
Of imaginative brains which, Oft
ener than not, were false. Give
him good, material clues, and
attested evidence, and he would
hunt down criminal as quickly
as anybody, but not from
shred of cloth or missing cuff
link.
Eleanor Black, with her dis
like of detectives Of all sorts, was
openly rude to Duane. He was
in and out of the house at all
hours; he was continually want
ing to intrude in the individual
rooms, look over Mr.. Trow-
BRIDGES papers, quiz the ser
wants, or hold long confabs with
Avice or Kane Landon or her
self, until she declared she was
sick of the very sight Of him.
Il don't care, (" Avice would
say if he can find the murder
er, he can go about it any way
he chooses. He ism t as sure that
Stryker s guilty as Mr.. Groot is.
Mr.. Duane says if Stryker did It
it was because somebody else
hired him or forced him to do
it."
"Well, what if it was? 1 can't
see, Avice, why you want to keep
at it. What difference does it
make who killed Rowland7 He is
dead, and to find his murderer
won't restore him to life. For
my part, I'd like to forget all the
unpleasant details as soon as pos
sible. | think you are morbid
on the subject.
"Not at all! It's common JUS
tice and common sense to want to
punish criminal, most of all a
murderer! Judge Hoyt agrees
with me, and so does Kane -
Mr.. Landon didn't want you
to get Mr.. Duane, you know
that. !"
u do know it. but Jnly be-
cause Kane thought the mystery
too deep ever to be solved. But
am willing to spend lot Of
money on it, and Judge Hoyt is
willing to share the expense if it
becomes too heavy for me alone"
1 S1The judge would do anything
you say, Of course. I think you
treat hisn abominably, Avice.