Evening star., 1921-03-06


doing his best to be civil.
He turned to his desk, made a great
to-do OF being busy and interrupted.
He had an impulse to rise and dismiss
the persistent visitor with bow. But
he hesitated to be so abrupt. The fell
low should take the hint.
Murder" said the author, sis dis
tinotly not in my line
oliver Armiston's visitor smiled,
throwing a look of secret understand
ing at the fat Buddha who reposed
among folds of flesh in one corner of
the elegant room.
you turned it to very good account
once" he said mildly.
Il recollect your crew did me the
compliment to tell me I was guilty.
nodded Admission.
THE guiltest man unhung" retorted
the visitor, with relish. You procured
that crime. Our moderation on that
occasion still astonishes me-
He was q man of fierce aspect, but
his eyes had the habit of merriment.
Parr, the deputy commissioner, for
il was that exalted policeman him
self, was recalling an incident in
. Armiston's career several years gone
by. when the famous author of thrill
ers was gulled by clever stranger
into solving as fiction what proved to
be a problem of fact. The fertile au-
thor not only contrived Con paper) to
rob the unprincipled wife of a diplo-
mat. but when the tale was published.
tasted the bitter triumph of finding
the clever stranger had executed the
crime according to printed direction,
not even eluding the murder which to
Armiston. engrossed in the plot. had
seemed unavoidable. This atrocity.
succeeded as 1t was by mysterious
gift from the grateful perpetrator,
had created such a sensation as to
drive Admission into retirement. No.
Decidedly murder was not in his line,
Parr rose. Admission forbore to look
up for fear Of OBTAINING him. But
Parr was not departing. He removed
his top coat. remarking it was warm.
and sat down again. smiling with sly
satisfaction.
you inspired that crime" said Parr.
easily.
"Your moderation on this occasion
astonishes me!' broke in Admission.
testify. You arrest a reputable citi-
zen for murder. You admit that the
mere statement Of the known facts
And then, a. an officer sworn to up
hold the law. you come privately to
me and say: Please. sir, as personal
favor. won't you prove my pr soner
innecent' Is the man innocent them?
."Then why arrest him; why accuse
him Of murder II you know that he is
not guilty? Does the law require
victim? Do you intend to prosecute
Certainly. have no option"
Even IL you know he ts innocent?"
Facts. my dear boy. Facts. I can't
70 behind facts. ! can't; You can.
How do you know he is Innocent"
I'm spite Of himself. Admission was
? giving heed. Nevertheless, he was de-
fermined to smash Parr by logic. IL
insolence failed 49,
ESIJow does a bird know north in
spring. answered the imper-
turbable policeman. to whom nobody, not
even his best friend. would have ascribed
the smallest touch Of imagination. He
dealt with facts, as such: he was in
capable Of going beyond facts. He be-
leved In shoe-leather and elbow-grease
not divination. Thus he had made his
reputation as the very Nemesis of the
Law. And yet today he had crine pri-
vately TO the extinct author. whom he
had not seen since that lamented cir
cumstance Of long ago. and said. some
what astonished at his own words: Il
am about TO convict an innocent man of
murder. Indeed I will. I must. unless
you can find some way 10 prevent me"
It was a tribute to the cogency of
Armiston's fiction mind.
"Just what are the facts" said
Admission. softening. And Parr. final
ly convinced that he had struck fire
In his quest for subtiety of imagina-
tion to oppose his facts. hitched his
chair nearer.
Finger he began.
.Bosh, Finger-prints are not facts"'
cried Admission. now fairly in the sad
die. Anybody can counterfeit finger
prints. It's merely a process of pho
Biography"
There you are!" exclaimed the
deputy, beaminE on Buddha. II didn't
know that don't know it yet. Can
II be done?"
Admission daubed his thumb with
the ink bottle cork, and stamped it
on q sheet Of paper. making his own
thumb print
PHOTOGRAPH that. life-size:" said
Oliver. PRINT IL on Il pfill'lf VI
gelatin sensitized with bichromate Of
potash. Soak the gelatin in cold
water. What have you You will
fnd on that peliicle OF gelatin. in re-
lief, the exact duplicate OF the lines
of my thumb The lines stand up
like type. Smear it with ink. grease.
blood. anything-1eave the imprint
any place you want tom n re-
volver handle. safe. door, window
any place"
Marvellous"
Not at all. Elemental" corrected
6nEer prints; It's as old as the art
of photography--it's used as COM
mercial process. to initiate photog-
ravures The trouble with you. COM
missioner. is that you don't recog-
nixe a fact when YOU see II. You
print Is gospel TO YOU. II isn't TO
me. It's the first thing I suspect. I
wonder how many poor devils you've
sent up, with your facts II" paused.
rather pleased with himself. Vow
trot out some more facts" He look d
at his watch. as gentle suggestion
that his amiable mood would BE- of
brief duration. Parr settled himself
res,fuIly in his chair.
The murdered man was Sauer-
J. Il sau.rI said the deputy.
NO. / believe not. He had a
process for making gold out of
aluminium. II can be done. 1 am
Did he do it?'
well. he did. and he didn't" said
Parr. He quietly interested a few
people - good people - Brown. presi-
den, of the Elm Park Bank. and
Westcott. a technical man employed
in the assay office. as another. Why
is it," asked Parr. that the clever