Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1921-09-28

"AdmIrlng MY IreaSureSF" he ne
marked. "Pretty Things, Aren't
TheyW
l couldn't speak a word: l just put
them back on the table.
Wonderful copies, he went on, of
the duke of Melbourne's lost minia-
lures. 1 think they would deceive
most people,
"'They deceived me- 1 managed to
get out.
"All the time he was staring at me,
a cold, merciless stare that seemed to
freeze my brain. Then he went over
to one of the safes and unlocked it..
Come here, Miss Benton he said.
There are lot more-cOpies.
81 only looked inside for moment,
but | have never seen or thought of
such a sight Beautifully arranged on
black velvet shelves were ropes of
pearls, a gorgeous diamond tiara, and
a whole heap of loose, uncut stones.
And in one corner 1 caught a glimpse
of the most wonderful gold chaliced
cup-juSt like the one for which Sam
uel Levy, the Jew moneylender, was
still Offering a reward. Then he shut
the door and locked it, and again
stared at me in silence.
"'All copies, he said quietly, won
derful copies. And should you ever be
tempted to think otherwise-ask your
father, Miss Benton. Be warned by
me: don't do anything foolish. ASK
your father first
"And did you?" asked DrummOnd.
She shuddered "That very eve
ming" she answered. "And daddy flew
into a frightful passion, and told me
never to dare to NEEDLE in things that
didn't concern me again. Then grad
ually as time went on, realized that
darlington had some hold over daddy
that he'd got my father in his power ;"
Her hands were clenched, and her
breast rose and fell stormily.
Drummond waited for her to com
pose herself before he spoke again.
"You mentioned murder, too" he re-
marked.
She nodded. "I've got no proof"
she said, less even than over the
burglaries. But there was a man
called George Dringer, and one eve
ming, when darlington was dining with
us, | heard him discussing this man
with daddy.
"Hes got to CO. said darlington.
He's dangerous"
and then my father got up and
closed the door; but l heard them ar
guing for half an hour. Three weeks
later a coroners jury found that
George Dringer had committed suicide
while temporarily insane. The same
evening daddy, for the first time in his
life, went to bed the worse for drink"
The girl fell silent, and Drummond
stared at the orchestra with troubled
eyes. Things seemed to be rather
deeper than he had anticipated.
''Then there was another case" She
was speaking again. do you remem-
Der that man who was found dead in
a railway carriage at OXhey station.
He was an Italian-Giuseppe by
name and the jury brought in YER
dict of death from natural causes, A
month before, he had an interview with
darlington, which took place at our
house: because the Italian being a
stranger, came to the wrong place. and
darlington happened to be with US at
the time. The interview finished with
- 60 n
Drummond with a slight smile 'Not
much evidence, is there? Only l know
darlington murdered him. l know it.
You may think I'm Notwithstanding
things; you may think I'm exaggerat-
ing. I don't mind if you do-because
you won't for long"
Drummond did not answer immedi-
ately. Against his saner judgment he
was beginning to be profoundly inn
pressed, and, at the moment, he did
not quite know what to say.
what about this other man?" he
asked at length.
Il can tell you very little about him."
she answered. "He came to The Elms
that is the name of Lakington's
house-three months ago. He is about
medium height and rather thick-set !;
clean-shaven, with thick brown hair,
fiecked slightly with white. His fore
head is broad, and his eyes are a
sort of cold grey-blue. But it's his
hands that terrify me. They're large
and white and utterly ruthless" She
turned to him appealingly. "Oh don't
think I'm talking wildly" she i'm
plored. ''He frightens me to death
that man: far, far worse than Laking-
ton. He would stop at nothing to gain
his ends, and even darlington himself
knows that Mr.. Peterson is his mas
ter"