Evening star., 1921-08-21

from all parts of the country, some
even crossing the channel. while from
America and the colonies came f1ood
Of letters giving long. rambling oe-
tails of mysteries, murders and disap-
pearances, all Of which he was ex-
pected to solve.
Those who wrote, however. were
as nothing to those who called. They
arrived in various stages OF excite-
ment and-agitation. only to be met
by his secretary. Miss Gladys Norman.
with stereotyped smile and the
equally stereotyped information that
Mr.. Malcolm Sage saw no one except
by appointment, which was never
made until the nature of the would-pe
clients business had. been stated In
writing.
The Surrey cattie-n1aiming affair.
and the CONSEQUENT publicity ~ saas
to the name of Malcolm Sage. had
resulted in something like siege OF
the bureaus Offices
THE obvious is the correct solution
OF most mysteries" he had once re-
marked to Sir James Walton, put
there is always the poSsipllity Oh eA-
ception."
The Surrey cattle-maiming mystery
had been a case in point. Even more
SO was the affair that came 20 De
known as The Gyiston slanae ,hs
this case Malcolm Sage arrived at the
truth by a refusal to accept what on
the face of it. appeared to be the oo-
vious solution.
1t was through Roger Freynes. the
eminent X. c.. that he first became in
terested in the series of anonymous
letters that had created considerable
scandal in the little village OF Gyls-
ton.
tucked away in the northwest COR
ner Of Hampshire. Gylston was vii
lase of some eight hundred inhabi-
tants, The vicar Rev. John Crayne,
had held the living for some twenty
years. Aided by his wife and daugh,
ter Muriel. pretty and hisn-sp;,rs.g1@f M Sp;Hs1f
girl of nineteen. he devoted himsel,
to the parish, and in return en1oyeo
great popularity.
Life at the vicarage was an ldeai
of domestic happiness. Mr. and mrs.
Crayne were devoted to each other
and to their daughter. and she TO
them. Muriel Crayne had grown up
among the villagers. devotins nersei
to parish work as soon as she was oio
enough to do so:
arrived In the person of Rev. Charles
Blade. His frank. straightforward
personality, coupled with his good
looks and masculine bearing. had
caused him TO De greatly IhSu, HoS
only by the vicar and his family. but
by all the parishioners.
Suddenly and without warning the
peace of the vicarage was destroyed
One morning Mr.. Crayne received by
pos. an anonymous letter. in which
the names of his daughter and the
curate were linked together in way
that caused him both pain and anx-
iety.
4 man with a strong sense Of honor
himself. he cordially despised the
anonymous letter writer. and his first
instinct had been to ignore that
which he had just received. On sec
ond thoughts, hoxever. he reasoned
that the writer would be unlikely to
rest content with a single letter; but
same calumnious statements to
others
After consulting with his wife. he
had reluctantly questioned his daugh- |
the matter lightly: but on the grave
nature Of the accusations being point |
ed OUT to her. she had become greatly |
embarrassed and assured him that the
curate had never been more than
ordinarily attentive to her.
The vicar decided to allow the mat
ter to rest there. and accordingly he
made no mention Of the letter to
Blade.
A week later his daughter brought
IiIll lcllcT sue udQ lOuuQ lying III
the vicarage grounds. It contained
passionate declaration of love. and
ended with a threat of what might
happen il the writer's passion were
not reciprocated.
Although the letter was unsigned,
the vicar could not disguise from
himself the fact that there was a
marked similarity between the hand
writing of the two anonymous letters
and that of his cufAte.. He decided.
- enr
throw any light on the matter
At first the young man had ap-
peared bewildered: then he had
pledged his word of honor. not only
that he had not written the letters.
but that there was no truth in the
statements they contained.
Two evenings later. one of the
churchwardens called at the vicar
age and produced from his pocket a
letter he had received that morning,
Gus statements contained in the first
epistle.
FROM then on the district was del
Eged with anonymous letters, all
referring to the alleged passion of
the curate for the wears daughter,
and the intrigue they were carrying
on together. Some of the letters
Were frankly indelicate in their ex-
preston and, as the whole parish /
seethed with the scandal. the vicar
appealed to the police for aid.
One pecularity of the letters was
that all were written upon the same
paper, known as "Olympic Script"
This was supplied locally to a num-
ber of people in the neighborhood,
and others. the vicar, the curate, and
the schoolmaster.
- Soon the story began to find its
way into the newspapers, and Blades
position became one full Of difficulty
and embarrassment He had con-
suited Robert Freynes. who had been
at Oxford with his father, and the
K. c., convinced of the young mans
innocence, had sought Malcolm Sage's
aid.
You see. Sage" Freynes had re-
marked. I'm sure the boy Is straight
and incapable OF such conduct; but
it's impossible to talk to that ass
than tin-1innet."
Freynes' reference was to Chief
Inspector Murdy. of Scotland Yard,
who had been intrusted with the
inquiry, the local police having
proved unequal to the problem.
, Although Malcolm Sage had prom
ised Robert Freynes that he would
undertake the inquiry into the CYL
ston scandal, 1t was not until nearly
a week later that he found himself
at liberty to motor down into Hamp-
shire. n+i.
one afternoon the vicar of CYL
@ton, on entering his church, found
Q stranger on his knees tn the chan
eel Notehook In hand he was trans.