New Britain herald., 1927-11-02

 I threw the gun away"
 Vance frowned.
 That's strange. There must have been two guns. We dredged the river. y know. and found q Colt automatic, but the magazine was that it was your gun you took from Miss St. Clairs and threw over the bridge?"
 l knew no gun had been retrieved from the river, and l wondered what he was driving at. Was he. after all. trying to involve the girl? Mark ham, too, l could see, was in doubt.
 Leacock made no answer for sev- eral moments. When he spoke, it was with doggcd sullenness.
 There weren't two guns. The one you found was mine. . ] refllled the magazine myself,'
 "Ah, that accounts for it." Nances tone was pleasant and re- assuring. Just one more question. Captain. Why did you come here today and confess?"
 Leacock thrust his chin out, and for the first time during the cross examination his eyes became ami mated.
 Why? IL was the only honor able thing to do. You had unjustly suspected an innocent person: and l didn't want anyone else 10 suffer" This ended the interview. Mark ham had no questions 10 ask: and the deputy sheriff led the Captain cut.
 When the door had closed on him curious silence fell over the room. Markham sat smoking furiously. his hands folded behind his head. his eyes fixed on the ceiling. The Major had settled back in his chair, and was gazing at Vance with ad- hiring satisfaction,
 Vance was watching Markham out of the corner of his eye, q lrowsy smile on his lips. The ex- pressions and attitudes Of the three men conveyed perfectly their vary 1 ing individual reactions to the in l terview - Markham troubled, the Major pleased, Vance cynical. 1t was Vance who broke the , silence. He spoke easily, almost lazlly
 You see how silly ihc confession . is, what? Our pure and lofty Cap tain ir an incredibly poor Nun 1 chauscn. No one could lie as badly 1 as he did who hadn't been born int, 1 the world that way. It's simply i'm possible 10 initiate such stupidity. And he did so want us 10 think him guilty. Very affectin'.
 He prob'bly imagined you'd merely stick the confession in his 1 shirt-front and send him to the ! hangman. You noticed. he hadn't even decided how he got into Ben sons house that night. Pfyfe's ad- mitfcd presence outside almost spoiled his impromptu explanation of having entered with his intended victim. And he didn't recall Ben sons semi-negligc attire.
 "When I reminded him of it, ho had to contradict himself. and send Benson trotting upstairs to make q rapid change. Luckily, the toupee wasn't mentioned by the news papers. The Captain couldn't imagine what I meant when l in fimated that Benson had dyed his hair when changing his coat and shoes, . By the bye, Major. did your brother spcaI: thickly when his false teeth were out '''
 "Notic"ably so.' answered the Major. If Alvins plate had been removed that night-as I gathered il had been from your question = t.cacock would surely have noticed it."
 "There were other things ht djdn't notice" said Vance: tho irWel-caS,. for instance, and the To. cation Of the olcclric-liGht Switch."
 He went badly astray on that point" added the Major "Alvin'! house is old fashioned. and the onl,
 
 switch in the room is q pendan one attached 10 the chan1clicr.'
 Exactly" said Vance. "Howovcr lis worst break was in connection with inc gun. II" gave his hant away completely there, He said h. threw the pistol into the rive largely because of the missing car tridge. and when l told him th' magazine was full. he cXplaine' that he had r"fil"d it. so wouldn' think it was anyone else's gun tha vas found.
 Its plain 10 sec what's the mat ter. He thinks Miss St. Clair 1 guilty, and is determined to talk the blamc.'
 That's my impression" sai' f Major Benson"
 , And yet" unused Vance, "th Captains attitude bothers me a