Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-10-24

any longer q mystery story Anyhow,
4 the story seems 20 me 70 have been
roughly this: Maltravers came here,
with part Of his touring company
some Of them went straight 70 Dutton-
Abbot, where they were all presenting
some melodrana about the early nine
teenth century; he himself happened
70 pc hanging about ~ MS Stage dress.
the very distinctive dress OF 8 dandy
OF that time. Another character was
an old fashioned paxsons whose dark
dress was less distinctive and might
pass as being merely old-fashioned
This part was taken by q man who
mostly acted old men; had acted Shy
lock and was afterwards going to act
Polonius A third figure in the drama
was our dramatic poet. who was also
a dramatic performer, and quarreled
with Maltravers about how TO present
Hamlet, but about more personal things
too. / think It likely that he was In
love with MRS. MaltraverS even then:
I don't believe there was anything
wrong with them; and hope 1t may
now be all right with them. But he
may very well have resented Maltrav-
ers Ia his coDtugal capacity; for Mall
travers was 8 bully and likely to raise
rows. In some such row, they fought
with sticks, and the poet hit NAL
travers very hard on the head: and,
In the light Of the inquest, had every
reason to suppose he had killed him
A third man was present or privy 70 the
incident; the man acting the old par
son; and he proceeded to blackmau the
alleged murderer, forcing from him
the cost Of his upkeep in some luxury
as a retired clergyman. It was the OBJ
vi0us masquerade for such a man in
such g place. simply TO go ON wearing
his stage clothes as q retired clergy
man. But he had his own reason for
being q very retired clergyman. For the
true story OF Maltravers' death was
that he rolled into g deep underground
OF bracken, gradually recovered, tried
to walk toward q house, and was even
tually overcome, not by the blow, but
by the fact that the benevolent |
had given him poison an
hour before, probably in q glass Of 4
port. It made me a little nervous. The 4
police are working on that theory now; 1
but whether they viii be able TO prove I
that part Of the story, don't know. I
They viii have to find the exact mo-
tive; but it's obvious that this bunch Of I
actors was buzzing with qiarrels and
Maltravers was very much hated"
1.-THE police may prove something
now they have got the suspicion" said
IL
1erstand is why you ever began to sls-
oeCt. Why in the world should you sus-
pect that very blameless blackcoated
yentleman2"
Father Brown smiled family. Il sup
pose in one sense" he said, "it was a
natter Of special knowledge; almost
/ professional matter; but In peculiar
'enSe. You know our controversialiStS
,ften complain that there is a great
ieal Of ignorance about what our re-
igiOn Is really like. But It is really more
curious than that. 1t Is true, and it
s not at all unnatural, that England
loes not know much about the church
4 Rome. But England does not know
Got even as much as / do. Now the
irst thing that struck me was that
his venerabEe cleric had goS the whole
hing incredibly mixed up. No Anglican
arson could be so wrong about every
anglican problem BE was supposed TO
e an old Tory high chtlrchman; and
hen he boosted Of being q Puritan. A
1an like that might personally be
ather PuTitanical; but he would never
all it being Puritan. he protested
horror OF the stage; he didn't know
nat high churchmen generally don't
ave that special horror, though low
nurchmen do. BE talked like Purt-
an about the Sabbath; and then he
ad crlcifix in his room. He eYi-
emily had no notion Of what very
ious parson ought to be, except that
e ought to be very solemn and vener-
BILE and frown upon the pleasures OF
ne world. AL this time there was 9
Unconscious notion running in my
cad; something couldn't fix IN my
emory; and then 1t came 10 me sud-