I( THE MARK OF CAIN )
^ Copyright. 1917, by J. B. Llppincott Co. ^
^-i
“There!” shouted Fishy,
triumphantly; “now wait a min
ute, Mr. Berg,” and by the force
of his own insistence Fibsy held
the audience, while he pursued
his own course. He drew a silver
quarter from his pocket and
handed it to Sandsrom. “Look
at that,” he cried, “look at it
good!” He snatched it back.
“Did you look at it good?”
and he shook his fist in the oth
er's face.. ,,
“Yes, Ay look at it good.
“All right; now tell me where
the plugged hole in it was? V\ as
it under the dale, or was it over
the eagle.
The Swede thought deeply..
“Be careful now! Where was
it, old top? Over the eagle?”
v “Yes. Ay tank it been over
the eagle.
“You tank so! Don’t yon
know?”
The heavy face brightened.
“Yes, Ay know! Ay know it
been over the eagle.”
“You’re sure?”
“ Yes, Ay bane sure.”
“All right, pard. You see,
Mr. Coroner,” and Fibsy handed
the quarter over to Berg, “they
ain’t no hole in it anywhere!”
Nor was 1here. Berg looked
mystified. “What's it all
about?” he said, helplessly.
“Why,” said Fibsy, eagerly,
“don’t you see, if that fool
Swede don’t know enough to see
whether there’s a hole in a piece
o' chink or not, he ain’t no re
liable witness in a murder ease 1”
«... . ii 1 n o . _
The boy had scored, ho iar
as the Swede’s alleged recog
nition of Landon was evidence, it.
was discarded at once. Coroner
Berg looked at the boy in per
plexity, not realizing just how
the incident of the silver quar
ter had cotne about. It was by
no means his intention lo allow
freekle-faeed office boys to in
terfere with his legal proceed
ings. He had read in a book
about rnal-observation and the
rarity of truly remembered evi
dence, but he had not umlestood
it clearly and it was only a vague
idea to him. So it nettled him to
1 ave the principle put to a prac
tical use by an impertinent urch
in, who talked objeetiouable
£>; ng.
a «rudge Hoyt, looked at Fibsy
wTtti growing interest. That boy
had brains, he concluded, and
might be more worth-while than
his appearance indicated. Avice,
too, took note of'the bright
eyed chap, and Kane Landon,
himself, smiled in open approval.
But Fibsy was in no way elat
ed, or even conscious that h* had
attracted attention. He had
aeted on impulse; he had dis
believed the Swede’s evidence,
and he had sought to disprove it
by a simple experiment, which
worked successfully. His asser
tion that the Swede had been
told to say that he eeognized
Landon, was somewhat a chance
shot.
Fibsy reasoned it out, that if
Sandstrom had seen Landon in
the woods, he would have recog
nized him sooner at the inquest,
or might even have told of him
before liis appearance. And he
knew that the police now sus
pected Landon, and as they were
eager to make an arrest, they had
persuaded the Swede that he had
seen the man. Sandstrom’s brain
was slow and be had little com
prehension. Whether guilty or
innocent, he had come to the
scene at his wife’s orders, and
might lie not equally well have
satisfied at the orders or hints of
the police! At any rate, he had
admitted that he had been told
to say what he had said, and so
be had been disqualified as a
witness.
And yet, it all proved nothing,
rather it left them with no defi
nite proof of any sort. Fibsy
ignored the stupid - looking
Swede, and stared at the coro
ner, until that dignitary became
a little embarrassed. Realizing
that he had lessened his own
importance to a degree, Berg
strove to regain lost ground
“Good work, my boy,” he
said, condescendingly, and with
an air of dismissing the subject.
“But the credibility of a wit
ness's story must rest with the
gentlemen of the jury. I under
stand all about those theories
of psy—psychology, as they call
them, but I think they are of lit
tle, if any, use in practice.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,”
said Judge Hoyt. “I find them
▼ery interesting. Do you always
o
Fibsy, with an earnest face, “it’s
seein’ true. Now, f’r instance,
Mr. Coroner, is the number for 6
o’clock, on your watch, a figger
or a VI?”
“I cannot allow this child’s
play,” and Mr. Berg looked de
cidedly angry.
“But that’s rather a good
one,” said Judge Hoyt. “Come,
now% Berg, do vou know which it
is?”
“Certainly I do,” Berg
snapped out.. “It’s the Roman
letters, VI.”
“Yessir?” said Fibsy, eagerly.
“An’ are they right side up, or
upside down, as you hold 12 at
the top?”
B.rg thought a moment. “As
1 hold 12 at the top, they’re up
side down, of course. All the
numbers have their base toward
the center of the dial.”
“The the six on your watch
is VI, with the tops of the letters
next the rim of the watch?”
“It is,” said Berg, adding
sneeringly, “would you like to
see it?”
“Yessir,” and Fibsy darted
forward.
The coroner snapped his watch
open, and after a brief glance,
the boy gave a quick little wag
of his head, and went back to his
seat, without a word.
But the man flushed a fiery
red, and his pompous air desert
ed him.
“Were you right, Berg?”
asked Judge Hoyt. “Come now,
own up?”
tt k * i _» 1_
A very natural error, mum
bled the coroner, and then De
tective Groot pounced on him,
demanding to see his watch.
“Why, there's no six on it at
all!” he cried and then gave an
uncontrollable guffaw. “There’s
only a rottnd place with the sec
ond hand into it!”
“This tomfoolery must be
stopped,” began the coroner, but
he had to pause in his speech un
til the ripple of merriment had
subsided and the jury had real
ized afresh the seriousness of
their purpose.
“Hold on Berg, that’s a fairly
good one on a coroner,” said
Judge Hoyt, a little severely.
“Have you looked at that watch
for years and didn’t know there
was no six on itt”
“I s’pose I have. I never
thought about it.”
“It does show the unreliability
of testimony intended to be
truthful,” and Hoyt spoke
thoughtfully. “Terence, how did
you know Mr. Berg’s watch had
a second hand instead of the six
numeral”
“1 didn’t know a thing about
it. But I wanted to see if he
did. It might of been a six up
side down fer all o’ me, but most
watches has second hands there
and most people don’t know it.
I got it out of a book. People
don’t see true. They think a
\yatchJias gottcr say six o’clock,
they don’t remember it might
mean it, but not say it.”
Again Hoyt gave the boy a
look of appreciation. “Keen
witted,” he said to himself.
“Ought to make his mark.” And
then he glanced back to the dis
comfited coroner.
CHAPTER VII.
Stephanotis.
— » m
Now Mr. Berg’s disposition
was of the sort that when of
fended, desires to take it out of
some one else rather than to re
taliate on the offender. So, after
a little further questioning of the
still bewildered Swede he turned
again to Landon.
“Let us dismiss the matter
of the Swede and his evidence,”
he said, lightly, “and resume the
trend of our investigations. Do
I understand, Mr. Landon, that
you expect to inherit a legacy
from your late uncle?”
Landon’s eyes flashed. “I
don't know what you under
stand, Mr. Coroner. As a matter
of fact, 1 haven’t much opinion
of your understanding. But I
know nothing of the legacy you
speak of, save that my uncle
said to me yesterday, that he
would leave me $50,000 in his
will. Whether he did or not, I
do not know.”
The statement was made
carelessly, as most of Kane Lan
don’s statements were, and he
seemed all unaware of the con
clusions immediately drawn from
his words.
“Judge Hoyt,” said the coro
atTj turning to the lawyer, “are
yn Mvn&te4 in ten
of Mr. Trowbridge’s will?”
‘‘Most certainly, as I drew up
the document,” was the answer.
“Is Kane Landon a benefici
ary?”
“Yes; to the extent of $50,
000.”
It wa3 impossible not to note
the gleam of satisfaction that
came into Landon’s eyes at. this
news. Hoyt gave him a stare of
utter scorn and Avice looked
amazed and grieved.
“You seem pleased at the in
formation, Mr. Landon,” the
coroner grieved.
Landon favored him with a
calm, indifferent glance and
made no response.
Bn^g turned again to Miss
Wilkinson, the blonde stenog
rapher.
“Will you tell me,” he said,
“if you know, what caused Mr.
Trowbridge to leave his office
early, yesterday?”
The girl hesitated. She sliot
a quick glance at Landon, and
then looked down again. She
fidgeted with her handkerchief,
and twice essayed to speak, but
did not finish.
“Come,” said Berg, sharply,
“I am waiting.”
“I don’t know,” said Miss
Wilkinson at last.
Fibsy gave a quick whistle.
“She does know,” he declared;
“she takes all the telephone calls,
and she knows tke G’uvnor went
out ’cause somebody telephoned
for him.
“Is this true?” asked Berg of
the girl.
“How can I tell?” she retort
ed, pertly. “Mr. Trowbridge
had a lot of telephone calls yes
terday, and I don’t know wheth
er he went out because of one of
them or not. I don’t listen to a
telephone conversation after Mr.
Trowbridge takes the wire.”
“You do so!” said Fibsy, in
a conversational tone. “Mr.
Berg, Yellowtop told me just
after the Guv’nor went out, that
he’d gone ’cause somebody asked
him over the wire to go to Van
Cortlandt Park.”
“Tell the truth,” said Berg to
the girl, curtly.
“Well, I just, as lief,” she re
turned; “but it ain’t my way
to tell of private office matters
in public.”
“Make it your way, now, then.
It's time you understand the
seriousness of this occasion!”
“All right. Somebody, then,
—some man,—did call Mr. Trow
bridge about 2 o’clock, and ask*d»
him to go to Van Cortlandt
Park.”
“What for? Did he say?”
“Yes, he said somebody had
set. a trap for him.”
“Set a trap for him! What
did he mean?”
“IIow do I know what he
meant? I ain’t a mind-reader!
I tell you what he said—I can‘t
make up a meanin’ for it too.
And I ain’t got a right to tell
this much. I don’t want to get
nobody in trouble.”
The girl was almost in tears
now, but whether the sympathy
was for herself or another Avas an
open question.
“You haAre heard, Miss Wil
kinson, of testimony that means
to be true, but is—er—inexact.”
The coroner smiled a trifle, as if
thus atoning for his OAvn late
slip. “Therefore, I beg that you
Avill do your utmost to remember
exactly what that message Avas.”
“I do, ’cause I thought it Avas
such a funny one. The man said,
‘you’d hotter come, lie’s set a
trap for you.’ And Mr. TroAv
bridgc says ‘I can’t go today,
I’ve got an engagement.’ And
the other man said, ‘Oh, c’mon.
It's a lovely day, and I’ll give
you some stephanotis.’ ”
“Stephanotis!”
ies, sir, I remembered that,
’cause it’s my fav’rite puffume.”
“Was Mr. Trowbridge in the
habit of using perfumery?”
asked Berg of Avice.
“Never,” she replied, looking
at the blonde witness with scorn.
“I don't care,” Miss Wilkin
son persisted, doggedly; “I
know he said that, for I had a
bottle of stephanotis one Christ
mas, and 1 never smelled any
thing so good. And then he said
something about the Caribbean
Sea-•”
“Now, Miss Wilkinson, I’m
afraid you’re romancing a lit
tle,” and the coroner looked at
her in reproof.
“I’m telling you what I heard.
If you don’t want to hear it, “I'll
stop.”
“We want to hear it, if it’s
true, not otherwise. Are you
sure this man said these absurd
things?”
“They wern’t absurd, least
ways, Mr. Trowbridge didn’t
think so. 1 know that, ’cause he
was pleasant and polite, and
when the man said he’d give him
said, right, off, he’d go.”
“Go to the Caribbean Sea wi”
him ?”
“I don’t know whether he
meant that or not. I didn’t catch
! on to what he said about that.
I but I heard Caribbean Sea all
j right.”
“Do you know where that sea
| is?”
i “No, sir. But I studied it in
j my geography at school, I forget
where it is, but I remember the
name.”
“Well it’s- between—er—that
is, somewhere near South Amer
ica, and the -well, it s down that
way. Did ibis man speaking
sound like a foreigner?”
“N—no, not exactly.”
“Like an American?”
“Yes—I think so,”
“Explain your hesitation.”
“Well,” said the girl desper
ately, “he sounded like he was
trying to sort of disguise his
voice—if you know what I
mean.”
“I know exactly what you
mean. How did you know it was
a disguised voice?”
“It was sort of high and then
sort of low as if making believe
somebody else.” -
u You 're a very observing
young woman. I thought you
didn’t listen to telephone conver
sations of your employer.”
“Well, 1 just happened to hear
this one. And it was so—so
queer, I kind of kept on listenin’
for a few minutes.”
“It may be fortunate that you
did, as your report is interesting.
Now, can you remember any
more, any other words or een
tences?”
“No sir. There was a little
more but I didn’t catch it. TSrey
seemed to know what they was
talkin’ about, but most anybody
else wouldn’t. But I’m dead
sure of the puffumery and the
sea.”
“Those are certainly queer
words to connect with this case.
But maybe the message you tell
of was not the one that called
Mr. Trowbridge to the park.”
“Maybe not, sir.”
“It might have been a friend
warning him of the trap set for
him, and urging him to go south
to taeapo it.”
“Maybe sir.”
These things must be clearly
looked into. We must get the
number of the telephone call and
trace it.”
¥<Can’t be done,” said Detec
tive Groot, who being a taciturn
man listened carefully and said
little. “I’ve tried too many
times to trace a call to hold out
any hopes of this. If it came from
a big exchange it might be bare
ly possible to trace it; but if from
a private wire or a public booth,
or from lots of such places you’ll
neve? find it. Never in the
world.”
“Is it then so difficult to trace
a telephone call?” asked one of
the jury. “I didn’t know it.”
“Yes, sir,” repeated Groot.
“Why there was a big case in
New York years ago, where they
made the telephone company
trace a call and it cost the com
pany thousands of dollars. Aft
er that they tore up their slips.
But then again, you might hap
pen to find out what you want.
But not at all likely, no, not a
bit likely.”
Avice looked at the speaker
thoughtfully. The night before
she had asked the number of a
call and received it at once. Rut,
she remembered, she asked a few
moments after the call was made,
and of the same operator. Her
thoughts wandered back to that
call made by Eleanor Black, and
again she felt that impression of
something sly about the woman.
And to tniuk. she had the num
her of that cal 1 and coul<j esmily
fm T mil who it summoned! But
all such things must wait till
this investigation of the present
was over. She looked at Mrs.
Black.
! The handsome widow wore her
: usual spinx-like expression and
! she was gazing steadily at Kane
Laudon. Aviee thought she de
tected a look in the dark eyes
as of a special, even intimate in
terest in the young man. She had
1 no reason to think they were ac
i quaintauees, yet she couldn’t
help thinking they appeared so.
At any rate, Eleanor Black wTas
paying little or no attention to
the proceedings of the inquest.
But Avice remembered she had
expressed a distaste and aversion
to detectives and all their works.
Surely, the girl thought, she
could not have cared very much
for Uncle Rowly, if she doesn’t
feel most intense in running the
murderer to ground.
She turned again toward the
coroner to hear him saying:
(To be continued next week.)
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More Interruptions.
“Women are taking a great interest
In politics.”
“To my sorrow,” sakl the harassed
fedltor. ^
“Didn’t you work for a woman’s suf
frage?”
“Yes, but since they’ve won the bal
lot women who never bothered me be
fore In their lives are calling me over
the telephone to settlte their political
arguments.”—Birmingham Age-Herald.
How's This?
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HALL'S CATARRH MEDICINE is a
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TAKEN FROM EXCHANGES
Theory raises a man’s hopes. Prac
tice raises his wages.
Be cheerful and don’t argue; and
you will multiply friends.
Wise men may fool others, but the
fool fools only himself.
Don’t wait for the dead past to bury
Itself—cremate It.
Paint is like news—of no value un
less well spread.
Our best opportunities are of the
home-made variety.
He who laughs last sometimes
laughs impudently.
Broad hints are wasted on narrow
minded people.
Facts—and fancies—are stubborn
things.
The successful man doesn’t believe
in luck.
Bachelors are men who have illu
sions about women.
The high cost of living makes us
dig down.
Kissing is dangerous, but every girl
considers herself immune.
Many a man is continually in hot
water without ever acquiring a clean
record.
Nor can you tell from the size of a
man how far he can jump from the
frying pan into the Are.
Everyone wants to be entertained;
and he will pay as much for it as for
food.
■Wg''"' ■" - B
On the Job.
“Doc, I’in sick of coming to you with
this bill.”
“Sick?” I’ll gladly prescribe.”
The Cuticura Toilet Trio.
Having cleared your skin keep it cleat
by making Cuticura your every-day
toilet preparations. The soap to cleans^
and purify, the Ointment to soothe an$
heal, the Talcum to powder and pef->
fuma No toilet table is compleff
without them. 25c everywhere.—Adr«
Its Kind.
“I saw a circus performance I®
which wonderful tricks were done by
a big percheron and a tiny Shetland
pony.”
“That was an exhibition which
might be called one of mite and,
mane.”
Important to Mothers
Examine carefully every bottle Of
CASTOUIA, that famous old remedy
for Infants and children, and see that It
Sli
In Use for Over 30 Years.
Children Cry for Fletcher’s Castori*
Growing Our Own Fruit.
The imports of fruit into the coun
try have shown a steady decrease in
the last few years, and it is said th
be due to the fact that our orchard
products are increasing In quantity
and variety. 1
At the Musicale.
Enthusiast—Don’t you think the
chiara oscuro was fine? . i
Non-Musical Guest—To tell the
truth, I liked the chicken salad bet
ter.
Not the Same.
“Mrs. Gaddy has no conversation.1*
“Why, she talks incessantly.”
“Who said she didn’t?”
Practice and Theory.
“Jubbs was a crank about the sim
ple life.” “Naturally; he is now ia
a home for the feeble-minded.”
Easiest means of spreading happi
ness is by paying compliments. Sow
’em thick.
Speaking of styles someone remarks
that the snake Is the longest-waisted
animal.
In your effort to make both ends
meet you must be mighty careful they
don’t snap in the middle.
Banns of marriage are so-called be
cause ban originally meant proclama
tion.
Nothing looks so unhappy as a man
waiting for his change fn a dry goods
store.
Postum
used in place of
coffee has many advan
tages, soon recognized.
Postum. is better for
health, costs less than
j coffee, yet has a flavor
very similar to coffee.
Postum Cereal should
be boiled a full fifteen j
minutes. Another form
Instant Postum is made
instantly in the cup, no
boiling required.
Grocers sell both kinds
J "There's a Reason"
k
