Show ANOTHERS CRIME FROM TEE DIARY OF INSPECTOR BYRNES BY JULIAN HAWTHORNE AUTHOR OF The Great Bank Robbery An American Penman Etc Copyrighted by O M Dunham and published through special arrangement by Cassell Co i the American Press Association with s Kew York and London This story was commence in Till SUNDAY HEKALD April Sjlh Back numbers can be ob talnedat this oOicoJ CHAPTER VL THE END OF AN INTRIGUE ELL Sylvia said her husband have you transacted w trans-acted your business busi-ness ° She had been standing with her y t r back toward him IIit 1 as he approached at tho sound of j his voice she gave a start and faced him Her face i expressed alarm c agitation and something of defiance r fiance Tunstall on tho contrary was quiet cold and slightly contemptuous in his bearing It was certainly unfortunate that he should have come upon her aNd Percy t gcther For months past sho had fl3ken every precaution to avoid such a mishap and now it had occurred nor had any advantage accrued as between her and Percy but quite the reverse I camo in hero to pay for the necklace neck-lace you know sho said I know If you have paid for it I am ready to escort you homeunless you have some engagement with this gentleman Oh I havo no engagement Mr Nolen happened to come in and find me here But Then perhaps Mr Nolen will excuse us But I havo just foundI havo mislaid mis-laid my pocketbook Left it at home No I havo lost it since I came inhere in-here Do you mean it has been stolen from youIt seems to have been J cant account ac-count for it If you will step this way madam and gentlemen put in the detective socan talk over tho matter in private 2 aero is a parlor at tho back where we shall not bo disturbed You understand sir he added addressing Tunstall that timo is of importanco in such things and tho sooner wo can take measures to capturo tho thief the better chance there is to recover the bank notes Let us go in by all means said Tun stalL But in what manner is Mr Nolen concerned I was hero when the robbery was committedif there was a robbery said Percy and according to this detective de-tective my assistance is necessary Tho detective pushed a way through tho crowd that had collected and led the others to the rear part of the building where thero was a small room with chairs and a table Into this room were admitted Mr and Mrs Tunstall Percy and tho salesman 2 B Now then said tho detective shutting shut-ting tho door and taking up a position with his back toward it plain words dont break any bones and the best thing wo can do is to clear away whatever what-ever may look puzzling Heres the way tt8 case stands Mrs Tunstall comes invo tho shop with her hands in her muff and four bank notes to the amount of two thousand five hundred dollars wero inside together with the purse Sho comes up to tho counter and this gentleman pointing to Nolen comes in right after her and speaks to her While sho is talking with him she lays her muff with the money and the purse in it on tho counter and turns her hack on it After a while along comes the salesman and while sho is speaking to jiim this gentleman goes round tho other side and takes up lu > r muff and turns it in his hands as it were A minute afterwards after-wards she takes tho muff from him and finds that the money and the purse are gone The gentleman says he had his hands in the muff and that it was empty Thats how the case stands Now I want to know if the gentleman has anything any-thing more to say And he looked at Nolen I havo told all I know about it replied re-plied Percy steadily I found the muff empty and if Mrs Tunstall had not been so positive that the purse and the money wero in it I should say she must have been mistaken The bank notes might have fallen on the ground and not been noticed but the purse would havo l en heard to drop II May 1 ask then what your theory Is inquired Tunstall courteously I have none be answered shortly And what is yours Sylvia her husband hus-band continued Im sure I dont know what to think the said in a faltering voice The eyes of Tunstall and tho detective fixed themselves upon Percy in silence S3 reddened as ho returned tho gaze but whether with anger or with some other umotion it was impossible to determine Well ho broke out at length it Bccmsto me that I stand in the position of a suspected person I can hardly believe be-lieve ho added in a hoarser voice that I con be seriously charged with picking H ladys pocketespecially a lady with whom I acquainted He paused no one spoke Well then he went on angrily I will say that I repudiate the charge and I will hold to account whoever who-ever has tho face to mako it I mean you sir ho said with a fierco look at BJJEstall Have you anything to say to it itSo So far as1 am aware said Tunstall cojblly the only person who has spoken of charging you with the theft is your pell I was not present and can only judire from hearsay But I will say this ilr Nolen if 1 wero in your place 1 should wish to vindicate my innocence in some other way than by asserting it I should begin by asking this detective to search my pockets Do you dare to say you want trio to bo searched cried Nolen his faco flushing flush-ing red while he advanced a step toward tho other with a threatening gesture That is what an honest man would wish to have done replied tho other not flinching Come come said tho detective stepping step-ping between them wo dont want any hard words here gentlemen But Im bound to tell you Mr Nolen that Mr Tunstall is right Theres no disgrace in being searched that I know of and it would be worth more than a lot of loud talking Percy stood uncertain for a moment then he stripped off his overcoat and tossed it to the detective Do as you like said he You have your duty to perform I suppose I will settle with Mr Tunstall afterwards I The detective put his hand into one of tho side pockets of the overcoat then into tho other Heres something at any rate he remarked and with the words he drew out a ladys purse Percy uttered a cry as of utter astonishment aston-ishment and dismay and stared at the pocket book like a man bewildered Is that yours Sylvia inquired her husband quietly taking the purse and handing it to her She took it mechanically and opened it It is mine sho said under her breath Are tho notes in it demanded the detective She shook her head They are not in the overcoat tho detective de-tective added Wo skall have to pur l i sue our examination a littlo further Mr Nolen he said in a grave tone I I dont understandI havo nothing i J to say thero seems to havo been some j plot against me said Percy in a dazed manner I desiro to have the thing cleared up more than any ono elso can I wish to be taken to tho station and cx amined i Thats the best senso youve talked yet answered the other approvingly Call a couple of hacks Fenis he said i i to the salesman and well start at once You charge this man on suspicion of the robbery he added turning to Mrs fun stall I She was standing with her eyes cast I down and her hands hanging folded before I be-fore her leaning against the table She was in a delicate position and she knew i 1 it If she sided with Percy it would be 1 tantamount to a defiance of her husband i a defiance which he would never forgive for-give and would fight out to tho bitter i end It would mean for her loss of social I position and consequent exile and obscurity I obscur-ity or if not obscurity a kind of prominence I prom-inence that no one would envy her If on the other hand sho took sides with her husband it would afford the strongest strong-est possible indication in his eyes of her virtuous and wifely conduct and rebuke of tho suspicions ho had entertained against her Moreover tho evidence against Percy was very strong and plausible It might bo misleading and in the bottom of her heart sho did not believe him guiltybut in case it should turn out that ho had yielded to some sudden temptation it would b < jawkward to say tho least to have compromised herself for a felon Had sho loved him indeed thero might havo been tragic pleasure in sacrificing herself but it was now revealed to her that the only love in the matter was a love not of Percy but I of excitement The excitement had run itself out and was succeeded by a desire to get out of tho scrape by the shortest route But did she feel no remorse at abandoning her lover at the moment of his greatest need No tho feminine conscience con-science is not so easily caught It was with a glow of conscious virtue and connubial con-nubial rectitude that sho lifted her pretty face and addressing her husband said Well I suppose ho must havo done I dont see who else could have Yes I will make tho complaint though it will be very disagreeable to appear in court among a lot of criminals She just glanced at Percy assho turned away perhaps to see how ho would take it llis eyes were fixed upon her with an expression of half incredulous curiosity but tho next moment ho threw back his head and burst into a loud laugh She shrank a little at that sound and edged toward the door and this was tho lovers parting scene Such was the train of events that brought a young gentleman who might have made a good and respectable figure in the world to the office of Inspector Byrnes at police headquarters The inspector in-spector listened to tho story contemplating contemplat-ing the prisoner and his accusers dreamily dream-ily in tho meanwhile and after it was told ho sat for a while absently making lines on the blotting pad in front of him with the point of a paper knife Finally ho looked up and briefly requested re-quested that every ono should withdraw except Mrs Tunstall and Percy Nolen When the three were alone together he regarded Mrs Tunstall pensively and said How long have you known tho prisoner pris-oner Oh a year or more Has your husband approved of the acquaintance How do you mean sir inquired the lady with a blush You know what I mean I think iI dont think my husband has ever liked Mr Nolen she replied uneasily Considered him rather detrimental I suppose Well I sunnnso sn Were the prisoner and ycur husband at any time intimately known to each otherThey They knew each other scarcely at all And yet your husband considered him detrimental Thero ought to have been somo reason for that Arc you prepared to stato to me Mrs Tunstall in Percy Nolens presence that your husbands hus-bands ill opinion of him was in no way connected with what he knew or suspected I pected of Percy Nolens relations with you I youTho question was put so sternly and gravely that Mrs Tunstall was unable to maintain the composure of her countenance counte-nance She stammered and hesitated and looked first one way and then another an-other Was it possible that thin inspector in some incomprehensible manner had become acquainted with tho truth lIeInever asked him the reason of his opinion she faltered at length There are many ways of getting rid of a man when he ceases J to be convenient conven-ient and becomes objectionable continued con-tinued tho inspector Are you ready to stand before mo and take your oath that you honestly and truly believe this man guilty of stealing your pocket book Remember Mrs Tunstall your answer may bo the means of condemning an innocent in-nocent man to irrevocable ruin I But she had gone too far to withdraw i selfishness and cowrdico alike forbade t it Yet it was not without an inward I struggle that left her pale and trembling that she said desperately Yes I believe be-lieve he stole it and then The evidence evi-dence shows itit is not Ir I Th t is for neither you nor me to determine I de-termine Mrs Tunstall returned the inspector rising I will not detain you I any longer now you will be informed when your sworn testimony will be required re-quired hereafter And Mrs Tunstall went out I The inspector resumed his seat and i addressed himself to the prisoner I I was willing he said for the sake I of your family and friends to givo you I every chance to which you wero entitled You had every advantage of training I and education but you have lived a foolish fool-ish and useless life and this is tho result of it You were in need of moneyin immediate im-mediate and pressing need of it you had I tried every way you knew to get it you I found those banknotes in your hand this morning arid you wero unable to resist I tho temptation to take them From a I gentleman you becamewhat you are 1 now I Inspector Byrnes said Percy firmly but apathetically I did not commit that crime I have lived a bad and useless life and no doubt I deserve to suffer for i it but 1 honestly believe that no temptation tempta-tion would havo induced me to do such a j thing as that I am obliged to you for i suggesting to Mrs funsta II that I she would I reconsider her accusation but it will be I no satisfaction to me to escape in any such way If I cannot provo my innocence i inno-cence I may as well be in jail as anywhere any-where else i Innocent men arc very seldom convicted i con-victed said the inspector impassively The facts are against you No one but 1 you known to have been near the muff r after Mrs Tunstall laid it down You I admit having had it in your hands the pocket boo was found in your pocket It is true that the bank notes were not found but the presence of a confederate j would account for that It is for you to I judge whether or not your plea should be guilty I I am innocent and thats the end of j it said Percy I dont expect to prove j it Tho evidence is all the other way Somebody must havo taken the purse out of the muff and put it in my pocket as for tho notes I know nothing You t say I may have had a confederate If ho was near enough to take the notes from me ho was near enough to rob the muff and if ho could do that it would remain to be proved that he was my confederate con-federate or that I knew anything about him But all that would bo in my favor is guess work and all thats against mo is fact so its a bad look out Undoubtedly it is assented tho in pector quietly There was only one minuto when a thief could havo taken tho money and left tho purse In your pocket and that was when you were talking to Mrs Tunstall and her back was turned towards the muff If anyone I any-one had been near enough to put the I purso in your pocket you could hardly I expect a jury to believe that you would not have noticed him Percy maintained a gloomy silence for a moment then his expression suddenly lightened and ho exclaimed Now that I think of it somo ono did touch me on the arm and when I turned round he lIked mo if his cane was standing against tho counter Perhaps he was tho man Can you describe him asked tho inspector I in-spector indifferently Percy shook his head Ho had a dark mustache I believe ho might havo been I under 30 but I hardly looked at him I doubt if I should know him again Tho inspector stroked his mustache That will hardly do said he You havo no defense at all The best advice I can give you is to make a clean breast of it Such a defense as that is worse than nothing Probably you are right but I am innocent in-nocent and 1 will never say tho contrary con-trary replied the prisoner with a sigh So far as I am concerned I dont care much what becomes of me I owe money I cant pay and thero aro other things I am sorry for my mother and sister but I never was much good to them and Judge Ketelle will look after them I hope Is Judgo Ketello a friend of yours He was my fathers partner and is the executor of his will Do you wish to send for him There will bo tho question of bail to consider as well as other matters I suppose that will bo tho best thing I can do I thank you for suggesting it inspector Dont trouble yourself to thank me until you find out whether there is occasion oc-casion for it returned tho chief detective detec-tive coldly Ho touched a bell made a sign to the officer who entered and Percy was led out That boy never took that money he said to himself when ho was alone Such fellows as ho dont steal leastof all from the woman theyre in love with As for herthe inspectors faco grew very stern and ho brought his hand down heavily on the table Sho is sacrificing him to pull wool over her husbands eyes Either Nolens suggestion is the true one or else she invented tho story to get rid of him Its a bad lookout but lets see if we cant straighten it outl CHAPTER VII VAL MARTIN HILE these untoward un-toward events SA were occurring the jewelry shop and tho police office an affair I t of a different nature na-ture was being Q transacted at the J house of Mrs Nolen A couple of 7 i weeks had passed since Valentine Martin had called rteg on Mrs Nolen or and her an daughter daugh-ter so that his appearance thero that day had something of tho charm of novelty nov-elty Mrs Nolen however was too much upset by her interview with Percy to be able to extend the visitor a welcome I and that duty therefore devolved upon I Pauline The latter it may be observed had not been informed of her brothers pecuniary troubles and only knew that I I her mother was for some reason greatly j distressed She came down stairs and found Valentine in the library I I Judge Ketelle had pronounced Pauline a beautiful gill and beauty was horniest I noticeable external quality but it was I not her chief claim to distinction among I those who knew her She was finely organized or-ganized and trained in mind as well as body and possessed a charm separate from any physical attraction It was not that she was a learned young woman she never embarrassed any ono by revealing re-vealing the presence of more information than might reasonably be supposed to I belong to her but there was in her expression ex-pression a spirit and understanding that promised whatever was delightful in I mental scenery and tone Her temperament I tempera-ment was calm and equable because it was deep and healthy it could not be I aroused save for adequate cause but when aroused it would clothe itself in I power This wide and vigorous nature I would go on ripening and enriching itself long after ordinary people dry up and dwindle away Paulino could not her definite and be measured or assigned i i fixed place in human nature Her sympathies j I sym-pathies were broad and what she might j I do or be depended rather upon the demands i I de-mands made upon her than upon any I limitations in herself i The young Englishman after the first j 1 conventional things were said did not j appear to bo in a loquacious mood He replied in monosyllables to Paulines observations ob-servations but his eyes kept returning to fix themselves upon her with an ex1 pression of somber thoughtfulness i i cc Are you getting tired of America I I sho asked him at length I I have enjoyed somo of it very I much he replied I wish I had known years ago what I should find I when I came here Would you have come sooner It isnt that but I should have left I undone some things that I have done in the past A fellow is generally a fool in I the beginning Ho gets senso after awhile i a-while but the things tho fool did remain I re-main worse luck I If they did not you would never grow wise i I What is the use of wisdom if it only I makes a man curse himself for having been not wise What do you expect wisdom to bring youIt It ought to bring fortune and happiness happi-ness but it doesnt No wise people dont seem to be happy or fortunate But they are wise they should expect to pay for that Very true Miss Nolen we cant eat our cake and have it too But I might havo been content to have eaten my cake if only it hadnt turned out to be made of bran and shavings How would you like to hear my strange eventful history his-tory It has never been published I would like to hear the real life of a man what he thought and felt But that is tho part the stories leave out Well tho whole truth is a vulgar and sordid affair a good deal of it is And theres a reason for it too For it is chiefly the analysis of a lie That is not the truths fault Oh of course not the children of light always havo the best of tho argument argu-ment There has been plenty of muck in my career but plenty of variety and adventure too Younger sons have that advantage at least over the elders According to our American way of thinking it is no advantage to inherit a great estate It can only tempt a man to bj like his ancestors I would choose to be a younger son myself If it were a matter of choice perhaps those most concerned might more often agree with you But if you aro born a younger eon your preferences aro not consulted and it is not in human nature to enjoy having even a good thing crammed down your throat However I will say for my governor ho was Sir Henniker Martin of Derwent Hall near Kiswick Cumberlandthat ho did very fairly by me as a whole To begin with he laid the foundation of my future discontent dis-content by giving mo what is called a liberal education tho Eton and Oxford business you know I distinguished myself in both places Not for scholarship Since you will havo it no but for running up debts The trouble with me was I was too good a fellow I was the most popular fellow in Eton at the time I left it I had documentary evidence of that Documentary Yes When a boy leaves Eton the fellows who liked him each give him a booksomething swell you know bound in calf and all that such as ho will bo sure not to spoil by reading it too much Well I got a hundred and eighty of thoso leaving books as they call em A popular library I Yes and all gone now like the popularity popu-larity It was tho same way at OxfQrd only bigger Dills and less Innocence out the governor paid up like a man and then got me a clerkship in the foreign office of-fice If he had made me chief secretary of foreign affairs I might havo buckled down to business but tho clerkship only made bad worse Easy hours light work Of course I went out into society head over cars No end of friendslots of popularity You never saw such a clever good looking good humored chap as I was I had no time to waste in my office my chiefs began to growl at last father called mo up told mo I was no good and that he was tired paying for it gave me two thousand pounds and an outfit and packed me off to New Zealand It was to be sink or swim as luck might have it but no more life preservers from tho old gentleman Were you popular there too Its every man for himself there I went to NapierHawkes Baythe best sheep farming country in tho colony There I ran across a chap I had known at Eton Cartwright Brown his namo was he had a station thats what they call a ranch out there Matapiro on tho banks of the Ngararoro river Well Cartwright initiated me into the mysteries myster-ies of sheep farming docking tailing and all the rest of it Very different from Mayfair and Piccadilly I can tell youWas there no society out there Very entertaining society in Napier and plenty of it Oh yes there are women everywhere said Valentine and he was silent for a time and seemed to lose himself in revery There was a neighbor of Browns Hector Pope between be-tween us and Napier I invested my money in his ranch and got to spending a good deal of my time there and at the club in town I didnt scrimp myself much I kept a couple of race horses and played unlimited loo at tho club my sheep and my other investments had to take care of themselves You can imagine what the end would be without with-out my telling you Mr Martin said Pauline youhave left out something You would not have gone on in that way if you had not had some experience that influenced you He raised his head and looked at her after a moment sho added I dont mean that you should tell it You lost your money you were saying All but fifty pounds and a heap of clothes I packed the clothes in my trunks forty of the fifty pounds I handed to Brown to employ as events might require re-quire and I was just on the point of shipping for Australia when a Maori outbreak in the Taupo district was reported re-ported I came to the conclusion that I was probably born to be shot so I entered en-tered the service as full private in the Armed Constabulary You have heard of the Irish Constabulary This was something of the same sort I enjoyed that campaign moro than anything in New Zealand Tho Maoris are splendid chaps for a fight You have your Indian wars here but you should see those fellowsl Well one day we had to attack a hill which tho Maoris were posted it was about the shape of a beehive bee-hive and covered with trees it was called Niho o to Eiorc which means Rats Tooth That tooth gnawed a big hole in our regiment Tho Maoris had posted themselves in the treesup in the branches and had made a sort of glacis round the trunks it was capital cover they could see our fellows coming and pot them at their leisure but our fire was wasted on the trees If we got too near they would slip down from one tree and run to another Our men kept dropping but there was no sign that wo were producing any effect on them at alL By and by the men came to the conclusion that the fun was too expensive expen-sive and they began to fall back Of course the Maoris followed uspretty fast too I hated the idea of getting shot in tho back I had a few rounds of cartridges left and I kept drawing up and popping at em Brown was near mo at that time It was bad going under foot rocks bushes gullies all of a sudden I felt something hot just beneath be-neath my collar bonea bullet through the left lung I remember feeling pleased that I hadnt been hit in tho back after all then I stumbled over a root and went down Brown saw mehe was a lieutenantho hailed three of our men and they lifted me and carried me I was pretty heavy and very bloody and I had fainted and the men thought I was dead and began tognimblefor the Maoris were closing up They wanted to drop me but Brown pulled out his revolver and vowed hed shoot the first man who let go As hat was a certainty whereas thero was a chance of dodging the Maoris they held on and brought ma off I got well and was promoted to a lieutenancywhat for I never discovered discov-ered Before I could bo about again the war was over I went back to Napier and there I heard that Miss Dorrien Taylor Tay-lor my mothers sister was dead and had left me eight thousand pounds I took a part of it and sailed for Aspinwall and camo up to New York Did you leave the rest of your legacy with Mr Brown Yes and you were quite right It was on the voyage out from London There was a woman on board When wo reached Napier I married her secretly Brown was the only man who ever knew it It was not a wise affair Miss Nolen Sho is living she will outlive me I knew I should havo to tell you and Ive dona itl itlTOBE TOBE COXTIXCED NEST SUNDAY |