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Show mM SOLUTIONS OF DR. FURNIVALL I I sfiii1SBr twvSIClAN - DETECTIVE. r . , v 7 ht,ioOS,byw.G.cllapma-zr by DR. GEO. r. BUTLER AND HERBERT SLSLEY I ccot m Great Chippendale Chairs I; ; tI Sorthljrook Downs chief of po-SolFiltha po-SolFiltha detective .-jumped from the mm car and liaslonod up the wide S?ML,jfti driveway which lea to the " TonC mansion. At the door they VK t by Mr. Towne himself aud ftSRtd in0 8 room at th rear n tllC ntoscd to s,it down, gontle-S!Kno gontle-S!Kno said, "and a few words I tho case before you." no was IBWli stoop shouldered man of 60, BfcXavcn, with grim, lipht .eyes, a iervow upper hp. a voice rich jC'VUj living, and a peremptory 4,kSW.f Tfbich, however, ho could SBF.. into au appearance as K, as ho pleased. He Was very Eu aid courteous now, and the K on this their first personal meet-RSh meet-RSh the city magnate, were ready Etaa that his reputation belied T,a that, instead of being the i wld-blooded and graspingnum. trteial opinion represented him to 'iftras as mild mannered, pood nat-fi nat-fi man as they over had seen in lfT3, and a porlecfc pcntleman. Noticed that a screen stood before the windows at a distance of two ILg feet from it, and they wou-Swiat wou-Swiat it was there for. But they fmiBine, merely seating theniselves liokineat their host inquinnply. ifdo not wish to confide what has to a telephone,' ' he continued. S en asked vou to call upon an un-Ji'trrand. un-Ji'trrand. "Tho fact is" He hosi-j hosi-j eodched, and then went 011: "But J; bepn at tho Tiphfc end of the t it tho beginning. You noticed, rM as you came alonp that there MA Vail around 1113' premises. It rtone up to a heipht of seven foot, ilove that and overtoppinp it is jcpenetrable Enplish thorn hodpe, liMj four feet hipher, making a (riillj imprcpnable protection for i'nounds of eleven leet in heipht. ntes, which are loftier even than 1 arc always locked at ni"ht. and porter's lodpc is right beside them. Jdj could enter that way unseen by house itself is wired through-Tith through-Tith a bnrplar alarm, which rinps dining room with a din that can ard even to the limits of the park, fo raise a window or open a door jjt any of those which arc locked, r ire are secured for the nicht SHribe to set this ponp clanging. The - He lo this room is always locked. It IBVh yon can see, the curio room, full Hnltiable articles, and is thrown open IjBjlnrelv. I carry the key to it ou my jSfes constantly. The three windows mijBn inil with the alarm and all are rV' 'ockcd. "ct last nicht some-''MSj some-''MSj got in here and rook away nvo . 'TT3luable Chippendale chairs. Mind cfMithis was no small parcel, to be Swirl under tho arm or into the poek-Jwkt poek-Jwkt fivo pood sized chairs, which 'twfR furnish a load for a wapon. And jaBf-'' he stepped forward aud with jih!Mtir pesture drew the screen fT,,"this is all we have to indicate Vmi rathe tbinp was accomplished "" 'm officers spraup up and looked ea WhHt they saw was a large hole 'K class of the lower half of tho ; JKor and a pood sized stone, wrapped "jW woolen cloth, lyinp on the lloor. rv,"!T!iich shattered glass was sen-V sen-V Jig. Tbo sash was raised to its full 'Jplt snd outside, the fall being only Iwj three .feet, footprints were plaiii-U,c plaiii-U,c jn nc newly seeded flower J-Mtt. forming a distinct path from the Si ' Cravel drive ten feet Blab's a cinch that they hipped 'em .B:b the window and over to that WJTar.but " : chief spoke so far and then eyeing the detective. imrj. it would be if it wasn't for" detective paused aud in his turn 'Alu short' said Mr Towne. drvlv. ble'"W0UM bC if ifc "tverc nofc imPssi- ?Th0T qH(lslion is, bow did they slide in?" admitted the chief. T1i? aptcetivo tried the window, mov- in?iT? ?wer sash UP aml down. Jt slips as if it was greased,-" ho commented. '.'Was tho burglar alarm ajl right this morning?" Certainly. I made Buro of that, of course." Mr. Towno answered. It's thrown off now, though. Was tli at done boforo you discovered tho brcak: or after?" "Why, before. I always push tho lover myself tho first thing in the morning. I rise very earlv, before anybody any-body pise, and I attend to that. The lover is 111 my room, where nobody but I can get at it. That is where one of the strangest features occurs. Who could have tampered with that alarm? tor the window could not bo raised without awakening tho wholo household as long as that was in working order. or-der. 'Ms it in working order now7" the chiet asked. I "Yes. As soon as I came in here and lound what had happoned I ran back to my room, 6et the lever and then tried several doors and windows, including all of theso in this room. It rang as usual. I saw that tho stono there was used to break tho window glass eo that the thief could put his arm through and reach the catches, of which, as you see, there are two. But after doing that, how could ho -raise the sash without starting the gong going?" 'Wouldn't you kind of set that switch again, so wo can see how it works?" suggested the 'detective. Mr. Towno hastened upstairs, and when ho returned tho dcttretive moved tho snsh slightly. Immediately the air was discordant with a brassy clangor. "Well," said the chief, "that thing sure didn't ring last night, for I'd have heard it over to my house in tho village." vil-lage." "You see," said Mr. Towne. "But we musn't do that again. My sistor is very sick upstairs, and tho infernal din will set her crazy. And. I want to tell you now that nobodv knows of this crime but myself, and I wish no publicity about it. Be as circumspect as possible, and make as little noise as possible. But ferret tho thing out. I must havo those chairs back again, it isn't so much the worth of them, though they cost me a small fortune. IIow the thing was done is what I must kuow you understand? For if T am no more secure in this liouso than this theft indicates the case to be I want to loam the fact at once. If I must get an armed guard to protect pro-tect me from loss in my own house I can do it, but first I want to know what I'm fighting." The detective, who was a dark, snappy-eyed little, man, with black beard and an untidy appearance, answered: an-swered: "But we'll have to interview tho people in the house, servants and all, and they'll know what's up right off." "Excuse me, there are only three servants at present on the ( premises, besides the porter aud his wife at tho lodge, and while I am willing you should ask them anything you please, if necessary. I don't think it essential. They sleep in the south wing, aud can know nothing of what poes on in the main part of the honso at nipht. And the only "other occupant is my invalid sister, who hasn't been out of bed for a whole year." The detective thought a moment, his eyes 011 the stone which the chief now held in his hand, examining it curiously. "I'll havo to see the lodge keeper, auvwav," he returned at lenpth. Thrn I'll size up tho walls and park a bit. It don't stand to reason that those chairs could be boosted over that wall without leaving sipns behiud that they went that way, and if the sipus arf missing thev must have gone through tho pate. I'll see to that side. Jack, and vou can kind of mosey round up here." He did not speak very hopeiully. and as ho walked away tho chief gazfd not vcrv hopefully after him. It was evident" to both of tbem that thev were hunting a needle in a Iwcnty-fivc-aiTe lot without the least notion in whii-h direction it hi-. Mr Towue saw t li is, "Ji seems n mighty great pity," he said impatiently to the chief, "that the detection of criminals can 't be reduced re-duced to a science, as everything else it in this ape of systematized and applied ap-plied knowledge. I fancy," ho continued, con-tinued, regarding the chief's rat hoi heavy and phlegmatic head and face cynically, and relapsing from the suavity with which he had met the officers into a mnod that accorded more perfectly with his reputation than that had done, "that it is because be-cause no man of trained intelligence has ever conp'uWcd the study of suili-dent suili-dent respectability to engage his attention. at-tention. " The chief Hushed. lie did not look at the bitter speaker, but stood with his eves on the stone with its wrapping wrap-ping " of thick woolen, which ho tinned over and over in his hand. If the rich man had intended wantonly io insult the head of the village police department he pould not have made n better choice of words than thip, for the chief was one of those unfortn-nates unfortn-nates who not onhy know, but exaggerate, exag-gerate, their mental limitations, and in the midst of a f.-onstnut deprecation depreca-tion of their shortcomings find reference refer-ence to them bv another such a heavy addition to their load of humiliation that it becomes unbearable- and must br lightened in some way. The way in this instance took the form of a fierce desire both to retaliate and to prove that tire detection of criminals was reduced to a science, aud by him. But how to do this! "You e.-in't start to work your science sci-ence on nothing." ho said, after a moment mo-ment of silence, "You must have something to begin with, and L don't teo anything of that kind hero. You call us up and tell us that a thing has been done that vou yourself say is 1111-posp'bh-. and then you expect us . to upuiv science to it. which is asking a little too much. Science is for the possible, not for tho impossible." "Excupc me." answered Mr. Towne. with a smile of superiority that filled the chief with downright hate of him, "science is lo transform the apparently apparent-ly impossible into the possible. If I had supposed vou could not work such a transformation in this case I most certainly should not have sent for vou Doesn't any theory of tbo theft occur to you? Haven't you any ex-I ex-I phination at all oven of how it would I be possible for it tombc?" . The chief stood silent a long minute, ! hia henw face exprohsionless except ex-cept for the slight appearance of ro-j-rMitincnt ho could not conceal. Ilia uriv.zled cheeks wore a .flush and a wicked gleam shone 111 his eyes, but otherwise hu remained unmoved and stupid, as far at any signs were con- corned. Mr. Towne coughed impatiently, impatient-ly, and then the 'chief spoke. "You say there's only three servants on the place besides th porter and his wife?" he asked, raisiug his eyes dog-gcdlv dog-gcdlv to the other's. ' Yes. 7 ' "Aud only you and your sister in tho house, and she hasn't been out of her bed for a year?" ' ' Yes. ' ' Mr. Towno 's tone was incisive, and he regarded the policeman curiously. "And that burglar-alarm was on last night, and none of you heard it go off, and when you came in here this morning you found the chairs goue and tho window in this shape?" "Yes." Tho chief hesitated. He looked at the stone which he still held in his hand, and then around at the walls and ceiling. "T won't say anything till I see Dix. " ho remarked. "I've got a theory, but T won't spoil it by letting it out till 1 'vo seen my partner and compared notes with him. He won't be gone long I guess I'd better hunt him up, now. on the whole." he suddenly sud-denly concluded. And without another word he walked out of the room, leaving leav-ing tho gentleman staring after him in as much cynicism as astonishment. "Soo here, Dix," said tho chief to his companion, whom ho found scrutinizing scrutiniz-ing tho wall and overtopping hedge, "what do 3'ou make of this hero little article to go round smashing windows with?" He held towards Dix a smooth slate colored stone as ho spoke, on tho surface sur-face of which apnea rod a small oil painting of a landscape, dono very beautifully. "Why, what's all this?" exclaimed Dix. taking it. The chief produced a piece of wooleu rag and held it up for inspection. "It's tho atone they broke tho window win-dow with," he answered, giving him a singular look. Dix. put ou a puzzled expression. "What of it?" he asked. "I don't know as there's au3'thing of 1 it," the' chief returned, "but it seems a funny kind of a thing for a burglar to carry around with him to mako breaks with. It's a curio, as old Towno calls 'cm, that's what it is, and wo found it in a curio room, only ho saya it was brought there by tho thief, or at. any rato tries to make us think so. if he doesn't say so ripht out. Aud us I said before, it looks funny to me." Tho two men gazed into ench other's" eyes. "But what would be his object?" whispered Dix, taking tho other's thought at once. "flow do I kuow7 What difference does it make, anyway? lie must havo an object, or he wouldn't havo done it, and what it is no object to us. All wo want is tho thief, aud if he himself ain't the thief thou nobody is, that's all, for there wasn't anybody cise that could possibly fix that alarm, or crawl into the place, cither, with all those walls and gates and the servants and porters, not to mcntiou the old man in the bargain. Why, it ain't reasonable, that anybody could pet in here, or out, either, oven into the park when it's locked up for the night, much more into tho house, without being spotted by some one or other of the people. They couldn't climb that wall " "A couple of ladders!" Dix suggested. sug-gested. "I don't believe it." the chief denied. de-nied. "They'd havo a nice time h'isting thorn chairs over that hedge! At any rate the burglar alarm, tho open window win-dow aud this stono make proof enough for me. He done it himself. And," he added, with a sudden access of bitterness bitter-ness in his voice. "I'll bring' it homo to him if it takes a leg." Dix, not knowing of tho old man's insult to his colleague, rogarded him in some wonder, but said, willingly onough: All right: but how? That's the thing that sticks." "Well, for one thing, we must search tho house ovorj' crack and cranny of it. lie won't dare refuse to let us" do it if he is guill- hu won't, that's 6uro. Then, if we can't find tho loot there, we shall know that il 's goue out cither over the walls or through tho gate. If so, we will only be wasting wast-ing time looking around here for it. We must do some gumshoe work outside among the art dealers and nrtists and those fellows. Of course, if ho has pinched tho chairs himself, it's because lie's in a hole of some kind and don't want it known, so he's sold 'em. Ho said himself they were worth a fortune, didn't he?" Tho chief sloppod and 1 bought a moment. "By Peter!" lie exclaimed, "T'vc struck it. There-'s an art auction going on now in lowu, autl. if wo don't find those chairs " lie started off as if to run for a trol-lev trol-lev at once, but Dix was moro moderate, not having tho other's incentive of hato to move him. "Hold your horses," ho cried after him. ' ' You aro off before tho word. See bore, now," ho continued, as I ho chief paused and hesitated, "lut'H look this thing over. Supposing ho did this, suppose ho took the chairs aud managed man-aged to get them into an auction room on the sly, running them by tho porter or over the wall, or whatever way he did it, don 'r. you. know such things as those have a family record into royalty and can 't be disposed of till tho title is ! proved? Every dealer in the country knows this man owns these chairs, be-causo be-causo they aro famous and marked I property, and nobody would buy 'cm of i anybody that couldn 't show where they j got 'eni. So he might as well have done tho thing ripht out and above board, j for it would bo known that ho had done ! it anyway. And then, supposing he had j lifted them himself, would ho call us I in the very morning it happened, bo-1 bo-1 foro the stuff had boon sold) No. for I we might hunt 'em out and bring 'cm back, and then all tho plant would be for nothing. No, no, there's more than that in this rig. What it is I don't twig yet, but I think tho old man is square 011 it. Il may be one of the servants, if it's anybody in the house, for I've piven reasons enough whj' old Towne wouldn't do it, not to mention that there is no doubt 1 lint he's worth million's, and never would need tho money. Tho sick sister is out of tho deal, of course, if she's been bedridden for a year. Besides, she's rich, too, nch I as Croshus, or whatever his name was; j everybody knows that." ! The chief, unwilling to relinquish his 1 idea, still filled with tho desire for re-' re-' vonge on the man who had wantonly in-! in-! suited him. scowled and remained silent. ! Dix went on: "If it was a servant he probably was in with the porter, who could let him through the pate, don't you soo? And then tho rest would he easy " " Yes all very good! But how do wc account for llto alarm why didn't it ring?" sneered the chief. "Anyway," answered Dix, "wo hotter hot-ter seo these servants and giv 'cm' all a sort of third degree. They must bo in it, some of 'em; there's no oth.'r v.-av out of it. and tho proper influence , wifl mako 'em .leak. You take- the; houso pooplo and I'll squeeze the porter, por-ter, and if wc don't find something worth while I miss my guess. We'll meet and size things up afterwards. Come, what do yon say?" "Well, anyhow, what's' your lay?" growled the chief. "You think a servant ser-vant pinched tho chairs from the iu-sido iu-sido and foxed the window as if it was done from the outside is that it?" "Why, sure thing! There ain't any other way " "Unless it was tho old man himself," him-self," persisted tho chief. "I don't say it wasn't him: perhaps it was. But it would be ten times easier eas-ier for a servant, and more reasonable. I should Miink you'd see that, .Tack." The chief stood a moment stolidb' eyeing his colleague. Then a . new thought seemed lo strike him and he shipped his hands together jubilantly, "All right," he cried, bis faco benm- 1 1 5ng, "go on to the porter, and then como up to the bouse." Ho started towards the mansion as ho spoke, but b.b soon as he was con coaled from Dix 'a sight by tho hedges ho doubled on his steps and at the top. of his speed set off for the gato which formed tho only exit fropi tho grounds. .An hour later Dix, having interviewed inter-viewed tbo porter to no purpose, and then begun a search for his comrade which proved fruitless, for ho was to be 'found nowhere about the premises, saw hira coming up tho walk with a middle-aged man, who wore a beard streaked with gray and a pair of thick bluo spectacles, There was a smilo of grim triumph on tho chief's face and, catching sight of tho detective, ho motioned for him to follow thorn. Dix, wondering, obeyed, and tho three walked up to the door of the mansion. "Mr. Towne," said the chief to that gentleman, who answered the ring, "this is Dr. Furnivall, the celebrated hypnotist and detective, yon know. I thought this was a caBO in hiB particu- lar class. 60 I induced him to come out hero. Dr. Furnivall. this is Mr. Towno, tho proprietor of this magnificent estate." es-tate." "Come in. gentlemen," said Mr. Towne, graciously, throwing wido the door. "I am very glad indeed' to see you here, Dr. Fnrnivall," ho continued, as he led tho visitors to the curio room, "for I have heard. jof .you and your extraordinary proficiency in tho detection of criminals in tho most dif-. dif-. ficult and obscniro cases. I should ! have Eent for you in the beginning, but somehow it never occurred to mo to do so." "Yes," thought the chief with jubilant jubi-lant cynicism, "I. gueBs sol' But we can ropair that error right now." He glanced keenly from the doctor to Mr. Towne. and a sudden thrill sent tho bipod into his cheeks as Dr. Furnivall, with a natural gesture, removed his spectacles and, looking hiB host in the eye, said: "Mr. Towno. will 3'ou tell me what you kuow about this remarkable theft, as succinctly as possible, and whom, if anybody, you Buspect?" "With pleasure," answered Towne, to the chief '5 discomfiture, for he fully expected to see him try to evade the examination, especially as ho appeared to be aware of tho doctor's reputation as a thief-taker, and might bo supposed sup-posed to fear him. But tho gentleman was perfectly at his ease and in a few words repeated, his story just as he had ; told it to the officers. And this do-spite do-spite the fact that ho was plainly "under "un-der control," talking mechanically, not only without will to evade the truth, but without ability to do eo. He was a talking machine for the moment, but it was indubitable to each of the listeners lis-teners that he was telling the thing as he believed it to be. The chief grew green with disappointment and chagrin as tho doctor. turned to him and shook his head, saving: "He knows nothing about it." At that, moment a tap sounded at tho door. "Come in," said Mr. Towne. who was rubbing his eyes .and looking confusedly con-fusedly around, as if he were just awakening from a sound sleep. A maid entered and. with great agitation in her manner, spoke a few words to her master in a low-toned voice. Mr. Towne turned to Dr. Furnivall. "Doctor." he said, "my sister, who 1 bedridden, heard your ring and thought it was her own doctor. For some reason she has taken a great dislike dis-like to him. it seems, from what tho maid says, and fell into hysterics as soon as she hoard the bell, crying out that she wouldn't see him. She is in the fit now, and I wish you would see I what you can do for her." ' "Willingly," Dr. Furnivall answered, starting at once to follow the maid, who od tho way rapidly to an upper chamber. Ten minutes afterwards, as the detectives were questioning one of the servants, tho maid reappeared with a request from Dr. Furnivall that they could- como with Mr. Towne to the pick room, and upon hastily complying they found tho doctor with his spectacle4' specta-cle4' in his hand confronting the invalid, in-valid, who, sitting erect in. bed, was staring into his oyes, yet with n look of deop abstraction on her face, as if hor vision were turned inward rather than outward, and busv with the images of Iit own mind alone. "Whv. that's the first time she has sat up for " began Mr. Towno in as-tonihmont. as-tonihmont. but tho doctor rai?od his hand for silence, cutting him off. "Will von pleaso repeat. Miss Towne." Dr. Furnivall said to the patient, pa-tient, ."what you havo just told me, the reason why vou dislike your doctor?" doc-tor?" She was a very slight woman of -10, with wenk eyes and a pallid skin, which, hpwever. flushed faintly as she commenced in a mechanical voice: "I became acquainted with Dr. Faw-cott Faw-cott through an advertisement in the papers, in which he claimed to find and bring topothor soul mates. I sent for lnm. and ho said it was through 1 hypnotism that he worked, and that I ! must submit my mind to his in order 'H to accomplish results. I allowed him 4 to try several times to put mo to ! sleep, but ho did not succeed. I felt not tho. least bit of influence from his ?. suggestions. ' Ho said it was because I antagonized him in my thoughts, and that I must give my mind wholly I up to his that is, I must believe in ! IH him and his nower, no matter what ! IH ho did. He said that even if I should j see him apparently commit a murd? ' IH I should distrust my own eyesight-, j jl knowing that it would be impossible , IH I for him to do a wrong of any kind. t Until I reached that state of trust, ho said, my desires would never bo satis- ; lied, but should be as soon as I had f attained it. So yesterday I pretended to fall asleep beneath his hands, held , my ej-es fast shut oven when bo , pricked me -with a pin on the arm, y though it hurt mo a good deal, and '' drew long, deep breaths as if I were really unconscious; Presently I rea- il lized that ho had left the room, but I expected him back immediately, and t so lay quite still, hoping that some- IH how he would be able, now that I obeyed him so implicitly, to bring me my' future husband. But after a long ! IH while I heard a noise that frightened ll me, for it came from the curio room beneath my own, and I knew my ll brother was away and would be fun- y' JH ous if anybody should go in there in , his absence, especially mv doctor, IH whom he disliked greatly, and in- stantlv I felt the conviction that it was the doctor. I forgot that I was l sick and had been unable to leave my bed for so long a while and sprang up, threw on a wrapper and ran down . stairs. I had no consciousness of any pain or difficulty in walking. My ; mind was filled with a horror of I 1 knew not what. I( was one great fear j. all over. I flew to the curio room and was just in time to see Dr. Fawcett taking one of tho Chippondalo chairs through the open window to an auto- ! mobile which stood on the driveway outside, a verv large touring car. Tho day was rainy and rubber blankets we're attached to the seats. Ho cov- cred the chair with one of these, and as he raised the edge to thrust it in 1 saw that the car was loaded with fur- nilure, under the blankets. I was on the point of crying out wheu it oc- iM curred to mo that Dr. Fawcett was merely testing my trust in him If I failed in that trust I should fail in my soul-search. So I returned to my room and again simulated sleep. In a few minutes he returned and, com- manding me to awake, said that at . last he was satisfied with my progress, " ' ' and that all that was required-was to clear tho way of any materialists so ' that my aflinity might appear. He said that the way w.13 blocked by two dark persons who seemed in bis HBV visions to reside near a gate, a porter . BVI and his wife, he said. They must be called away. I mentionod our porter, Hl and he told me to order him aud his wife to some distant part of the place, HBV ou some pretext or other, and I did so. sending a maid to them. Then ho. - left me. declaring that uow my affinity I would surel3' appear. But he did not ; come, and after awhile I realized with j humiliation that I had been duped. ' that the doctor had stolen the chair's, IHI j which were very valuable, and taken ; HBV j them away. I shivered with horror of what would happen if my brother HBV should find it out. tind out that my j doctor, against whom he had warned BBV I me. had done such a thing. As he was HBa I the only stranger who hnd been here HBa , that day, of course he would be sus- I pected as soou as the theft was dis-: dis-: covered. I must send this suspicion I astray. Again I ran down to the -j curio room, but now it was locked, I and T ta.w that Dr. Fawcett must have pBV had a false key. I wrapped the first HBV heavy thing I could find in a cloth to deaden the sound of breaking glass. went outside, broke the window, raised it and got back safelj- to my room. I knew 1113 brother would not I HBV be home until Into at night, and prob- 1 HBS ably would not look into the curio room HH at all before retiring, merely making IBBV sure, as he always did, that the door HBV was fast. Then the next morning he HH would think the theft was committed HHV iu the night. When the bell rang just a while apo I could not bear the Ihoupht of meeting again that mau who Dr. Furnivall turned his eyes from hor to the infuriated brother and she j stopped speaking at once. . ' "Don't be harsh with her." tho doc-tor doc-tor whispered. "She is diseased, not ' herself, aud no moro to be blamed than a lunatic. Get a good doctor for her. The fact that she can walk when IHBV in excitement is hopeful." Il The Northbrook Downs chief of pb- k IH lice recovered the chairs and cap- BBS turcd the thief, Just as he was taking , BBB a steamer for Luropc. But tho dis- BBB gruntlod officer never was s-atisfied with this disposal of the case. It wai another man that he wanted. Next week: "Tho Black Haud at Tony 's. ' ' B |