AV \ Frederic
i > Viller
IS =
i ADEING THE STRANGE T bl
bl OIDIRICKS Tai
Mid i)
from ths moment until she was then
to the police station. I let her mother
accompany us in the carriage, to which
she seemed to have no objection.
Before ‘the examining magistrate the
same scene was gone through. = The |
young girl confessed she was guilty of |
the robbery, but: refused to give any |
further explanation. She only asked that
there might be no delay in passing sen-
tence upon her. The mother declared
her daughter was mad, and denied all
knowledge of the matter.
At the domiciliary visit to Mrs. Reier-
son’s, no trace could be found of the
money. gummi
I informed Mr. Frick, by letter, that
the diamond was found, and of Eve-
-lina’s arrest and confession; at the same
time, I asked him for the present not to
mention: the matter to Mr; Howell, who
was expected back ahout this time.
Mr. Jurgens was' declared by his rela-
tions incapable of looking after his af-
fairs, and the authorities decided to drop
the proceedings against him for having
bought stolen goods.
It was discovered that the money for
the diamond had been paid in thousand
kroner notes. Next day a person had |
changed five of these in one of the banks |
in the town. But the cashier had not
taken any particular notice of the ap- !
pearance of the person. He declared it
might possibly be Frederiksen the actor,
but he could not say anything definitely
about it.
No trace of the remaining notes could
be discovered.
Et
———— ee —
By CHAPTER IX.
THE PHOTOGRAPH,
The next morning, as I was sitting
‘in my office, writing a note to Mr. How-
ell—it was on the day he was expected
back—to request the favor of an inter-
view with him, the constable came in
with a visiting card. A gentleman de-
sired to speak to me. I read: —
°
cesses esse tresses cee
Villa Ballarat, Christiania,
: Mr. ReciNato Hower.
: The Traveller’s Club, London.
© 0 oo so 00 so oe
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
«
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
“Ask him to step in.”
Mr. Howell entered and shook my
hand in his free-and-easy English man-
ner.
“Glad to see you.”
“Welcome back again.”
He had quickly mastered Norwegian,
and we always talked together in that
language.
“I was just writing a note to you, Mr.
Howell, to request the favor of an in-
terview with you; you have forestalled
me, perhaps for the same purpose.”
“I—suppose so,” answered the Eng-
lishman, hesitating. “I should like to
say a few words to you in confidence, |
with regard to the robbery at Mr. |
Frick’s.”
He looked round as if to assure him-
self that we were alone.
“You can speak freely: we are alone;
I was wishing to ask you a few ques-
tions about this same matter. You were,
of course, in the house on the day, right
up to seven o'clock.”
“Quite right; but tell me, Mr. Monk,
shall I be called as a witness in this
ease?” -
“When the case comes before the
court, there is every probability t that you
will be called to give testimony.”
“But am I bound to appear and an-
swer?”
“Yes, you are!
objection?” £8
There was yortiing in the young
man’s manner which caused me to pay
the greatest attention to his words and
behavior.
“But can the matter come before the
court before you have found the thief?”
“As soon as we have got sufficient
evidénce against some person, that per-
son will be charged and brought before
the court.”
“But before this happens it is not
necessary for me to reply to any ques-
tions about the affair?”
“When the police, who are conducting
the inquiries into the matter, ask you,
you should certainly answer. To refuse
to answer would be considered some-
what strange, and might even lead to
unpleasantness for you.”
“Many thanks for your information,”
answered Mr. Howell; he had got up
and was walking restlessly up and down
the room. “It is not pleasant for a man
to contribute to the ruin of some
wretched ‘creature, but perhaps it is
impossible to:avoid it.”
From the words which had been ex-
changed between “us,” 1 felt sure the
young Englishman did not know of Eve-
lina’s arrest. As you remember, I had
I hope you have no
| house that afternoon.
requested old Frick and Sigrid not te
speak to nim apout tne affair. 1 could
also see that my answers to the ques-
tions he put to me had not told him
anything which he did not know before;
he was not altogether so ignorant about
the matter. He must have put these
questions to me as a feint, for some
| purpose or another. I was almost cer-
tain that he knew something of import-
ance to the discovery of the robbery.
I deci led inform him of
Egclina’s of her confes-
sion. It would, be strange if he
not betray far the knowledge
he had of the matter did not point in
the same direction.
I continued, “you need not
be afraid that your evidence will be of
such fatal significance. We have al-
recdy got the diamond back, and the
guilty party arrested. It is Evelina,
Miss Frick’s nmaid. Circumstantial evi-
denceis so strong that a confession is
unnecessary.”
“Well,” .said Mr. Howell, quietly,
can just as well tell you now what
know, as later on. It was on the after-
noon when the diamond disappeared,
after the old crank, Jurgens, had dined
at Villa Ballarat. Soon after we had
had some coffee in the museum I went
up to my room and loaded some cart-
ridges, for I was going to Osterdal for
some shooting, you know.”
“Yes; I know what took place in the
Please go on.”
“Well, when I was ready with the
cartridges, I went down into the garden
to smoke a.cigar. The other people had
gone to their rooms, (I suppose, for I
did not see any of them. As I went by
the museum it seemed to me that the
door wasn’t shut, and shen I touched it
it slid right up. You know it is a large
iron door, but so well balanced and
oiled that it moves quite noiselessly.
Well, IT glanced into the museum, and
there 1 saw a ‘lady standing before the
cupboard on the opposite side of the
room, with her back toward me. With
one hand she: held up the ironelid, and
in the other she had an artigle which
she seemed to have just taken drom the
case, and which she was examining, It
did not occur to me to think it was any-
body but Miss Frick; T thought I rec-
ognized the light spring jacket with
dark braid.”
1 looked up suddenly and met i.
Howell's gaze; his eyes did not impress
me pleasantly, and it -appeared to me
that their expression was dark and cun-
ning.
“Continue,” I said hurriedly, and, 1
believe, rather roughly.
“Well, you know, Mr. Monk, that I
am very fond of photography, and that I
always go about with a little snap-shot
camera. You know it, of course,—we
have often had fun at Villa Ballarat
photographing people when they least
expected it!”
I nodded.
“I had the apparatus with me, and
so it struck me that I would photo-
graph Miss Frick as she stood there,
without her knowing it. I went hur-
riedly and softly inside the door, took
the photograph, and went out again
without her seeing me. She stood quite
still, as if she was wondering what she
it once to
1 Trest, 2 not
1
leed,
did how
“Besides,”
“1
TH a
should do with what she had in her
hand.”
The Englishman paused, as if to give
me an opportunity to speak. But as 1
did not even look up, but went on draw-
ing figures on the paper before me, with
as careless an expression as possible, he
continued :—
“Later in the afternoon I took a car-
riage outside and drove to the station.
On the way I took some negatives to
the photographer, amongst them the pic-
ture of which I have just spoken, as
: there were some of them that I wanted
to get developed by the time I got back.
On my return from Osterdal I heard
; that the diamond had disappeared, and
then I remembered the photograph. I
naturally said nothing about it to Mr.
Frick or his niece, but I called for the
prints. Would you like to see the one
from the museum?”
This was the second time that Sigrid’s
name had been mentioned in connection |
with the disappearancé of the diamond.
It awoke the most unpleasant feelings in
me; but as I felt Mr. Howell's search-
ing look resting upon me, I assumed
perfect calmness, and took what he
handed me.
It was quite a small photograph on
thin prepared paper, and placed be-
tween two glass plates held together by
an india-rubber band.
I took it with me to the window to
examine it closely.
It was, as before said, a small picture,
only two or three inches high and very
narrow, but exceedingly clear.
A young girl stood before the well-
known cupboard in old Frick’s museum.
Her position was exactly as Mr. Howell
had described it.
The one hand held the lid: open, the
other held an article which was hidden ;
by the shoulder; the head and neck were
bent somewhat forward, examining the
object.
It was a tall,
walking costume,
braid.
There was not much to be seen of the
room. One saw part of the cupboard on
both sides, a chair, the arm: of another
chair, but nothing else. Over the cup-
board, at about the same height as the
young girl, was a shelf. Part of this
shelf, on which could be seen several
small curios, was included in the pic-
ture.
One glance was enough for me to be
certain who the young girl was.
I turned round to Mr. Howell
is Evelina, as I suspected.”
“Yes, of course; I. am only aston-
ished that I could have taken her for
Miss Frick when first I saw her. It
must have been the costume which de-
ceived me. Miss Frick has worn it all
the spring i
“Yes, I know,” I ans swered curtly. Tt
i to have to return
fine figure in a light
“Ig
¢ occasion I alse
trimmed with dark i
-
played the detective, Mr. MONK. 1 nave
privately found out from the other ser-
vants that Miss Frick had, that same
afternoon, given the costume to Evelina.
You see everything is quite clear in that
respect.”
“Will you allow the police to keep the
photograph, Mr. Howell, and is there
anything else you can tell us about the
matter?’ My manner was, perhaps,
somewhat abrupt.
“Wait a little,” he answered; “I hope
you understand now the reason for the
question which I put to you at the be-
ginning of our conversation?”
“Yes; you would rather not appear as
a witness, as far as I could understand.”
“Exactly; and, as you yourself. say,
the person in question is already ar-
rested, and the circumstantial evidence
is so strong that my evidence cannot be
of much importance one way or other.
This being the case, would it not be pos-
sible for me to avoid appearing in court?
and could you not consider what I have
said as confidential, so that I might take
the photograph and destroy it? Other-
wise I shall appear very much in the
light of a spy or a thief-catcher, Mr.
Monk. Also, it would be most objec-
tionable to me to have to testify against
the unfortunate woman.”
“Your sentiments do you all, honor,
. Mr. Howell; but I cannot, all the same,
prevent your being called as a witness.
Neither can I, of course, keep your pho-
tograph against your will; but I must
mention it in my report,.and most earn-
estly request you to preserve it. What
you have said to me in my office, with
respect to a matter concerning which
inquiries are now being conducted, I
cannot, in my capacity as a police offi-
* cial, consider confidential.”
“Well, Mr. Monk, I see it cannot be
helped, (and. I. ought, ‘perhaps, to have
denied: all knowledge ‘of, the matter. But
you, ean, at any. rate, bear evidence that
I appear most reluctantly; I would like
both the unhappy. girl and the Frick
family to understand this.”
“I can only confirm what you ‘Yourself’
say, Mr. Howell,” I answer stiffly, for
I began to be more and/more convinced
that the man was playing apart. .:“You
will leave the photograph ‘them: in the
hands. of the police?” I continued...
“Yes, I may just as well leave it; I
cannot see that I can do any one any
good by not doing so. You police deal
with people in your own way,—we speak |
and do just as you want us to do.”
“Allow me one question, Mr. Howell,”
~—I had again taken the photograph in
my hand,—‘“this
small; it looks as though it had been
clipped at the sides. . Was the photo-
graph originally broader, and did it in-
clude nothing more of the room?” '
“Yes, it was originally broader, but
, only the middle part was clear and dis-
tinct. Either side of it was, for some
reason or another, very foggy, so I cut
. it off to get the picture to fit between the
two glass plates. I had, besides, no in-
terest for anything but what you see
there. The young girl is, of course, the
principal object of interest,”—he sighed
gently.
“What time could it have been when
you took the photograph?”
“Well, that question I cannot answer
very exactly. I thought, of course, at
the time, that I should never be asked
about it, but—let me see—it can’t have
been far off six o'clock. for it was not
long after that I left for the railway
station, and that was somewhere about
seven.”
* * * *x * * -
The next minute Mr.
gone, and 1 sat beside my desk-in deep
thought.
The Englishman’s visit had made an
unpleasant impression upon me, and I |
could not make out what his purpose in .
making it really was.
The man wished to come forward as
a witness—that I felt sure about. All
the rest was mere dissimulation; but for
what purpose? What could be his mo-
tives?
It puzzled me at the time. and it puz- |
zles me still!
* *
* * * x *
During the whole of this long story,
Monk had remained calm. He had been
speaking evenly and dispassionately, as
if he had been reading a police report. i
But now he changed in expression and
manner. He began to pace up and down
the floor with contracted eyebrows, and
I saw that the perspiration stood on his
brow.
* * * * *®
You look astonished at me (he con-
tinued). : After .what yau have heard,
does the whole affair seem clear to you?
It will, perhaps, seem still clearer when
> x=
you have heard me for a few minutes
longer: and you will not be able to un-
|. derstand how it could become an enig-
ma! Yes, an enigma which I would
give half or the whole of my life to
solve |—But - wait a bit! When you
: have heard the rest of my story, you
will join with me in asking, “Who stole
old Frick’s diamond?” And you will
likewise understand that upon-that ques-
tion my fate has depended from that day
ir to this. ‘But shan’t proceed any longer
jin that strain; I will continue as im-
vpartially, as I can. On that will, per-
jars, depend how far you or anybody
else ¢an help me,—alone I ean do noth-
‘ing. I, who was so proud of my own
acuteness and ability to penetrate where
others failed to see a way !-—No, don’t
interrupt me. We shall discuss it after-
ward, when I have finished my story.
I had got as far as Evelina’s arrest
and that Mr. Howell had called on me
with the photograph. So far, every-
thing was in order. The accused had
confessed, and the stolen article had
been: brought to light. But it had been
smpossible to discover. where the five
thousand kroners had disappeared.
Evelina refused positively to say a
word beyond the confession, and as we
were not able to prove any complicity
against the actor and Mrs. Reierson,
they were discharged.
The state. of saffairs in Mr.
house was anything but ‘sati
Sigrid had been suffering from neryvo
Frick’s
factory.
us
photograph is very
Howell was |
-
a
TD rr RE
headaches ever since a tew days before
‘the robbery. Old Frick was in a rage,
and spent the whole day in swearing at
the duplicity and untrustworthiness of
mankind. I believe, however, that sym-
pathy for the wretched Evelina was the
true cause of his anger. The young
giri’s arrest had, in fact, brought gloom
and sadness into the house. Einar Frick
was still absent on ‘business. Mr. How-
ell decided to go to Spitzbergen as soon
as the case against Evelina was settled.
It vexed me that I could not trace the
money, or obtain any proof of the
actor’s complicity; and I took it for
granted that the sly fellow had succeed-
! ed in getting it safely put away in Goth-
enburg, before he was arrested.
But although we had a clever officer
there, and got all possible assistance
from the Swedish police, we did not
succeed in obtaining any proofs, and as
long as Evelina would not speak we
could proceed no further in the affair.
Thus matters stood, and I think that
all the actors in this drama were only
wishing that it would come to an end
as soon as possible.
Suddenly one day I received the most
astonishing news—Evelina had demand-
ed to be brought before the examining
magistrate, and had retracted before him
her confession in full. She had de-
clared that when she confessed she had
not been herself, and that she was really
innocent and knew nothing of the rob-
bery. She would not say anything fur-
ther, and refused to answer any ques-
tions.
Of course, those who knew the ins
and the outs of the case only shook their
- heads at this unexpected development,
and began to doubt her reason. The
doctors, however, who examined her,
could not discover any signs of a de-
ranged mind.
The proofs were ' otherwise very
strong against her; and as there was no
prospect of any new evidence in the mat-
ter, the hearing of the case was fixed
for the first sitting of the court.
I visited the young girl in prison and
‘found her taciturn, depressed, and pale;
i but she gave me the impression of being
. entirely, normal. I tried earnestly, and
in a friendly way, to prevail upon her to
y adhere to her confession and to give a
full explanation; but she only smiled
sadly, and begged to be left alone. What
could have caused her to retract her
confession? The more I pondered over
this, the more sure I became that this
step must be due to some outside influ-
ence; that she must have received some
message or communication from with-
out. She did not wish to receive any
visitors in her cell. Only the mother
had obtained permission to visit her
once, and then the conversation had
been quite short, and had taken place im
the presence of a constable.
The mother had, on that occasion, un-
continue her reproaches against her
daughter, because she had confessed
something which she had not done.
But her daughter had contemptuously
Breed away from her, and soon after
the mother was taken away without the
robbery having been further discussed
between them.
I felt sure that these reproaches from
the mother, which the daughter seemed
to treat with disgust and contempt, had
had no effect, and that the explanation
must be sought for elsewhere.
By closely examining the jailer, he at
last told me that he one day surprised
the young girl while she had a small
piece of paper in her hand, but that she
immediately turned away and had prob-
' ably put the paper in her mouth and
swallowed it. The man declared, how-
ever, that it all happened so quickly that
he could hardly be quite certain about
the matter, and Evelina, as usual when I
i spoke to her about it, took refuge in
an obstinate silence.
My suspicion that Evelina acted on
| other people’s advice was now strength-
ened. How far this ¢ircumstance can
have any influence upon your opinion,
when you have heard me out, I don’t
know. To me, all is dark; but 1 shall
try to tell my story in such a way that
nothing of what I know shall be hidden
from you.
Fortunately, I have got on so far
with it that I can now let others speak
for me—at least for a while. The next
great event in my story is the trial of
Evelina, which took place about three
weeks after her arrest.
reported in all the papers at that time,
and you will get a more complete idea
of the case by reading one of these
reports, than if I give you a verbal ac-
count,
(To be Continued.)
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Hundreds of health articles appear
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Wm. GC, Pri Price
Successor to W. A. Clarke
Funeral Director
Business conducted at the same place
Prompt attention given to all calls
at all times. Both Phones.
IS A
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i
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The proceedings are to be found fully °
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All Count terfeiis, Tmitations
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PROHIBIT COSMETICS
Other 0dd Bills In 'Legisla-
tures of Various States.
Washingtos.—Many odd bills have
‘been passed recently or are pending in
legislatures of various states of this
country.
Representative McGinnis of Greeley
plexion bill” prohibiting the use of
cosmetics of nearly every kind, besides |
face powder, rouge, perfume, false |
Bair: hai : a |
whair dyes or “hieaching materials | @rery member of the national guard to
for the purpose of deceiving, advertis-
fing or creating a false impression.”
It also prohibits piercing ears for rings
ids ear i
and forbids the wearing of earrings. | frairms onto to
Ave id a 1d ish. (Worship if a bill which Representative
forty-five years and provides & punish. Poy, Ny, Fy rroduced In the logisin-
| ture becomes a law.
The act applies only to women under
ment of $25 fine for each offense.
The queerest of all the odd bills in-
troduced in the present Colorado leg-!
fslature comes fram Sgnator William
Adams, Democratic leader. This pro-
vides that chickens shall go to roost
between the hours of 6 and T o’clock
p. m. and provides pemaities for viola-
tion of the curfew... Another senate
measure declares jackrabbits eligible
to election as state senators and cot-
tontails as representatives. A third
measure provides that bulls in the road
must wear high power headlights.
“Freak” bills in Massachusetts in-
clude one to have all weeds that cause
hay fever and summer asthma, remov-
ed from all roadsides; a bill that all
bachelors over thirty-five years pay an
annual tax of $5 and one that doctors
and dentists who perform operations
| of any kind upon the human body
county. Kan, introduced a “pure com- | shall not wear any hair on thelr faces.
Senator Robertson ,of Holt county.
Neb., who ten years ago tried unsue-
cessfully to have the national guard
abolished. has a bill which “sentences”
ninety days’ service for the state In
| road and bridge work.
Churchgoers in Texas must leave
Commercial job work is all right.