Hand and Ring

inished

some crotchets

ives of

red Mr. Byrd of Mr. Ferris, as, after ascertaining that the stricken suffere

nsuccessful effort to rejoin the person of whom they were speaking. “She is a Miss Dare, a young lady much admired in this town, and

a look of suddenly awakened interest at the man who, up to this time

xiety he vainly tried to conceal. He was not as handsome as Coroner Tredwell, nor as well built as Mr. Ferris, yet he was, without doubt, the most striking-lo

rest in this affair,” he ventured

ing or curiosity. “Besides, she is an inscrutable girl, always surprising you by her em

r. Byrd, retiring into his shell, from

re necessary for the purposes of justice?” asked the lawyer, now coming f

ce to you Mr. Byrd, of New York. He is a member of the police force

esent duties will not allow you to render service to justice in this case of mysterious assault.” And with a bow of more kindness t

t to withdraw, when the coroner, who had been absent from their midst for the last few m

you,”

District Attorney, who returned him a nod o

e carefully locked behind them. “A detective on the spot in a case like this is valuable; a

sent master of my proceedings. To say nothing of the obedience I owe my superiors at home, I am just now engaged in assisting Mr. Ferris in th

” said the coroner. “If his cons

r. I must have ord

t, I will tele

ounging in his easy way against the

ge such a matter as this. A woman struck in broad daylight and a man already tak

struck her?” quoth the coroner, a trifl

who sat in court all the morning a

d, did he?” repeated the o

ss of his easy bearing, “he made me look at him more than once.

he was in the court eve

ered the detective, with the perceptible irritation of one we

, a fool who cannot keep his own secret, or a traitor who cannot preserve that of his tools, this affair, as you call it, is not likely to prove the simple matter you seem to consider it. The victim, if not her townsfolk, knew she possessed an

d with a new but unmistakable interest at the letter, though he failed

take the case, it would be better for

he detective bureau in New York are not going to send another man up here when there is already one on the spot. And a man from New York I am determined to have. A crime like this shall

ements offered him, “how do you know I am the man for your work? We have many sorts and kinds of detectives

ed the coroner, not yieldin

ctive wa

if once the young man’s professional instinct was aroused, all th

of command. Taking the letter

Nothing goes just to my mind, and somehow the many causes for secret fear which I have always had, assume an undue prominence in my mind. It is always so when I am not quite well. In vain I reason

. Tredwell, perceiving the young man’s

; but the tone of his voice showed that his prof

with the wisdom of the trapper who se

glancing again at the letter. “But,” he remarked, “Mr. Orcutt is

ther admitted, “if w

oung man’s glance flashe

t put the question t

oyed by the criminal in this case, I am sure he would rather n

not waver. He appeared t

Orcutt might have other reasons for not wishing

e coroner’s eye wa

he rej

resumed all his

erest in this horrible crime, I thought that, in kindness to he

y one of curiosity. It has been carried, perhaps, to a somewhat unusual length for a woman of her positi

hing in his memory of this beautiful woman made it impossible for him to disturb the confi

erved the young detective

as having any thing to do with

could not hide the flush th

direction of spotting criminals, I must allow,” said he. “Why, Miss Dare is not only as irreproachable a young lady as we have

and he looked very manly and very handsome as he returned the letter to the corone

fails to reveal who her assailant is, I will apply to New York for leave to wo

roner, taking back the letter and putting it car

d they went togeth

that lay over the slowly laboring breast; but such vitality as there was held its own with scarcely perceptible change, and the doctor thought it might be midnight befor

ious doors in reference to the hearth where the stick was picked up, and the clock where the victim was attacked. Or, so the coroner gathered from the direction which Mr. Byrd’s eye took in its travels over the scene o

the easy, gracefully indolent youth who, but a little while before, lounged against the tables and chairs, and met the most penetrating eye with the sleepy gaze of a totally uninte

th question after question, all of which he parried with a nonchalant dexterity that drew shout after shout from those who stood by, and, finally, as he thought, won him the victory, for, with an angry shake of the head, she ceased her importunities, and presently let him pass. He hastened to improve the chance to gain

en for seventy-five years in this wicked world without knowing a bit of the devil’s own work when I see it.” Here her face grew quite hideous, and her eyes gleamed with an aspect of gloating over the evil she alluded to, that quite sick

epeated, st

that had but to speak to make the whole crowd stand back. What h

ring his own passing doubt put into words by this vile and repellent being. “Miss Dare is a stranger. She has noth

writing on a white wall. They call it sympathy, and never stop to ask why she, of all the soft-hearted gals in the town, should be the only one to burst into that house like an avenging spirit! But it’s all right,” she wen

gry, though he could not for the moment tell why —“if you are only talking to gratify your spite, and have nothing to tell me except the fact that Miss Dare appeared shocked and anxious when she came from the widow’s house just now, look out what use you

rom his grasp, she gazed at him with a s

stra

quick look up and down the street, as if she half feared to encounter one or both of the two lawyers whose names he had mentioned, she marched quickly away, wagging her head and looking back as she went, as much as

treat the insinuations of this babbling old wretch in such a cavalier manner. Any other detective would have seized with avidity upon the opportunity of hearing what she had to say on such a subject, and would not only have cajoled her into confidence, but encouraged her to talk until she had given utterance to all that was on her mind. But in the stress of a feeling to which he was not anxious to give a name, he had forgotten that he was a detective, and remembered only that he was a man; and the consequence was that he had frightened the old creature, and cut short words that

rkings of a deep, personal perplexity, if not of actual alarm, he asked himself what he would wish done if he were that man, and a scandal of a debasing character th

rt, he approached Mr. Orcutt, and leading him re

ou ought to be made acquainted. It is in reference to the young lady who was with us at

she left him so unceremoniously a few hours before, started and looked

eated. “An enemy?

ill probably have no difficulty in recognizing, seized me by the arm and made me the recipient of insinuations and threats against

le constraint, “but I do not understand you. What insinuations or threats could t

one as she did to that house. Of course,” pursued the detective, discreetly dropping his eyes from the lawyer’s face, “I did what I could to show her the folly of her suspicions, and tried to make her see

totally unprepared for a communication of this kind, gave utterance to a fierce

what she said,

s did, without interruption or outward demonstration; but when the recital was over and Mr. Byrd ventured to look at him once more, he noticed that he was very pale and greatly changed in expression. Being himself in

shed upon him

er above reproach, but that I am acquainted with no circumstances that could in any way connect her with this crime. Nevertheless, the incidents of the day have been such as to make it desirable for her to explain herself, and this, as you say, she will probably have no difficulty in doing. If you will, therefore, wait t

fected Mr. Byrd more than a violent outbreak would have done. It betrayed so unmistakably