SLEUTH’S ASTONISHING THEORY.
Curiosity is one of the most powerful traits in human nature, and in
youth, being to some extent unrestrained, it often reaches its highest
development. It was chiefly curiosity that had led Hooker to listen thus
far to the words of Piper; but now, as if suddenly realizing the full
significance of Sleuth’s self-confessed and shameless prying into the
affairs of others, and remembering at the same time his familiar and
friendly relations with Fred Sage, Roy suddenly seared his companion
with the red-hot iron of contempt and wrath.
“You miserable, sneaking puppy!” he cried. “Under pretence of making a
friendly call, you play a miserable trick like that, do you? I’ve a mind
to give you the finest drubbing you ever had.”
Indeed, so savage and threatening was his attitude that Piper fell back
precipitately, lifting his hands as if to ward off a blow.
“Now you hold on!” he cried. “You hold on, Hooker! You hadn’t better hit
me. Perhaps you think that would be a good way to make me keep still
about what I know concerning the Sages. I’m not going to blow this thing
round to everybody. I chose you because you’re Fred’s chum.”
“Oh, is that so?” scoffed Roy incredulously. “You’ve begun blabbing with
me, and it isn’t likely you’ll stop there. I don’t know what you’ve
found out, but I do know that the way you’ve gone about it to obtain
your information was dirty—just plain dirty.”
“It was thoroughly legitimate,” asserted Sleuth in self-defence. “These
people are living here in our town and associating with our citizens. If
they’re the right sort, there can be no harm in finding out about their
past history. But perhaps you’ve misunderstood me, Hooker. I’m not
making the claim that there’s anything wrong with the Sages we know.”
“Oh, aren’t you?” said Roy in surprise. “I thought you were. If you
haven’t found out that there’s something wrong about them, what the
dickens _have_ you found out that was so wonderful? What is this
sensational thing that’s going to make my hair curl?”
“If you’ll give me a chance and not get fighting mad over it, I’ll tell
you. You know it’s often the case that there’s a black sheep in the most
respectable family.”
“Huh! There are only three persons in this particular family. Where’s
the black sheep?”
“Only three of the family are known at the present time to the people of
Oakdale,” Piper said hastily. “Have you never thought that there might
be at least one other member of this family?”
“Can’t say such a thought ever occurred to me.”
“Listen,” urged Sleuth, “and keep your temper under check until I’m
through. The information I’ve obtained does not reflect upon Andrew
Sage, his wife or his son Fred.”
“Well,” breathed Roy in relief, “there’s considerable satisfaction to be
derived from that statement.”
“The postmaster of Rutledge states that Mr. and Mrs. Sage and their
younger son, Fred, are most estimable people.”
“Whew!” whistled Hooker. “Their younger son, eh? Oh, do you mean that
there’s another—another son we don’t know anything about?”
“There’s another son, of whom we’ve known nothing whatever up to the
present date. I know something about him now, and he’s the black sheep.
It was the criminal act of this elder son, Clarence Sage, that doubtless
added many gray hairs to his mother’s head and led the family, weighted
by the shame of it, to leave Rutledge and seek another home, where no
one would know of their disgrace. Now if you don’t care to hear any more
about the matter,” said Sleuth craftily, “I’ll close up.”
Roy’s aversion to hearing the information Piper had secured was
completely swept away.
“Oh, go on,” he invited, once more leaning against the bridge rail.
“What did this Clarence Sage do?”
“Robbed a bank.”
“In Rutledge?”
“Yes. He was employed in a bank there, and he pilfered fourteen thousand
dollars from the institution.”
“Jove!” muttered Hooker. “I don’t wonder Fred never has mentioned his
brother.”
“The crime was discovered, as such things always are, and Clarence Sage
was arrested, tried, convicted and sent to Sing Sing for a term of
years.”
“My hair curls!” exclaimed Roy. “So Fred has a brother in prison. That’s
a shame!”
“He _had_ a brother in prison. Clarence Sage isn’t there now.”
“Oh, his term has expired?”
“No.”
“Was he pardoned?”
“No.”
“Cæsar’s ghost! What happened then? Is he dead?”
“Well,” answered Sleuth, “in my mind, at least, there is a doubt at this
point. He is supposed to be dead. With two other prisoners, he broke out
of Sing Sing in midwinter and tried to escape by crossing the Hudson on
the ice. The other two convicts were both recaptured. The trio had
separated immediately after getting out of the prison, and neither of
the recaptured rascals knew what had become of Clarence Sage. For more
than two months detectives sought everywhere for Sage, whose apparent
success in avoiding them was both astonishing and perplexing. Eventually
the body of a man was recovered from the river, but in such a condition
that identification was difficult. There were reasons, however, to
believe that the body was that of Clarence Sage. Andrew Sage viewed the
remains and decided that it was his recreant son. The body was buried in
Rutledge, and the grave is marked by a stone bearing the name of
Clarence Sage.”
“Well, then, why do you doubt that he’s dead?”
Piper tapped his forehead. “I believe I’ve got a little gray matter up
here,” he said boastfully. “After reading this letter, it took about
thirty seconds for me to form a theory in which I have the utmost
confidence. My conviction is that Clarence Sage is still alive. I think
he did make good his escape and succeeded handsomely in baffling the
officers who tried to follow him. The body that was taken from the river
and buried under the name of Clarence Sage was that of some other man,
as yet unknown. Perhaps it will continue to be unknown. When this
identification and burial had taken place, danger for the escaped man
was reduced to a minimum. Mind you, I’m not making the assertion that
Andrew Sage knew the body was not that of his son, but what would be
more natural than for him to identify it as such in order to give
Clarence a better chance for freedom? Perhaps, at the time, he really
believed it to be the unfortunate young man. Possibly, through some
means, he has since learned that his son is alive.”
“If you hadn’t read so much detective stuff, such an improbable idea
could not have found lodgment in your crazy garret,” said Hooker. “I
understand you’ve even tried to write stories yourself lately. Say,
Sleuth, if this matter wasn’t so serious, it would be laughable.”
“Your words,” returned Piper, “betray the narrow limits of your
reasoning faculties. I’m not basing my suspicions on mere guesswork,
Hooker.”
“Then, for the love of Mike, what do you base them on?”
“One week ago you met a stranger who behaved in a most peculiar manner.
Apparently of some education and refinement, this man seemed to be
somewhere near the age of Clarence Sage, if Sage still lives. He made
inquiries of you concerning the Sages in Oakdale, and when he learned
that Fred Sage was approaching he took to his heels and got away. He
didn’t dare remain to face Fred in your presence. Why, Hooker—why?
Simply because he knew that in his amazement Fred would call him by name
and give the whole thing away. What do you think about that?”
For a moment or two Roy shook his head. “I don’t believe it. It can’t be
true, Piper. If that’s all you have to base your belief on——”
“Did there seem to be anything especially wrong with Fred last night?”
“No, not that I observed.”
“Well, there surely was something the matter with him to-day. Something
had happened to upset him completely.”
“What do you think it was?”
“It was something tremendous, or it never would have led him to bungle
and blunder the way he did in that game. It was such a tremendous thing
that he could not get it out of his mind so that he might concentrate on
the game. Whenever he dismissed thoughts of it, he played in something
like his usual form for a few minutes, but it kept coming back at him
and putting him on the blink. He denied that he was sick. He denied that
anything had happened to upset him. All this is precisely what would
have happened had he made the amazing discovery to-day that his brother
Clarence was alive.”
“Gee whiz!” breathed Hooker. “I’ll own up that you’ve got me staggered.
If you’re right, Piper, you certainly have got a head on your
shoulders.”
The darkness masked the smile of satisfaction that Sleuth could not
repress.
“You can’t dodge the force of my deductions,” he declared. “Let me give
you a further illustration of my reasoning ability. As an escaped
convict, is it likely that Clarence Sage would lead an honest life? I
admit that he might, but the germ of dishonesty must have been virulent
in his blood, or he, the apparently promising son of highly respectable
parents, would never have committed his first crime. Once a man has
taken a crooked step, he’s almost sure to take others. Supposed to be
dead, Sage surely traveled under a fictitious name. A certain crook,
called James Wilson and known among his pals as Gentleman Jim, bears a
strong resemblance to the young bank-looter who was sent to Sing Sing.
This crook was arrested in the town of Harpersville a short time ago,
but made his escape from the jail, nearly killing the guard as he did
so. A big reward has been offered for Wilson’s capture. The last peg in
my argument is that this Gentleman Jim is none other than Clarence Sage
himself.”
“If that should prove to be right,” said Hooker, “I’ll admit that you’ve
got all the detectives of real life or fiction beaten to a froth.”