SOME BITS OF PERSONAL HISTORY.
While Miss Manvers was bidding farewell to the latest of her guests, and
the "average Traftonite" was making his first voyage into dreamland, Dr.
Barnard closed his eyes upon Trafton forever, and slept that long,
sound, last, best sleep that comes once to all of us, and I, as well as
numerous other restless sleepers, was awakened in the early morning by
the sound of the tolling bell.
It was sad news to many, for Dr. Barnard was an old and well-beloved
citizen.
It afforded a new subject for gossip to many more, who now learned for
the first time that Louise Barnard was affianced to Dr. Carl Bethel, and
that Dr. Barnard, with almost his latest breath, had proclaimed his
entire faith in the young man's honor, by formally sanctioning his
engagement with Louise.
I had not seen Bethel since my return from the city, until we met that
day, and exchanged a few words across the dinner table.
He looked worn and weary, and seemed to have forgotten his own
annoyances and interests in the absorption of his regret for the loss of
his old friend and associate, and sympathy with the sorrow of his
beloved.
I had spent the entire morning in writing a long letter to my Chief,
giving a detailed account of my acquaintance with Miss Manvers, and a
description of the lady, her style of living, and, above all, more
graphic than all, my experience of the previous day, up to the moment
when I closed the "rogues' gallery" and opened my eyes to a new and
startling possibility.
This document I addressed to a city post-office box, and, having sealed
it carefully, registered and dispatched it through the Trafton
post-office.
In the afternoon I received an express package from Baysville. It was a
_book_, so the agent said. Innocent enough, no doubt, nevertheless I did
not open it until I had closed and locked my door upon all intruders.
It _was_ a book. A cheap volume of trashy poems, but the middle leaves
were cut away, and in their place I found a bulky letter.
It was Earle's report from Amora.
It was very statistical, very long, and dry because of its minuteness of
detail, and the constant recurrence of dates and figures. But it was
most interesting to me.
Arch Brookhouse and his brother, Louis, had both been students at Amora.
Grace Ballou and Nellie Ewing had been fellow-students with them one
year ago. Last term, however, Arch had not been a student, but Louis
Brookhouse, Grace Ballou, Nellie Ewing, Mamie Rutger, Amy Holmes, and
Johnny La Porte, had all been in attendance.
For the last three named this was their first term.
Mamie Rutger had been expelled for misconduct, during the last half of
the term.
Johnny La Porte and Louis Brookhouse had been "chums" and were,
accordingly, pretty wild.
Very little could be learned concerning Amy Holmes, previous to her
coming to Amora. She was said to be an orphan, and came from the South.
Nothing more definite could be learned concerning her abiding place. She
was lively, dashing and stylish, not particularly fond of study; in fact
was considered one of the "loudest" girls in the school. Her escapades
had been numerous and she had, on more than one occasion, narrowly
escaped expulsion. She was particularly intimate with Nellie Ewing,
Mamie Rutger, and Grace Ballou; and had been seen, on several occasions,
in the company of Arch Brookhouse, who was very often at Amora.
Concerning Ed. Dwight, Earle could say very little.
Dwight had left town with his team early on Monday morning, and had not
yet returned. Earle had managed, however, to obtain lodgings at Dwight's
boarding-house, and had made the acquaintance of one of the "girls," who
had contributed the information that Arch Brookhouse had several times
dined there with Dwight.
This is an abbreviated account of what Earle's report contained.
Accompanying said report was an autograph obtained from Professor Asa
Bartlett, and it bore not the slightest resemblance to the printed album
lines.
Considering the time consumed in the investigation, Earle had done
remarkably well. He had done well, too, in going to Baysville to send
the letter.
How many threads were now in my hands, and yet how powerless I was for
the time!
Only yesterday I had made, or so I believed, two most important
discoveries, and yet I could turn them to no account for the present.
Upon the first, it would be unwise to act until further information had
been forwarded me by my Chief.
As for the second, there was nothing to do but watch. I could not take
the initiative step. Action depended solely upon others, and as to the
identity of these others I scarce could give a guess.
Louis Brookhouse had not been seen outside his home since his arrival,
in a crippled condition, the day after Grace Ballou's escapade. I must
see Louis Brookhouse. I must know the nature of that "injury" which Dr.
Bethel had been called upon to attend.
For the first, I must bide my time until the youth was sufficiently
recovered to appear in public. For the second, I must rely on Bethel,
and, until the last sorrowful tribute of respect and affection had been
paid the dead, I could scarcely hope for an interview with him.
A crisis must come soon, but it was not in our power to hasten it.
So long as Dimber Joe and Blake Simpson continued inert and seemingly
aimless, so long as the days brought no new event and the nights brought
neither discovery on our part nor movement on the part of the
horse-thieves, Carnes and I had only to wait and watch--watch--watch.
Our days, to the onlooker, must have seemed only idle indeed, but still
they were busy days.
Carnes roamed about the town, inspecting the barns and buildings
closely, when he could venture a near approach without arousing
suspicion or objection; at a distance, when intrusion would be unsafe or
unwelcome.
Dr. Barnard was buried on Thursday, and on the afternoon of that day, as
I was returning from the funeral in fact, I received a report from
Wyman.
Stripped of its details, and reduced to bare facts, it amounted to this:
The "dummy" had proven of actual service. Wyman had found him with very
little trouble, and in just the right place. He was domiciled with the
La Porte family, and had been since the first week of his advent among
the Grovelanders, and Wyman was indebted to him for much of the
information contained in his report.
Acting according to our instructions, or, rather, as we had expected
and desired, overacting them, the "dummy" had soon contrived to let the
Grovelanders know that he was a detective, sent out from the city to
occupy the premises and keep his eyes open. He talked freely of the
missing girls, always frankly avowing that it was his opinion, as well
as the opinion of his superiors, that the two girls had been murdered.
Indeed, he darkly hinted that certain facts corroborative of this theory
had been discovered, and then he lapsed into vagueness and silence. When
questioned as to his system or intentions regarding the investigation he
became profoundly mysterious, oracular, and unsatisfactory.
The result was all that we could have wished. The less intelligent among
his critics looked upon him as a fountain of wisdom and cunning and
skill. The more acute and observant fathomed his shallowness, but
immediately set it down as a bit of clever acting, and, joining with
their less penetrating neighbors, voted our "dummy" "wise as a serpent"
underneath his "harmless as a dove" exterior, and looked confidently
forward to something startling when he should finally arouse to action.
To which class of critics Johnny La Porte belonged, Wyman had been
unable to discover, for during his stay in Groveland he had not seen
young La Porte.
Whatever his opinion may have been, the young man had been among the
first to seek our "dummy's" acquaintance, which he had cultivated so
persistently that within less than a fortnight the two had become most
friendly, and apparently appreciative of each other's society, and the
"dummy" had found an abiding place underneath the hospitable roof of La
Porte _pere_.
Johnny La Porte was a spoiled son. He seemed to have had his own way
always, and it had not been a way to wisdom. He was not dissipated; had
none of the larger and more masculine vices, but he was idle, a shirk at
school and at home. He had no business tact, and seemed as little
inclined to make of himself a decent farmer as he was incapable of
becoming a good financier, merchant, or mechanic.
He was short of stature, and girlishly pretty, having small oval
features, languid black eyes, black curly hair, and a rich complexion of
olive and red.
He drove a fine span of blacks before a jaunty light carriage, and was
seldom seen with his turnout except when accompanied by some one of the
many pretty girls about Groveland.
In fact, he was that most obnoxious creature, a male flirt. He had roved
from one bright Groveland flower to another, ever since his graduation
from jackets to tail coats. During the previous Autumn and Winter, he
had been very devoted to Nellie Ewing; but, since their return from
school, in the Spring, his attentions had not been quite so marked,
although Nellie had several times been seen behind the blacks and in
company with the fickle Johnny.
In short, after reading all that Wyman could say of him, I summed
Johnny La Porte up, and catalogued him as follows:
Vain, weak, idle, handsome, fickle, selfish, good-natured when not
interfered with, over fond of pleasure, easily influenced, and a
spendthrift.
What might or might not be expected of such a character?
He was, as Mrs. Ballou had said, popular among the young people,
especially the young ladies; and where do you find a young man that
drives a fine turnout, carries a well-filled purse, dances a little,
sings a fair tenor and plays his own accompaniment, is handsome, and
always ready for a frolic, who is _not_ popular with the ladies?
Wyman had not seen La Porte, and for this reason:
On the evening of the 17th, young La Porte had driven away from home
with his black horses, telling our "dummy," in confidence, that he was
"going to take a pretty girl out riding."
La Porte and the "dummy" "roomed together," in true country fashion;
and, at midnight, or later, the "dummy" could not be precise as to the
lateness of the hour, he returned. Entering the room with evident
caution, he nevertheless awoke the "dummy," who, turning lazily on his
pillow, saw La Porte taking from a drawer something white, which our
"dummy" supposed to be a handful of handkerchiefs, and from a shelf a
bottle of brandy.
[Illustration: "Entering the room with evident caution, he nevertheless
awoke the "dummy," who, turning lazily on his pillow, saw La Porte
taking from a drawer something white,"--page 244.]
On seeing the open eyes of our "dummy," La Porte had explained as
follows:
One of his horses went lame a bit, and he intended to give him a
little treatment. The "dummy" must not disturb himself, as the hired man
was on hand to render all the necessary help.
Then, as he was leaving the room, La Porte had added:
"By-the-by, if the horse comes out all right, and I am gone when you
turn out in the morning, tell the old man that I am off for Baysville to
see about the club excursion."
Wondering vaguely what species of lameness it was that must be treated
with brandy and bandaged with linen handkerchiefs, the "dummy" fell
asleep, and finding the young man absent on the following morning,
delivered his message as directed.
It was received without comment, as such excursions were of frequent
occurrence, and as no one presumed to question the movements of the
spoiled young pleasure seeker.
He did not return on the next day, but the morning of the 19th brought
him home, not, however, as he went, but in company with a sewing-machine
agent whom he called Ed., and whose full name was Edward S. Dwight.
La Porte stated that his horse was lame again, and that he had left his
team at Amora, and returned with Dwight in the machine wagon.
During that day La Porte accompanied Dwight on his rounds among the
farmers, and early the following morning the two returned together to
Amora.
That was a week ago. The following Sunday, La Porte and Dwight had
again visited Groveland, this time with La Porte's own turnout. During
the day they had made several calls upon young ladies, and this time our
"dummy," being cordially invited, accompanied them on their rounds.
On Monday morning, as before, they returned to Amora, and since then had
not reappeared in Groveland.
Wyman, according to instructions, had visited Mrs. Ballou. She had
nothing new to communicate, but she gave into his hands a small package,
which Wyman had inclosed with his report.
It contained three photographs; one of Miss Amy Holmes, one of Johnny La
Porte, and a third of the same gentleman and Mr. Ed. Dwight, a rather
rakish-looking duo.
I read and re-read Wyman's long, complete descriptive report. I studied
the photographed faces again and again, and that evening, before the
sunset had fairly faded from the west, I told Carnes the whole story,
and placed before him the printed letter and the autographs, photographs
and reports.