So I made allowance for this harmless conceit on his part, and
was even willing to cater to it a little by way of pleasing him.
He seemed to me a man, honest, but slow of thought; rather
practical and serious, and though overvaluing his own importance,
yet not opinionated or stubborn.

"Mr. Burroughs," he said, "I'm very glad you could get here so
promptly; for the case seems to me a mysterious one, and the
value of immediate investigation cannot be overestimated."

"I quite agree with you," I returned. "And now will you tell me
the principal facts, as you know them, or will you depute some
one else to do so?"

"I am even now getting a jury together," he said, "and so you
will be able to hear all that the witnesses may say in their
presence. In the meantime, if you wish to visit the scene of the
crime, Mr. Parmalee will take you there."

At the sound of his name, Mr. Parmalee stepped forward and was
introduced to me. He proved to be a local detective, a young man
who always attended Coroner Monroe on occasions like the present;
but who, owing to the rarity of such occasions in West Sedgwick,
had had little experience in criminal investigation.

He was a young man of the type often seen among Americans. He
was very fair, with a pink complexion, thin, yellow hair and weak
eyes. His manner was nervously alert, and though he often began
to speak with an air of positiveness, he frequently seemed to