ne in the room "and it was quite long."

[Illustration: MR. AND MRS. CONKLIN.]

The Chief then took from his pocket the scrap of paper containing the
lock of hair he had found in the trunk, and those present crowded around
and examined it closely. Some were inclined to believe that it resembled
that of the missing man, but were fearful of expressing a positive
opinion. At this juncture F. T. Scanlan, Jr., came into the room. He
took the lock of hair and fingered it for a moment, his face blanched,
and as he laid it down upon the table he ejaculated:

"That is just like his hair, yes, just like it."

There was a scream and a fall. One of the ladies present had fainted
away.

By this time Captain Villiers was fully convinced that the lock of hair
was destined to play an important part in the solution of the mystery.
At the same time he was desirous that the identification should be more
complete, or that the resemblance between the lock and the hair of the
missing man should be established by the testimony of those best
qualified to speak on the subject. Accordingly, bright and early on the
following morning he visited the tonsorial establishment one door north
of the Windsor theatre, where for years the physician had been in the
habit of getting shaved three or four times weekly. Here, however, his
theory encountered a set back. The proprietor, H. F. Wisch, was positive
that the hair had come from some other head than that of Dr. Cronin. In
this opinion he was supported by two of his employes. They had cut his
hair time and again, and they insisted that there could be no
possibility of their being mistaken when they said that the hair could
not have come from Dr. Cronin's head. The lock that they were asked to
identify was fully four inches long, and fine, while, so they contended,
the physician's hair was exceptionally coarse. Moreover--and this
appeared to be conclusive--his hair had been cut three days prior to his
disappearance and it would have been impossible that a lock four inches
in length could have been left on his head. So far as could be
remembered his head was trimmed to an average length of two inches. As
to color, there was something of a resemblance, although there was
enough apparent difference in shade to be noticeable when compared with
a few hairs taken from a hair brush that was kept for the doctor's
exclusive use. Mr. and Mrs. Conklin, however, took issue with Barber
Wisch on almost every