San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-02


creased by the fact.
"Were not the authorities foolish in
letting him COZ she asked, after brief
moment of silence. HE may have been
the murderer"
Impossible" said Holbrook. II saw
the man strike his victim and then run
into the park, and saw the other twenty
feet away crying murder.
"You will be witness, then, in his
favor"
An angry flush spread over Flora's
face, and her gray eyes glittered.
Certainly, if he be accused" replied
Holbrook, amazed at the question. But
there is little fear of that"
''If an accuser be needed, he may find
one in me-"
Holbrook was utterly COMPOUNDED.
"Do you know the man? DO you
know anything of this murder?"
The lady showed that she felt she had
discovered more emotion than the situa-
ton warranted, and, by an effort. re-
sumed control of herself.
"You ask two questions. l do not
know the man. I never heard Of him
before What is his name?"
"Wessing."
Eyes, Messing. Do know anything
about this murder? Nothing except
what l have read and what you have
told me. But how happens it that he
was there at that hour in the morning
so opportunity to Cry Murder and mis-
lead others by attracting attention to
himself? Were you not mistaken,
awakened, as you confess, from sort
of stupor, and did you not imagine you
saw man running away"
She had again lost control of herself,
and she was speaking with great earnest
ness and with heightened color. Hol-
brook wondered at it all, but he replied
coldly:
mo, Miss Ashgrove. was not mis-
taken. If you were to accuse this young
gentleman you would be doing a griev-
Gus wrong, and, as well, placing your
self in false position. You forget that
l saw the man run away after the blow,
throwing off his coat as he ran. Suisse
quently the coat and other articles used
for this disguise were found"
Flora tossed her head incredulously.
HolbrOok continued:
1.-THE bitterness you manifest surprises
me-"
The lady shot an angry glance at him.
1T is you who forget now. | told you
that Mr.. Templeton was friend and a
relative, though a remote one Why
should not feel an interest in his MUIR
der? Is there anything surprising in my
desire for justice and vengeance? l can
tell you have little faith in your police.
He is an unusual stupid criminal who
cannot escape your detectives. Still,
may be entirely mistaken. You may
have been fully conscious that you saw
three men, not dimly."
The sneer conveyed in these words
was unmistakable. Before Holbrook
could recover himself from this indig-
nant rush of words, she spoke again in
strangely altered tones:
after all, suppose you are right,
and / am silly to set up my judgment
against those who were present"
Holbrook noticed that she was making
a violent effort to compose herself, and
he gave her time by not replying; when
she spoke again, it was with an obvious
attempt to speak lightly.
See what sympathetic creatures we
of the weaker sex are; here am work
ing myself into quite fever over poor
Templeton's death, even disputing with
you as to what you did or did not see.
But the man who ran away? Was he a
tall MANI"
Eyes, think he was"
Alarm quickly passed over her face,
but not so quickly that Holbrook, whose
senses were now all alive. did not OBJ
serve it.
And slis Int in fgure?"
Whether the flying man was slight or
not Holbrook did not remember, but he
quickly determined to follow the lead
she was giving him.
Decidedly slight and tall"
She had greater command over fea-
lures and manner now, but yer voice be-
trayed intense interest as she said:
eyes, | suppose so, since he ran so fast
as to get away before any one could seize
him. He must have been young MANI"
She looked at him most inquiringly.
Holbrook replied:
"Unquestionably."
"What was his complexion, did you
notice?"
Holbrook did not fail to realize how
absurd it was to ask, or to assume to
know, the complexion of a man, running
at a diStanca of at loact oQa Foot In III