Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1895-05-08
CHAPTER Iv.-CoNT1NuEp.

CHAPTER IV.-CoNTINuED.
"'1 will tell you how Morstan died,
he continued. He had suffered for
years from weak heart, but he con-
cealed it from everyone. l alone knew
it. When in India, he and l, through a
remarkable chain of circumstances,
came into possession of considerable
treasure. / brought it over to Eng
land, and on the night of Morstan's ar
rival he came straight over here to
claim his share. He walked over from
the station, and was admitted by my
faithful old Lal Chowdar, who is now
dead. Morstan and / had difference
of opinion as to the division of the
treasure, and we came to heated words.
Morstan had sprung out of his chair in
a paroxysm of anger, when he sudden
" pressed his hand to his side, his face
turned q dusl1y hue, and he fell back
wards, cutting his head against the
corner of the treasure-chest. When I
stopped over him found, to my horror,
that he was dead.
Tor a long time I sat half dis
tracted, wondering what l should do
My first impulse was, of course, to
call for assistance; but could not but
recognize that there was every chance
that I would be accused of his murder.
His death at the moment of a quarrel,
and the cash in his head, would be
black against me. Again, an official
inquiry could not be made without
bringing out some facts about the
treasure, which I was particularly
anxious to keep secret. He had told
me that no soul upon earth knew
where he had gone. There seemed to
be no necessity why any soul ever
should know.
81 was still bordering over the mat
ter, when, looking up, | saw my serv-
ant, La Chowdar, in the doorway.
He stole in, and bolted the door behind
him. do not fear, sahib," he said.
NO one need know that you have,
killed him. Let US hide him away:
and who is the wiser?" II did not
kill him. said I. Lal Chowdar shook
his head, and smiled. II heard it all,
sabib,'' said he. Il heard you quarrel,
and / heard the blow. But my lips
are scaled. All are asleepin the house
Let us put him away together That
was enough to decide me If my own
servant could not believe my inno-
cencc, how could I hope to make it
good before twelve foolish tradesmen in
a jury box? Lal Chowdar and dis
posed of the body that night, and
within a few days the London papers
were full Of the mysterious disappear
ance of Capt. Morstan. You will see
from what l say that | can hardly be
blamed in the matter. My fault lies in
the fact that we concealed, not
only the body, but also the
treasure, and that / have chung
to Morstan's share as well as to
my own. wish you, therefore, to
make restitution. Put your ears down
to my mouth. The treasure is hidden
in At this instant a horrible change
came over his expression; his eyes
stared wildly, his jaw dropped, and he
yelled in a voice / can never forget:
Keep him out! For Christ's sake keep
him out!' We both stared round at the
window behind us upon which his gaze
was fixed. A face was looking in at us
out of the darkness. We could see the
of the nose where it was
pressed against the glass. 1t was a
bearded, hairy face, with wild, cruel
eyes and an expression of concentrated
malevolence. My brother and rushed
towards the window, but the man was
gone. When we returned to my father
his head had dropped and his pulse had
ceased to beat.
'syVe searched the garden that night,
but found no sign of the intruder, save
that just under the window single
footmark was visible in the fower-bed.
But for that one trace, we might have
thought that our imaginations had con-
jured up that wild, fierce face. We
soon, however, had another and moro
striking proof that there were secret |
agencies at work all around us. The
window of my fathers room was found
open in the morning, his cupboards and t
boxes had been rifled, and upon his !
chest was fixed o torn piece of paper, |
with the words THE sign of the four
,crawled across it. What the phrase
meant, or who our secret visitor may
rave been, we never knew. As far as
We can judge, none of my fathers
property had been actually stolen,
though everything had been turned
nut My brother and / naturally assoc
.i..ted this peculiar incident with the |