The herald., 1897-10-03

Aou Hurieu my OlpSy leaQ ana II mao
struck Farris fair on the top Of the
head. the broad fiat bottom of the
leaden cone coming horizontally down.
ward because it was the heaviest part
OF the sinker. 1t had broken through
the skull of the unfortunate man, fore
Ing downward not only a circular piece
Of the skull but that part of the hat
with which it came in contact. AS I
had noticed when examining the hat
the impression of the heavy OBJ
ject with which Farris had been strick-
en- down was well marked. The lead
had rolled off into the gutter where the
boy had found it the next day.
1 reached the town and hurried to
my office, fortunately meeting no one.
1 went into the building by back way,
and as I passed the place where Far
ris had fallen shuddered as if I had
seen the accusing blood from the
wound Of a corpse.
The first thing I did when I reached
my room was to measure the lower
surface of the dipsy lead. 1t was ex-
actly one inch and seven eighths in
diameter. This, allowing for a thick
ness of felt all around the bottom
edge of the lead, would probably make
fracture two inches wide. With Mr..
kefford's adze the circular fracture
would have been somewhat larger. Ev-
cry link in my chain Of events was per-
feet.
The dipsy lead still in my hand sat
in my room and asked myself what 1
was to do now. My first impulse after
measuring the lead had been to hurry
to the court house and tell the sheriff
exactly what had happened; to free
the father of Natalie from all suspicion
and to show that the blood Of Reuben
Farris was on my hands-innocent
hands as I had always supposed them
to be.
But the remembrance Of the words
used by the boy made me hesitate. If
this should be murder, if Reuben Far
ris should now be dead, or should die,
what then?
What had done was a piece Of GRIM
inal and unpardonablec carelessness, fol-
lowed by the most terrible injury to
fellow man. If the case should be
regarded in that light by the authori-
ties, ought to be willing to suffer any
punishment which the law might in
flict, and If this punishment should be
in the shape of damages to Farris,
should he recover, I would most cheer
fully accept the penalty and sacrifice,
if necessary, all the property from
which I derived my income.
But IL Reuben Tarris should not re-
cover, the case would be very different
Then it would be matter Of life and
death to me to prove that when
hurled from my window that heavy
leaden missile I thought I was throw
ing it at a cat and not at the head Of
a man. 1t was generally believed that
the assailant Of Farris had been wait
ing for him at an open window, know
ing that he would probably come along
Decatur Street. Why should not I
have been waiting for him at an open
window far above him and safe from
observation? Everybody knew that I
had great interest in the Kefford will
case and consequently in the appear
ance or the non-appearance Of the man
who had been sent for to testify in
that case. had frequently discussed
the matter with my acquaintances in
the law and out of it, and 1 did so the
more zealously because by avoiding
the subject might have lead persons
to suppose that my feelings were hurt.
1t was known, too, that I was paying
attentions to Miss Kefford, and that !
was a warm friend Of the family, and
in fact the more I thought of it, the
more plainly it seemed to me that it
might reasonably be suspected that ]
might have been actuated by a very
strong desire that Farris should not
| testify regarding the Kefford will. If
he should swear that he had witnessed
the will, the fortune Of the dead Kef-
ford was lost to his relatives. There
were chances that he might so swear,
and 1 was known to be a young man
Of quick temper.
Why should not the story Of the cat
appear absurd and ridiculous? What
man of average sense would stand at
a third story window on rainy night,
when footsteps could scarcely be heard,
and when it was so dark that people
on the sidewalk could not be plainly
discerned, and hurl more than a pound
Of lead at something which possibly
might be cat? What reason had to