San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-08-08

But the dead man was her uncle,
her adopted father. Did she not love
him enough TO refuse to leave him for
this very lover? Then why should she
not wish to avenge his death?"
Granted that she loved him, he is
dead, while her lover is alive. She will
care more for the living than the dead.
The uncle cannot be restored; therefore
the lover must not be sacrificed. Do you
know what she will do? She will exert
every effort to save him, and then she
will still refuse to marry him. She is a
strange womanp'
How do you know her character so
well?" said the detective sharply. Lew
is started slightly, but replied quickly:
81 do not know. / am simply telling
you my opinions, formed ON tine little
that ! have seen of her.
Mr.. Barnes was satisfied with this
answer-at least he did not let it appear
if he was not-and, resuming the thread
of their discourse, he asked:
Have you any special reason for
thinking that Marvel is guilty?"
eff not guilty, how did his locket
come to be in the possession of my IA
ther? 1t is very evident that, even if
Miss Lewis tells the truth, she has not
accounted for that mystery. This is a
point that Mr.. Upper mentioned.
II mean to investigate that matter,
of course, but I have seen stranger
things than that explained away"
''Well, then, let me call your atten-
tion to another point. Do you remem-
Der the story that the squire told US of
the row at the birthday fetef"
Certainly"
Every good. If you do, you will recol-
leot that the squire said that my father
kept Marvel's pistol Now, what has
become of that weapon?"
Mr.. Barnes saw at once the value of
this, and it had certainly not occurred
to him. He was thankful for this con-
versation.
"We have not looked for it," he re-
piled.
you may not have done SO, but !
have searched everywhere, and it is not
to be found"
perhaps tho squire may have it."
81 have asked him, aud he assures
ME that my father would not part with
the evidence Of the assault which had
been made on him. More than that, the
squire told me that he kept it locked In
q drawer in the parlor.
How, then, could Marvel have OBJ
tanned it?"
my idea is this: I think that after
the river Marvel, as he admits, came to
the farm. I think he sought an inter-
view with my father; that they quar-
relied, and that my father took up the
pistol, whereupon Marvel got it away
from him and shot him."
Mr.. Barnes shook his head. "There
is no sign of struggle. Besides, if that
is the truth, how could your father have
written the name of Walter Marvel on
the slip Of paper?"
Lewis thought a minute and then re-
piled:
81 have it. When my father heard
the barking of the dog outside, he took
mdTNeI . iilCh Nuc man
whom he saw there. At the same mo-
ment q bullet struck him. This was
either from Lucas pistol or else was
the shot fired by Miss Marvel from the
summer house, as she declared. Then,
when Marvel came, the weapon may
have been on the table right at hand,
for as father was wounded he would
scarcely Lave thought of locking up the
weapon again. AS for the writing, that
may be as Miss Lewis guessed. My
father thought Marvel had fired the first
shot and so wrote line to that effect,
not realizing to what extent he had
been wounded.
"But what about the empty shell in
Miss Lew is weapon?"
"Perhaps her first statement was cor
rect, and she had previously fired it, or,
again, my father may have fired it at
Marvel in self defense. "
A silence followed. and Mr.. Barnes
To Be Continued.