Arizona republican., 1899-03-16
A Grim Wager.
nCpEsHUL, spes.shul! 'orribIe
BY CECIL HAYTER.

hCNPESHUL! spes-shull 'Orrible
 N murder in the Dalton road!"
 An,s then again another voice, pitched
 in q higher key, took up the cry on
 tEe farther side of the street
 ''speshul! speshul!"-andt the rest was 1 lost in incoherency as the sound of
 the voices, mingled and intertwined,
 gradually faded away in the distance. What a loathsCme noise that isl" 1 said Peel, with q shudder. "There is
 some hing positively ghoulish about it."
 Tt always gives me the creeps, es- pecially at night. It suggests all sorts
 of horrible, morbid ideas," joined in
 Lelange, who was perched on the
 model throne, smoking innumerable
 cigarettes.
 Kovno, the owner of the studio,s ,ssaid
 nothing. but smiled in rather supe-
 rior way. He was person of some
 what unusual taste-his pictures be- trayed him in that.
 We were rather a cosmopolitan lot gathered in the big studio that night. Lelange was a merry, light-hearted little Frenchman. clever to the tips of his restless fingers, but quite incapa- bic of serious work. Peel and myself were English-pGinstakin not who'll ly unsuccessful, but without half Le lange's versatility. Ferguson was Scotch-serious and argumentativc, and Kovno-the owner of the studio was Pole by birth, though much of lis life had been lived in Paris and London.
 He was two or three years older than the rest of us. As far as his art was concerned he was brilliant, original and startlingly unpleasant. For him self, he had fine head-the head of a dreamer. Usually a reticent man, he would at rare intervals flash out into fiery, animated flood of talk, accompanied by wild gesticulation.
 Only one other person was in the studio-Dora Smith, our model - a pretty. nervous little person, at the present moment toasting her toes at the big stove and enjoying cigarette during her well-earned rest.
 ''Well, there's only one good thing about a murder" said Ferguson-ssft will out! And that, as a rule, ends:sin hanging" @
 ''Nonsense, my dear chap!" said Kovno. Its only the clumsy idiots who are found out. Anyone who isn't a fool could kill as many people as he pleased, and never be even suspected if you grant him an average amount of luck'' s%
 Lelange began drumming a sortaof "danse Macabre" on the model throne with his heels, and struck tragic at | titude which made Dora laugh.
 ''I wish you wouldn't all be so her | ribly gloomy" she said. ''I believe | tliis great big barn of studio is haunt ed. Do, for goodness sake, talk about i soTething cheerful"
 Its not gloomy at all; it's most ! persisted Kovno. q don't crime have great fasci- ration for me-
 ''The possibilities of an undiscov- cred shilling in my trousers pocket would be more attractive to me per sonally," said Peel, ruefully surveying his worldly possessions. 'Archie'- urning to me-''we shall have to pad the hoof tonight. Cant afford an om- libus."
 T am willing to bet" Kovno contin- ed, without noticinnthe Hterruption, I am willing to bet that I could com nit murder without q possibility of letCction." He was getting into one # his excitable moods and gesticulat- ng freely.
 Rubbish" said I, laughing. "Any- me can talk like that. But, in the first ,lace. it's absurd;. and in the second, fC, .4,,+ ], .I ,e such an abject fool as to try"
 Kovno himself laughed at that, for y nature he is one of the mildest crea- ures imaginable.
 ''No. no. I don't mean to say that I want to harm anyone in particular fer he mere satisfaction of proving to arcel of lunatics that I am talking ommon sense; but still I maintain could do so.'' 'Wall, you prove it to me, and I'll ake your Iet,'' said I, jeering.
 ''Will you?" he asked "Of course will" replied. "Frank, -e1l have q dinner on the strength of his"
 ''Done with you, tlen," said Kovno. I'll bet you five pounds to a shilling. sold couple Of sketches to-day.
 That's all very we'll put in Fergu on. slowly, but short of actually mu1 ering the man. and then confessing 0 us-in which case we should in vitably trCt you off to the nearest office station-how are you going to i've us proof of your ability?" Kovno thought for a moment. Look here" he said, speaking quick ', ''supposing I manage to spirit ian away and cause him to vanish for week-ten days, if you lille-without ny inquiries that may be made en- bling anyone to connect me with the latter; and supposing that I obtain ! written confession from that man, In