Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-01-27

| ment, l. too, began to remove the snow
when, to my horror. I saw a human
hand protruding from tia mans hand
long and shapely. and on the little fin
ger glittering diamond.
| That the man was dead 1 needed not
/ to be told.
| The only question was. how had hs
died. and what connection had there
been between him and the woman
whom Nero had attacked
| That they two had come together To
this spot was certain. and that she had
returned from 1t alone.
Foul play!-Foui playi-were the
htdeous words that rang through my
BRAIN as 1 stood among the SHOWS of
| the mountain pass and looked down on
that CHASTITY protruding hand.
In moment or two I recovered my
| nerve sufficiently 90 set resolutely to
work to release the body from its
shroud of snow; or rather, Nero and I
| did this, for he worked with even more
energy than 1.
The snow had frozen during the night
| and so was the more difficult to re-
| move; but at length we accomplished
our task and then there lay before us
| the stiff, cold body of a man In evening
| dress, with his fur-lined cloak. falling
back from the throat, revealed.
There were diamonds In his shirtfront
| and at his wristbands. and a delicate
| flower In his coat. Quite evidently he
had been dressed for some festive
gathering.
He was a man of middle HEIGHT
| slender and shapely. and, I should saw.
| had been very handsome in his life
time.
Nay. he looked handsome even as
/ q
marble paleness OF death on every fea-
ture. His face was clean-shaven. save
for slight moustache; his brow de-
noted intellectually, and his fair
| brown hair seemed to indicate that
| those fastshut eyes were either blue or
grey.
As to his age. should have guessed
| him at something under thirty-five. All
this 1 saw In my first hasty glance:
when I examined the body more close
| ly, 1 saw in the chest q bullet-wouud.
The question was, was that wound
self-infiicted?
1 would have given all I possessed IN
have been able to answer yes; but. In
the first place, there was no pistol TO
be found, which would surely have
been the case had 1t been suicide. for
the shot must have meant almost in
Simultaneous death; and, in the second.
could see, dght-clipched in the dead
mans fingers. a few threads of silver
orocade, and remembered with horror
| that had noticed. last night, a trim
ming OF silver brocade on the mystsri-
us woman's gown.
It was she who had murdered b,n,t
AS stood quite convinced of this; ana
yet-perhaps it is with shame ought
TO make this confession-and yet I
hoped she would not be apprehended.
positively snuddered ut me rnougn,
OF her suffering for her crime. It could
scarcely be said that her beauty had
bewftched me. for Il must be remem.
bered. had not so much az looked up-
on her face.
But there had been q world Of beauty
In her voice: something in my heart
mad leaped responsive to fits sweet, sal
tones-to say nothing OF the beauty Of
ner form. her grace OF bearing. the sat-
In softness and wilderness OF her skin.
And, perhaps. this man had deserved
his fate. Perhaps he had dealt with
ner vilely and treacherously, as man
Is prone to deal with woman when she
loves and trusts
She had said all men were not false
Wen, at least she should find that I
mad not taken advantage of her visit
10 my cottage to hunt her to q shame
full doom.
TO this conclusion I had come, when
the sound OF church be.ls-heralding
the Joyous Christmas morn-fioated
down the pass upon my ears.
Peace on earth. good will to men!"
was the message they proclaimed.
resolved afresh that. let the measure
OF this woman's guilt be what 1t might,
l would not raise hand or voice to
bring 1t home to her.
L would leave her TO her God. He. to
whom the secrets OF all hearts are open
would judge between her and the MUIR
dered man, and would award. in Eis
own way and time, due punishment.
There was no need for me to interfere.
But for the fact that the woman had
thrown herself on my protection last
night, i could not have connected her
with this crime; and, my sympathies
enlsted In her favor. as they were, It
needed no very great stretch Of imagi-
nation TO convince me had no right to
reveal what had been made to me In
such a moment.
With infinite difficulty I released
from the dead mans fingers those tell
tale threads of brocade then 1 laid
him down again, and covered him with
snow.
Nero sat on his launches while I
was thus employed, and testified his
displeasure by short, sharp banks.
In my own mind. resolved to keep
him chained up for a time, when he
was not with me; otherwise, thought
he would surely return to this spot and
again lay bare the body.
/ wondered what had made him at
tack the woman last night-whether
1t was in truth. the black mask that had
angered him, or whether he had smelt
blood upon her clothing, or whether
some mysterious instinct had warned
him OF her crime
/ asked myself these questions, but
/ came to no satisfactory conclusion
concerning them-nay. I have come to
no satisfactory conclusion, even to this
day.
When 7 had quite covered ND the
body, 1 called to the dog and retraced
my steps slowly. and with a sense of
deep depression OF spirits. The thought
OF that dead man lying beneath the
snow haunted me. 1t seemed almost as
though were guilty OF his murder.