The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-05-16

a smaller side table. whereon.I had laid
Alistair's camera. At the far end. the
room opened on to the matey's veran-
da and servants premises, and 50 al
most ON TO the river bank. As / sat
i could see through the open doorway
across the house, the steady flow of ale
yellow water and the mud banks on the
far side.
Silence? Yes. And apparent soli-
tude, and 9" yet i" as | lay in my
long chair. the feeling began to grow
upon me that l was not alone. The
consciousness that some one was be-
hind me made me sit up suddenly and
turn round, but there was no one.
The level rays of the sun were shining
directly into the sitting room as L went
down the steps. Suddenly, through the
stiffness, l heard a faint click behind
me, and then a little noise Ike that OF
plate falling into the well of came
ra, | turned sharply, but there was no
one i'm the room, and the kodak lay
where 1 had put it.
Again from the inner room came the
faint click. as OF a released shutter;
again the rattle of a changing plate.
stared at IL for moment, and then as
| realized what IL meant a &C Id, chilly
fear took hold OF me and my hair began
TO lift.
supper over. l shut myself into the
bath room, and put a red shade over
the night light. With a somewhat un-
steady hand / unlocked the camera
There, i'm an unexposed pile, lay ten
plates, while i'm the changing well lay
two! ! laid the first in the developing
dish and feverishly awaited results.
Slowly, slowly--it seemed an age 10 me
the plate began TO darken, and he
high lights came up. First, the faint
outline OF the veranda, then. dimly.
the table and long chair with-some
one in twas IL myself? No | had
been standing. a face that seened
ows. My Uvu. The face of Alstair
Grahame! Alistair asleep in the chair
where i had been sitting e." stop.
What was this? Surely another figure
behind the chair. gradually IL grew. |
could almost have shrieked, my nerves
became so tense. till at last L recog
nized the features. 1t was Yusuf
Khan, ex-Duifadar OF police, with his
arm upraised over the sleeper, and "a
curved Afghan blade i'm his hand.
Then, and only then, did the meaning
OF the picture flash upon me. Alistair
had been murdered in that very bunga-
low. in'that very chair, by his Duffadar.
With a haste born of fear | set to
work to develop the sacred plate.
Slower IL came up, till at last | rec
ognized the familiar banks Of the mud
dy river. as they could be seen from the
bungalow. Every ripple came out dis
tinctly under the low light of the set
ting sun, and ON the broad breast of
the slow moving yellow water there
floa ted, half submerged, with vulture
crcling above it-a something-some-
thing with the face OF Alistair. and
there, in these two plates. the tragedy
Of his death lay like an open book be-
fore me.
Mir Khan had lied. Grahame had put
up at this bungalow. he had been MUIR
dered there. and his body thrown TO
the river.
All my nervous fears had vanished.
My one thought was. as I carefully
washed the plates. that. at last, we
should be able 10 bring the murderer To-
justice, and yet-would these plates be
evidence I'm a court OF law? True. they
were faithful likenesses OF the two
men. but who had taken the photo
graphs. and how was I 20 account for
their presence I'm my camera?
But even as turned the matter over
In my mind, "A tiny breeze came up the
river. Ii loosened the latchet OF the
bathroom shutter and swung u open.
Then n freshed and swung II close
again. Before had time 90 put out my
hand. the heavy corner caught the
rlates that were drying on the ledge.
!. Thcrc.wss a UTE crash. and then all
|'that fefi,sinef "a M dfA hs rrccf 81