The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-09-14
Copyright, 1899, by ]. B. Lippincott Com
pany. All rights reserved.
CHAPTER vI.-CoNr1NuEp.

81 The appointments of this room were
few, but tasteful. 1t abounded in the
little belongings of a young girl. To-
day there were many evidences of a
scene which had defeated good order.
A jaunty hat and bright ribbons were
hastily thrown aside, and the open bu-
reau drawers revealed dainty laces
and lingerie. But the eyes of the in
qtfisitiye intruder took notice of none
Of these things; they were riveted in
stantly to an object that lay beside
book upon the comfortable, near
which stood an armchair. That OBJ
ject was slender cigar. He took it
up-answered. He knew that in the
Brookin household he was the only
smoker-and he did not smoke slender
cigars. To the mind of this man, ever
open to suspicious and suggestions of
evil, that strange cigar was testimony
unimpeaehable. 1t was the knife in
the heart of jealous love. With in
expressible rage and with fierce
hatred OF every living thing, he placed
the weed in his own case. Here, then,
he reasoned, had the man described
by Louise been sitting before the
dawn of that fatal day; here had the
= little saint kneeled to place her arms
about him and say farewell! Yonder
was the window, straight ahead from
which Louise had fired. Brave, faith
full Louise! His heart warmed towards
her, despite the fact that she had fired
to kill him. Somewhere in that GRIM
son carpet was the blood of her VIC
tim if her aim had been true. Was
it true? He glanced back over his
shoulder; the ball would have struck
the wall behind him had she missed
her aim. And there in the wall, a
little out of line, it is true, was a
small hole. Amazed, he hurriedly OK
amined it. The shot, after all, lad
missed.
Then this doubt came to the active
mind: Why had the man been car
ried away if the shot failed?
Holbin went quickly to his own
room, where he secured candle and
powerful sun glass. Holding the
latter over the perforation in the plas-
tering, he discovered a slight red
stain.
Blood" he whispered; "she did not
miss!" Opening his penl1nife, he care
fully cut section from the broken
plaster. "Whoever the man was, he
was struck in the head. Here is the
hair
For few moments Holbin was deep
in thought Then he drew from his
pocket the pistol which he had taken
from Louise and examined it with the
eye of an army expert. Apparently
puzzled, he tried the depth Of the hole
in the plnstering with pencil and
found that the perforation was COM
plete. He seated himself in the arm
chair facing the window. If Frances
had been kneeling with her bacl1 to
the WINDOW, the face of the unknown
man must have been fully exposed
The weapon did not have power
en- ugh to fire Il bullet through the
bead Of a man. an inch of plaster and
4 lath. and 10 carry away hair and
hlond-the bullet must have glanced
from the SIDE Of he head. The posi-
ten nf The hole indicated that the
right side of the mans head had been
struck.
llo.bin's final conclusions were that
the stranger had been only stunned
His friends could not have concealed
Ills death. for no common man would
have won the privileges of the ROOM
nor would it have been possible fo1
Frances to have horne herself so calm.
ly with the memory of murder fresh
in her mind az society man is miss
ing from his club in Richmond to.
day." he said aloud. "rhe mystery
is. half solved. AS. for you, my lovely
bride! he finished the sentence with
a smcthered oath.