Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-04-18
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY.
THE MARKS
OF CRIME.
lOriginaLI

bloody. threw IL on the ground. scraped
earth over it. cast Il glance over his
shoulder. shuddered and hurried away.
What was that purring behind him?
He turned and i'm the road saw a white
kitten. 1t stood still. but when he
went on IL hoped along behind him.
He could not bear that even this liv
ing thing should follow him and, turn
ing again, tried to brighten il away.
1t sat down on its hind legs and looked
up at him stupidity. Again lie went on
and. again hearing the purring, knew
that the kitten was close behind him.
Selling stone. he threw it; but,
though his missile struck within Il
hairs breadth of the kitten, it did not
move. Sitting quietly on it's hind legs
and lifting one paw. it began to lick ii.
Without trying to brighten it again
the man hurried on. hoping by walking
fast to leave the thing behind. Surely
such tiny legs could not travel as fast
as his, His strides were long ones
and followed one another in such
quick succession that his gait was
almost a run. When he was quite
exhausted and his heart was beating
so fast that he feared it would burst,
he turned once more. expecting to have
lost the kitten. He was disappointed.
1t was jumping along. each jump the
length of one OF his strides.
Then he determined. since he could
not distance it, he would kill it. Draw
ing 4 revolver. he took deliberate aim
and fired. The kitten sprang aside
avoiding the bullet. and sat looking at
him meekly out of its little soft eyes,
tried to injure il. He fired again, this
time wounding his tormentOr in the toe.
n slight scratch. but sufficient to draw
blood. the sight of which drove him on
again with a curse. In time he recov-
cred himself and. turning. fired again,
wounding the kitten seriously. This
time. when he went on. IL limped after
him with difficulty. Nevertheless 1t
kept pace with him, and, though he
emptied his revolver, he failed TO kill it.
Then he determined 10 catch Il. He
chased ii. pausing now and again to
coax il, but it was still fleet enough to
distance him and wary enough to
elude him. He sat down on n rock and
called, Kit, kit. kit!' whereupon the
kitten. as If it bore no malice for it's
wounding. resumed its favorfte posi-
ton on its launches and began licking
it's bloody spots standing out crimson
against its white coat. He got up ana
walked slowly toward il. holding out
his hand as If to stroke it. The kitten
waited until he came within reach
then drew back and before he could
get his hand on it was a dozen yards
away. Meanwhile he was getting back
to his starting point.
Then he noticed something that filled
him with still greater terror-a bloody
track left by the kitten on the road.
He looked farther on and discovered
another. These tracks would betray
him. He must catch the little beast or
be discovered.
The kitten ran into the trunk of q
hollow tree that stood beside the road.
and he was sure he had cornered it.
Putting in his hand, he was cropping
for it, when. hearing n purring above.
he looked. and there it was emerging
from n hole near the lower branches.
In despair he turned away and started
up the road, but no sooner had lie left
the tree than the kitten ran down the
trunk and came after him. Making n
dash for it. with almost superhuman
the spot where awhile before he had
and wrung his hands.
Then his tormentor went and sat on
the heap of earth he had scraped over
his bloody handkerchief.
There were sounds in the woods, the
sounds of coming men. The fugitive
heard and knew his doom.
This is the nearest point from the
house." said a voice. He must have
struck the road right here"
Look out for marks of blood" said
another ''Murderers never succeed in
getting rid of all the traces. Like
enough you'll find one on leaf or n
twig. but if it's no bigger than pin
head the microscope will tell if it's hui
man."
The murderer stood motionless. Had
he given up to the inevitable or did he
fear to acknowledge by fight that he
had committed the crime? When he
heard the words of the last speaker. he
felt a ray of relief that the bloody
tracks of the kitten were not human.
Suddenly he gave a moan. The beast
stood on its feet, its back arched, its
tail pointed to the sky, and with its
claws was scratching away the dirt.
A man emerged from the road. leap
ed the creek and stood face to face
with the fugitive.
Take me-" said the murderer. at is
useless to try to conceal the marks of
my crime. There they are. Go and get
them"
"Where:"
"Under that cat"
81 see no cat"
"Its there" pointing. ut had the
shape of kitten. white. with soft eyes.
Now it is black. Its eyes are glisten-
ing and splitting fire. 1t is fiend sent
10 bring me back here. where / covered
the rag. Go and get it and hang me-.
Another man emerged from the wood
and stood looking at the two beyond