The Minneapolis journal., 1903-01-30
CHAPTER XIV.
The Mystery Of the Wardrobe.

Dick did not speak at once. His hand
was on the woman's, heart. 1t had
ceased to beat There was no doubt that
she was dead Atgreat horror was upon
him. It seemed that there were things in
heaven and earth undreamt of in his
philosophy. At first he thought only of
the woman, of the mystery of her pres
ence and of her awful death; then his
mind sprang to Eve Markham, and he re-
allied with a cold stab of despair, that,
with this woman dead, the clue to the
girls hiding place was lost, and the whole
situation changed.
Nerved to desperation by the idea that
the bridge by which Eve should have been,
reached was broken, Dick began rapidly
to review the events of the past few hours,
attempting to put them all together like
the pieces of an elaborate pattern of
mosaic.
In the morning Of the day now passed,
this woman had risked her. liberty by
coming on board the Xenia with him.
Something which she had wished to know
she had learnt; then had begun game
Of wits, and she had won. He had let
her go, after threatening to keep her un-,
til she confessed things of which she pre-
tended ignorance; he had, in the end
promised practically all she wanted, and
the kidnapping of Eve Markham had OBJ
tanned the results for which it had been
planned. Evidently the woman had had
a strong motive for coming on board a
second tilnes: and after her first expert
ence with him: had naturally wished to do
so without his knowledge, lest she should
be detained against her will, or prevented
from accomplishing her object, whatever
that might have been. Once on board,
however, her presence, in hiding, could
account for a good deal-for the black
figure that had bounded out of the store
PETERS, fnr
the theft Of the books and letters from the
cabinet. But Dick did not see yet how
she had contrived to return secretly to the
Xenia. unless she had confederate in
one Of the men. Suddenly, however, he
remembered the boat which had come out
with the messenger who brought his tele-
gram from Naples. He recalled hearing
one of the men say that he fancied he saw
a third figure in black crouching down in
the boat when it first came alongside, but
| that he must have been mistaken, for no
such figure was there when the boat went
away. Now he reminded the men of this
little incident, and reluctantly, but hon
estly, they admitted that it would have
been possible for person to come
stealthily on board while they were un-
suspectingly talking to the messenger.
Afterwards it would have. been COM
parativelyc easy for such a person to hide
Matters now began to shape themselves
rather more definitely in Dicks mind
He saw how the woman had planned hel
second visit. with her complete change
of dress, and he guessed that the boat
which he had seen so cautiously approach
ing the Xenia not long ago had been
| engaged to take her back to shore while
| it was still dark, and in time to catch the
early departing vessel for Tangier. Hel
| death gave him one advantage; there
| was hope that, If she had stolen the
| fr,cr %I,o
concealed somewhere about her person
and he might be able to reclaim them
The only way to do this, however, woulc
| be to do it secretly, unseen by the tive
men; for this strange death would EN-.
| tail an inquest, and he would be offendins
against the law if he removed anything
from the body even though the thing hi
took away were more his than hers
All these thoughts swept through hi
brain. like a whirlwind, snatehing away
old impressions. Not five minutes hat
gone since first, with his hand on tl1e
womans breast, he had made sure tha
her heart had ceased to beat; yet al.
ready he was satisfied that the myster,
! Of her presence on board the Xenia ant
other puzzhng. happenings were explained
But the greatest mystery of all was still
unsolved, and seemed unsoIvable. Hoy
and by whom had, the woman been mur
| dered? 80 -5s.s- sr-s..
Exactly what did you see after tina
scream?o he asked of the man who hat
Eeen standing ir the bow sS
why I hardly know. SIR stammere.
| the other. I saw a black figure, run
ming fast, with arms stretched out, an,
I thought there was another, very small
all gray It looked as if the two wer.
| struggling together, and the little .gra,
! figure, that was Just a queer, ghostly
glirnrner in the darkness, sprang upon tn
| others back That.Was the last I saw
sir. Then, I stumbled against you, no
knowing who it was for minute, and
!. suppose it must have been in that min
ute that the gray thing got away. Ye
heard no splash, as OF any one jumping
must be hiding still on board. 81
That we must find OUT said Dick
] If one of US keeps watch on deck, tn,