Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-29

night For the future my motto must be.
When in doubt consult Miss Ravengar.
BY your wit was enabled to discover the
secret entrance to Ormfell; and now, when
wondering of what this steel fragment
once formed part, you come to my aid
again by reading a poem concerning
Morse lady, whose intended action toward
her husband seems almost to have direct
bearing upon the Vikings skull. Our
Morse forefathers, you will remember,
were accustomed to regard their maidens
EMMY invoked, were to be received as
| oracles. l will initiate their example, and
accept your dictum that this is a frag-
ment of a lady's hairpin."
Godfrey who had Joined the pair a few
| minutes previously, and had stood a silent
| listener of the conversation, now inter-
yened with a remark.
We'll, then, you must admit" said
| he. that this opinion clashes with
| the story told by the tapestry, which
| tapestry AYERS that Orm died with a cloth
| yard shaft sticking in him.
argued Idris. MY belief Is that we have
| here" holding up the piece of steel. "a ST.
! lent testimony to a domestic tragedy of a
| thousand years ago. Old Orm, the Viking.
was carried from the battlefield wounded
| by an arrow. His wife Hilda was perhaps
enamoured of some other warrior; and 50,
| while affecting to nurse her husband. she
may have FASTENED his end by secretly div
/ ing her strong hairpin into his head, feat
| she could perform with comparative safety
| to herself there being no coroner's inquest
| in those days. His death would be at
/ tributed to the arrow wound, and therefore
4 Is so represented on the tapestry"
| If your inference be right" said Beatrice,
/ ''it Is strange verification of the old say
| ing, Murder will out Fancy the crime
coming to light after the lapse of a thou.
| sand years! Though 1t is not very kind of
| you. Mr.. Breakspear." she added with a
| mock pout. Ito attempt to prove that My
| ancestress Hilda was murderess. You
will be saying next that taste for assassi-
nation Is one of our family traits. and that
| the homicidal microbe runs in my blood"
The lapse of ten centuries will have eff
| fectively eliminated It,"
| Merci!' she returned, dropping him a
| mock curtsey. yes; it is consoling to re-
| fleet that this little piece of family scandal
| Is removed from us by the space of full
millennium"
| theory, remarked Godfrey decsively This
piece of steel is not ancient at ALL"
-Ay; ay. destroyer of my romancer' re-
turned idris; can you give me satisfactory
proof that 1t is not ancient?'
II think SO; If you will let me do what
I like with it."
| Idris shook his head
Il value this fragment" he explained,
Dei1eving In its antiquity. You would not
willingly destroy the bullet that killed Nell
son. nor will consent to destroy the
weapon that slew my Viking"
but If | could clearly demonstrate to
what them"
In that case 1t would lose its chief value
IN my eyes, and it would prove among
other things, that the skull is not O-m's:
Tor II this steel be modern, so likewise must
be the skull. But how are you going to
prove its modernity? Are not iron and
| steel alike in all ages? Is the steel that was
| wrought on the anvil of the Morse armorer
d1nerent from the steel forged today in the
foundries of Sheffield?' " Wv
| YES. In some respects. l want to con-
quot chemical experiment with this relic.
an experiment which will necessitate its
destruction. Still. If 1 succeed in demon-
! strating its modernity you will not object p,
| rar from it. But are you likely to
A. well OF course. am open to failure.
MY opinion rests upon a certain assumntian
| wnlcn assumption. If correct, will con,
cluSvely show that this steel was ror~ad
within modern times Nous Jerrons - s7o