Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1905-01-18
TOM MUKRO'S
MURDER.
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Ry Herbert j. Allingham.

81 CONFESS" said Munro, 81 have
committed most crimes once
Did l ever tell you how l blackmailed
man, and got $4,000 out of him?
Then there was my murder, quite an
artistic affair.""
There were four of us loafing in the
club reading room. 1t was a bright
but cold October afternoon. and the
first fire OF the season blazed in the
crate. We were all ranged about it,
sprawling in saddle back chairs. There
was Masters, the lawyer, who meant
to do something some day; there was
old Tufnell, the comedian, who had
done all he meant to do 20 years ago;
there was myself, the youngest of the
group, an Enacted playwright; and
there was Munro.
No one quite knew what Munro did
for living. He was a wanderer, and
would absent himself from our set
Tor months at time, but he always
turned up at the club sooner or later.
He was man of As or so, hair grizzled
about the temples, face strong and
hard, eyes keen but kind
Lets have the MURDER" said Mas
tiers with yawn.
"A really artistic murder should pos
sess dramatic possibilities" remarked
the comedian ponderously, land may be
or service to our young friend here"
The old man indicated me with pa
tronizing gesture. Munro took his pipe
from his mouth, and thoughtfully pol
ished the bowl on the sleeve of his
coat.
"Ths beginning of the business was
in the summer of 'S7," he began pres
emily. Il left Chicago at q moments
notice. Eventually l found myself in
Turkey, hobnobbing with a wicked old
pasha of my acquaintance. One day l
was with him in the house, which was
more like palace, when a dealer
brought some newly-captured slave
girls for his inspection.
My friend rejected the majority
with scorn; but one beautiful Greek
girl found favor in his sight, and after
a lot of haggling with the dealer he
purchased her.
The girl, when she learned of her
fate, was terrified, and made a painful
scene.
i am not, as you know, a ladies'
man, but l confess the scared look in
the girls eyes made me feel uualm-
ish.
AT the pasha's request 1 spoke tc
her IN her own language but could
get nothing from her except a despair
ing request to save her from her new
master.
The end of it was that I offered to
purchase her. My friend was amazed
and much amused, but he good ma
turedly consented, and so NADIA became
my property.
i offered to send the girl back to
her people. but it appeared that they
had been ruthlessly slaughtered when
she was captured. and she swore that
she would never leave me. The situ-
alton was embarrassing. and l antici-
pated all sorts of trouble. But NADIA
behaved splendidly. 1t is true she fol-
lowed me about like a dog, but she
never obtruded herself upon my notice
-->@ ~ was al WdyS dl manu- 10 render
me any service within her power.
"All went we'll for a time, and 7
had got quite used TO her being about
the place, and even found myself mis-
sing her when she was absent.
Then, in the autumn of '99, went to
Paris. There 1 found a certain M.
ionides lording it in fashionable soci-
ETY.. He was, 1t appeared, Greek mer-
chant, who had made a fortune out of
currants. He occupied a magnificent
hotel, kept a retinue of servants, had
a gorgeous eQuipage. and entertained in
lavish and princely fashion.
He was enormously rich, enormous
~ fat. and as ugly as a satyr. We had
been In Paris about week. when this
M. Ionides saw NADIA, and at once took
fancy to her. think have told Won
the girl was really strikingly pretty.
People turned in the street to look a.
her. Well, the Greek was fascinated
by his countrywoman, and the result
was that one day NADIA came flying to
me for protection. / soothed her. and
thought no more of the matter, but on
the morrow / had a visit from the
great man.
He was pretty frank, talking like
a man accustomed to pay for what he
wanted and to get it He understood
ahe YOUNG LADY was my ward. Would