The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-12-10

Inc ftelliy & Britt on Col Eat
forts it was close upon midnight be-
fore L sighted the great hedge that sur (
rounded de Pintra's mansion. I half
expected to ind the gateway guarded, /
but TO my relief the avenue was as
deserted as the highway had been.
Cautiously I passed along the drive
leading to the mansion. i am not us
ually nervous at such times but some !
thing In the absolute stiffness Of the /
scene, something menacing in the deep /
shadows cast by the great trees, un-
nerved me and made me suspicious of
my surrounding.
Once. indeed, I fancied that I heard I
a stealthy footstep advancing to meet
me, and with q bound I sprang from
the driveway and crouched among the
thick shrubbery, listening intently. Butt
after d few moments / became reas-
sured and resumed my journey, avoid /
ing this time the graveled drive and
picking my way noiselessly across the |
grass. skiTtng the endless array of
hower-beds and shrubbery.
Fortunately the moon came out or
/ might have lost my way; and before /
long the black line OF shadow cast by /
tho mansion itself fell at my feet /
Peering ahead, ] saw that I had APP
preached the right wing of the house /
1t was here that my own room was
located, and with a low eXclama ton of /
relief I was about to step forward into /
the path when my eyes fell upon a /
sight that caused me to suddenly halt
and recOil in horror
1t was a mans arm showing white /
in the moonlight, and extending from |
beneath clumb of low bushes.
For a few moments gazed at it as |
If fascinated, but quickly recovering I
myself j advanced TO the bushes and !
gently withdrew the body until it lay /
exposed to the full rays of the moon. |
L fully expected to recognize one of
our conspirators, but when [ turned I
the man over a. face was disclosed that /
dark, sWarthy person of evident intelli- /
gence and refinement
He had been shot squarely between I
the eyes and doubtless had met death /
instantly. [ was about to consider the /
man a government spy who had been
killed by PaoIa. or some other of the /
cOnSpiratOrs. when / discovered, with /
a start of dismay that the mans left [
hand had been completely severed at
the wrist. Also the hand was missing, /
and although searched the ground |
carefully in the neighbOrhOod / could /
find no trace of it.
This discovery gave me ample food /
for thought. The only plausible rea-
son for the hasty amputatiOn of the /
hand had doubtless been to secure a /
ring which the dead man had worn
the secret key to Dom Miguels vault I
probably since the murder had been
committed at this place.
In whose possession, then was the
ring now? Madam label, the en-
perOr's spy. had first stolen it. Then !
another had murdered her for its pos
sesSiOn-nCt a cOnSpiratOr, for all had /
denied any knowledge of the ring.
Could it have been the man who now
lay dead before me- And, if so, who
was he2 And had the government
again managed to secure the precious
jewel and to revenge Madam Izabel's
assassination by mutilating this VIC
tim in the same way that she had been ?
served?
But if the dead man was not one of
the few leaders of the conspiracy who
knew the secret of the ring. how should
he have learned its value, and risked
his life to obtain it from Madam la
bel?
That however. was of no> vital i'm
portance. The main thing was that
the ring had been taken from him. and
had once more changed ownership.
Perhaps Paola. lurking near his
unCles mansion, had encountered this
person and killed him to get the ring.
If SO, had he carried it to the emperor? !
And was this explanation of Dom Pc
dro's sudden visit to de Pintra's resi-
dence2
Yet what object could Paola have in
betraying the conspiracy at this juno
ture?
Filled with these thoughts I was
about to proceed to the house when
and feel of the murdered mans arm.
The flesh was still warm!
The murder had been done that very
evening perhaps within the hour
own that the horror of the thing
and the reckless disregard of life
evinced in this double murder for the
possession of the ring warned me
against proceeding further in the mat
ter; and for the moment I had serious
thoughts of returning quietly to Rio
and taking the first steamer for New
Orleans. But there We're reasons for
one was to get possession
i'm some way of Dom BIiguels body and
see it decently buried; for he was my
uncle's friend, as well as my own, and
I could not honOrably return home and
admit that [ had left him lying within
the dungeon where his doom had over
taken him The second reason I could
not have definitely explained Per
haps it was curiosity to see the adven-
ture to the end, or a. secret hope that
the revolution was too powerful to be
baked And then there was Lesbai
At any rate, I resolved not to desert
the Cause just yet, although ac1nOWl-
adging it to be the wisest and safest
course to pursue.
So, summOning all my resolution and
courage to my aid, crept to the win
dow Of my room and, by q method that
| had many times before made use Of
admitted myself to the apartment.
/ had seen no lights whatever shin