Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1906-10-13
CHAPTER ".

l stared at him in the most pro-
found amazement.
Yes, murder, Cousin Robert; as de-
liberats and cOld-booded doing to
death Of an innocent man as has ever
befouled corner OIL Gods fair world"
He rose from IS chair and plowed
heavily up and down the room. The
veins started in his forehead; his huge
hands knotted themselves tensely.
Listen. This afternoon q man lay
asleep on that couch in the corner. We
know the manner of mana keen in
vestisAtor, an indefatigabls worker, an
honest fighter; but one who had never
done in ali his life q mean or ignobie
action. Thers comes q creak upsn the
stairs, the deer Ii opened softly. q head
peers in. He-the murderer-eaters the
resm. He knew the custom of the house
in this warn September weather: the
desrs spea, the old servant asleep, the
master taking his regular HiestA. Hsw
far In he . criminal, how far a luna
dcf Is this act premeditated, or the
sudden tempting of opportunity? Who
| can sayf 1t is enough that in his dis
eased imagination he has come to regard
set himself to destroy his theories and
to bring ridicule on the laborious work of
years. His desire for revenge is con-
centrated on the man before him
"Hsw the thing came into his pos
session cannot guess though that
should be a point easily discovered. He
himself may have obtained 1t from AT.
RIGA, or It may have come into his hands
by chance, as the chief Of the Entomo-
logical Museum. But he has II safe
enough shut up In the tia box which fell
from his pocket in your rooms. The
spring of the lid vas detective, you may
remember; it is that same defectiy,
spring that will hang him.
HE stands over there, listening anG
watching. There is no sound; the sleeper
will not wake. He opens the case upor
the dressing-table and lifts the thing
its poison. With scissors he cuts of
some score Of hairs, catching them Il
the crease of a folded sheet of note
paper. He replaces 1t in the case ant
closes the lid. Like an ugly shadov
he fits across to the couch. kneels by it
side, and one, two, three times blow
the hairs from the creased paper acros
the intake of the sleeper's breath. II
turns, snatches up tho case from tn
table, and Is gone. In FIVE hours Profes
sor Won Stockmar is dead of inhamma
ton of the lungs. There is not a doc
tor in all Germany who would cha
lenge that diagnosis. In nine hours Pre-
lessor Rudolf Marnac is accused by m,
Henry Graden, of murder"
r But this deadly thing" cried, wit
;. sinking horror at my heart. 9TH
e beast, reptile, insect-whst is 1t? Wher
{ is it nowT
4 For answer he thrust his fingers int
;, his pocket and drew out the same woode
|, matchbox that l had seen him with b
l. the bedside Of the dead man. He sl
lie II half spen and tapped It sideways c
ID the table under the lamp. A roun
= nuhy ball rolled ont and lay motionles
P suddenly little black head protrude
g score Of tiny feet padded into mstis
Sc ana across the table there crept a hail
caterpinar-a leathSsme, disreputab
r. OBJECT, for across it's back lay a raEg,
ng Scsr' where the hairs had been shol
away.
or DE you recognize the speciesY"
es In faint-hearted way leaned aero
~ to grasp 1t, but with a sudden motion
he brushed my hand aside.
zee see you do not" said he griml
ne IL Is common enough In South Africs
VI with the end of match he careful
WI pushed the insect back into the be
zap and replaced it in his pocket.
Inc luck was against Marnac."
re continued. "Not for one moment do
oW suggest that otherwise should have 5,
Peetea the truth. To begin with. the ,
leeuFe spring Of the case allowed :
am caterpillar TO escape while no was he,
'0n ing over poor Hermann. After he n
DoAe hs awful work he slipped it ba