Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1906-11-02
CHAPTER TX.

III.-THE CHASE IN THE SNOW.
have endeAvored to give the facts of
my strange story without omission or ex-
aggeration. If l have failed, it is not
from forgetfulness; for l do not think
there is a single detail that is not per
manently fixed in my memory. Even now
l have but to shut my eyes to see the
face Of Marnac peer into my old rooms
at Heidelberg, to stand once more trem-
bling with terror in the desolate court
yard Of Castle Oster, to drive through the
binding snow to where the body
But enough. l do not forget.
have already told you of the murder
Of Prof, Won Stockmar by his rival, Prof.
Marnac of Heidelberg, and of the dis
covery of the crime by my cousin, Sir
Henry Graden, the well-knOwn scientist
and explorer, who was then nay guest at
that university. / have described the
steps that led to our following the muir
derer to Lemsdorf, in German Poland,
and the means by which he compassed
the death of the unfortunate Mechersky,
have, moreover, laid before you the evil
dence that led my cousin to believe that
Marnac was suffering from decisions,
and that his extraordinary crimes were
in revenge for certain harsh criticisms
of book on which he had spent many
years of labor. In my last statement
traced the pursuit down to the station
of Lemsdorl, where the murderer, flying
from the scene of his revenge upon the
Russian professor, had been turned back
from the railway by Mossel, the heuten-
ant of the Heidelberg police, who had
followed us to render assistance. Mossel.
indeed, had waited by Marnac's luggage
for six hours, but the man himself had
failed to appear
The winters sun, chilled to a dusky
ball, was dipping behind the snow-clad
ridges to the eastward when we scram-
bled back into the sleigh. AS our tired
horses stumbled through the outskirts of
the struggling wooden town, the shadows
rushed across the sky as if flying the pur-
suit of the gale that shrieked amongst
the houses. Night had fallen.
Surely we had him in our hands.
He had not fed by rail. Somewhere
| In the town he must oe lurking, this
grey-haired figure with the heart of a
hunted wolf. The thought of 1t drove
away the aches and cramps of exhaus-
ten, and l sat bolt upright in my seat,
staring into the gloom ahead, half ex-
pecting to see hum move across the snow
before us like a Sinking beast Of prey,
We had decided to drive straight to our
own inn, the "Goldner Adler" where
as we had discovered, Marnac, under the
name of Wakefield, an English traveller
had also passed the previous evening
Little had we thought that the being we
pursued, fresh from the murder Of the
man we had come to save, was sharing
the same roof-tree. Perhaps there might
be news Of him at the "Goldner Adler. u
Reskl, the tall, handsome Pole, who had
about him more of the feudal knight than
country inn-keeper, met us in the
porch, bowling a stately welcome.
"You have had a bad drive, gentle
men," said he 1.-THE wind has been
| fierce, and the snow, fear, was heavy,
Supper win be ready in half an hour"
81 believe a Mr.. George Wakefield
slept here last night" said Graden, dust.
ing the clinging fakes from his outer
wraps 'Tt Is always pleasant to meet