The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-12-16

dozen men were hanging about. smok-
ing and talking Among them was
cOuntryman who had just swallowed,
open-mouthed the story Of the past
nights tragedy. IIe was now speaking
out his own mind concerning il. and
this Is what these two heard him say
as they went by:
do you know what strikes me as
mighty strange? That they should clear
that stone OF the name Of Anitra just
I'm time 10 put Gcorsian's ia It's place.
1 call that peculiar. ] do"
The lawyer ana the husband exchanged
q glance.
Mrs. Ransom had a deep mind" the
lawyer remarked. as the door slammed
behind them. She apparently thought
of everything"
Ransom. directing q look down tho
street towards the factories and tao roar
ing miil-stream. uttered shuddering
sigh.
they are stiu searching" said Poe. But
M'y VIII never and her. They VIII never
Inl her.
The lawyer pulled him away
That's because they search The water
We viii search the land"
That's half water. too. but % cannot
hide every clew- You have eyes f0r the
imperccpuoie; use them. Mr. Harper. use
them"
Il Wiii but this IS dotoctive's work
DO not expect too much from me-"
expect nothing. / do not dare TO-
1t ns tread very softly. that is ALL
and Doe careful 70 talk low. II We have
anything 10 say"
By this time they had rounded the
corner ~ the house and entered "a mar
row walk. tagged with brick. which con-
nected The space iu front with the rear
Offices and garden. This walk ran close
70 the walls which We're broken on this
SIDE by an eli projecting ln the direction
.H
roof Of tLis en- that Anitra declared
Georgian to hays slipped and fallen
AHeir urst care Was 10 glance uu az
tne roof II was "a sloping one and
Anitra story seemed credible enough
when they noted how much easier IL
would be 20 drop upon 10 from the
h-tle balcony overhead than 70 traverse
the roof itself and reach the ground boz
meath without slipping. But as they
looked longer, each face betrayed doubt.
The descent from the balcony was easy
enough but how about the passage from
Georgian window 10 the balcony This
latter was combined 10 the one indoW,
and was surrounded by an ornamental
balustrade. high enough 10 oner a de-
cided obstacle 20 tho adventurous person
endeavOring TO leap upon IL from the ad-
joining wind0w-ledge. However. this
leap. made in the dark and under circum-
stances inducing the utmost recklessncss.
might look practical enough from the
Window-iedge itself and Mr.. Harper. max
ing q remark 10 this effect, proDos q
that they should examine the ground
rather than the house FOR evidence OF
MIS-. Ransom's slip and fan as related
by Anitra
The only spot where they could hope
10 find such was in the one short stretch
the width OF the oll-underlying the edge
Of the sloping roof. But this spot was
ali tagged. as have already said. and
when their eyes strayed beyond il 20 tho
untitled fields, stretching between them
and the great rock at the verge OF the
waterfall from which she was supposed
to have taken her fatal leap. il was 10
find them as unproducuve OF evidence as
the brick walk itself Not one Tair 81
feet but many had passed that way since
early morning. The ground showed
mass Of Impressions Of ali sizes ana
shapes. amid which il would have been
impossible for them. without the neccs-
sary experience. to have followed up the
fight Of any one person. They had come
TO their task TOO late.
Futile" decided the lawyer There
IS no use in our going that way"
And he turned to look again At the
ground in their immediate vicinity AS
he did So his eve lighted on the tri-
angular spot where the ell met the side
Of the house under the kitchen windows.
Here there was no hagging, the walk
taking agonal course from the corner
Of the ELI to the kitchen door.
what are those?" ne asked. pointing
to two o5lOng impressions trimming with
water which disdgured the centre OF this
small plot.
'They look like footprints vcntured
Ransom
They are footprints" decided Mr.. Har-
per as they stopped to examine tho
marks, "and the footprines Of a person
dropping from height. Nothing else
explains their depth or general appear
ance."