The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-03-03


wholly protect her, and once when she
received nasty scratch across the cheek,
she stopped and laughingly exclaimed:
"Now what untruth must l invent to
account for thatp
My own coat was badly torn, and m orc
than once l was compelled to scramble
through almost impossible thickets, vet
we found no trace of any previous in.
truder, and having completed our cir.
Gle were compelled to admit thai The
gruesome evidence of the second crime
did not exist at that spot.
More than once felt half inclined to
tell her how l had actually discovered
the body of the woman, yet on reflection
silence was best. II l desired to solve
the strange complicated enigma which
had thus eliminated in double crime,
it would be necessary for me to keep my
own counsel and remain patient and
watchful.
When Hutchinson replied from Leg
horn, and when discovered where Ointo
was employed, ] might perhaps follow
up the clues from that end | might
find his wife Armida and learn some
thing of Importance from her. So was
hopeful, and by reason of that hope re-
NAMED silent.
Muriel was untiring in her activity.
Hither and thither she went, beating
down the high bracken and tangles of
weeds, poking with her stick into every
hole and corner, and going further and
further into the wood in the certainty
that the body was therein concealed.
For my own part, however, was not
too sanguine of success. The portion Of
the wood which we had already eX-
hausted seemed to be the most likely
point. To carry the body far would re-
quire assistance, and in my own mind l
believed the crime to have been the work
Of one person. There was no path in
the wood in that direction, but soon we
come to deep wooded ravine of the ex-
istence Of which was in ignorance. 1t
was a kind of small glen through which
n rivulet flowed, but the banks were GOV.
cred with thick impenetrable under.
growth out of which sprang many fine
old trees, place that had apparently
existed for centuries undisturbed, for
here and there giant trunk that had
decayed and fallen lay across the bank,
or had rolled into the rocky bed far be-
low.
"This is most likely place." declared
my dainty little companion as we APP
preached it. Anything could easily be
concealed in that high bracken down
there. Let US search the whole glen
from end to end" she cried with enthu.
siasm.
Acting upon her suggestion and with
out thought of luncheon, we made a de-
scent of the steep bank until we reached
the rocky bed of the stream, and then by
springing from stone to stone-some-
times slipping into the water, be it said
we commenced to beat the bracken and
carefully examine every bush. Progress
was not swift. Once the girl, 1.-THE and
athletic as she was, slipped off messy
stone into hole where the water was
up to her knees. But she only laughed
gayly at the accident, and wringing out
her wet skirt, said:
ut doesn't matter in the least, il we
only find what we're in search Of"
And then, undaunted, she went on,
springing from stone to stone and
steadying herself with her stick. If we
could only discover the body of the dead
woman, then the rest would be clear, she
declared. She would openly denounce
the assassin.
As we went on I evolved in my mind
ali the curious circumstances in con.
nection with the amazing affair, and rec.
objected my old Friend Jack Durnford's
words when we stood upon the quarter.
deck of the Bulwark and had related
to him the visit of the mysterious yacht
I, too, had left one effort untried, and
/ blamed myself for overlooking it, l
had not sought Of that Bond Street pho |