Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-03-07


went out Of the house by the baca
way and crossed the garden. He felt
better, more composed in the open
air and away from the silent re-
proach of his dread handiwork. and
he could think.
At the end of the garden was
heap of leaves which had been swept
up in the preceding autumn and al
lowed TO remain. He got a spade
from the Toulouse and, screening
the lantern behind some bushes, he
carefully scraped the leaves aside
and began to dig.
And all the while he was at work
and he worked with the furious frenzy
OF man digging for gold-he plan
ned out his precautions against de-
lection. al sorts of possibilities
tortured him and turned the sweat
that roed down his face into drops
OF Ice. Some one might have seen
her standing outside the gate, and
When she was missed that some one
would come forward with the slew
She might have told some one wher.
she was going; she had been talking
evidently confidently, with Cyril
Burne, and might have owed him. Her
! footsteps might be tracked In the
dusty road These and a hundred
other suggestions tortured him. and
drove MIN almost mad, so that when
| his task was done he staggered out
onto the brink of the grave and shook
like man in palsy.
Then he went back to the hou Sc
slowly, as If every step were leadh :
him to his own grave.
In an incredibly short time he had
accomplished his dread task. and he
| stood once again in the silent room.
with something clinched in the palm
of his hand.
1t was Cyril's ring, which he had
taken from Becca's finger.
He held it so tightly that it's press
IRE hurt him and reminded him that
he was holding it. He opened his
hand as if the ring had turned to an
asp and stung him, and let it fall up
en- the table.
And there he stood and stared at
i, at drst duly and vacantly, out
presently with more conscious gaze.
He had hidden his victim from NOR
tai eyes. but more, much more. was
required of him?
He covered his eyes with his hands
and thought keenly, acutely. Coul1
he not invent some story based upon
facts which would account for her alb
sence?
Ii any one had seen her standing
at the gate, he was lost. But he re.
membered that as he stood talking
TO her with the key in his hand he
had looked up and down the lane
and had seen no one The lane led
directly to no other house than tie
cottage; it was unlikely that any one
should have been Passing. The per-
sons who We're out were making the
the best of their way to the village
1t was unlikely, too, that she should
have told any one of her intende
visit to him and its purport. If she
had told Cyril Burne, for instance
she would have been almost sure to
tell him. Guilford Berton, that she
Lad done so.
Probably no one has seen her after
she had Left the park. In that case
almost the last person with whom,
she would have seen would have been
Cyril Burne himself.
If he could-his dark eyes began TO
iiash-if he could only contrive to
saddle Cyril Burne with the murder,
But an instant's reflection showed
him the futility of the idea. Cyril
Burne would be traced, and be able
to clear himself. and Suddenly the
idea he had been searching for flash
ed upon him.
Why should the murder be discoy
cred? Why should she not have
disappeared? Why should she no.
have gone off with Cyril Burne him.
self
The blood rose to his face. and he
raised his head and drew Ions
breath.
AS child puts into its place
picture puzzle, his acute brain set 10
work at once at fitting the incidents
OF the night into consecutive shane
to correspond with his hypothesis.
l.