The Washington times., 1908-08-23
A Ready-made Grave.

"a bfeA-7 ttrtHs
- -
A Ready-mnde Grave.
But the action meant that tae.
were his. Ills. NOT TO be shlfed wish
any one; his, and only his ia al me
world; his at the price of nan
me- lie would have time fuuusa anu
20 spare later. wherein 10 make close
Inspection of them; at pres at
had more pressing needs.
IA the very mOmen wueu De ..ts
compelled by the devil OF iaurder win
IN him 10 dash tine lie Ju, %. nls
comrade with one blow OF tire heavy
stone, Holiins had seen something ia
one OF those ~are illuminaJous waic,l
only come at the great crises of lite
iie was killing Lloyd at the very edzs
what would be Lloyds crave
ne assure across which the ycunser
.rJeT lay and from which lie W.s
wing cut the heather and gr.scke,,
long enough and wide enough 10
"r ~ his body, and its depth az
AIRED 10 be considerable. Within II
rollins meant 10 lay his victim
lie stood straddle-iegged acroas il
looking down into its cool leps..s
Ferns grew out of it's sides here al
mere; ne caught sight OF a lizard tHaf
anne creeping out OF crevico asd
-aWled away on its belly along "a ma
.3" ledge. II seemed very deem ana
cry quiet.
lie picked up a pebble near lis fat
and dropped it plumb into ain. -.
beneath him. II seemed To be so,,s
time before he heard IL fan v-itl, :
faint trickling sound. on whafe,.eT-
ID was that formed the floor Of 49,.
'errahean cavern into wh!ch u4c
assure opened.
Holiins could not conceive that any
human eye could penetrate into those
"epthS' mat any human hand would
ever open out the crown OF the noun
'ain- The dead man, IN his opinion
might sleep there undisturbed unfu
ne last trump echoed across the desc
lated mooriands
HIS eye selected the best 5laos
wherein 10 drop the body. He bent
oo"n. seized Lloyd under the armufts
ana hah twisting himself round. ain
ped his head and shoulders over tbs
opening. Then he transferre6 btv
grasp TO the dead mans ankles ans
suddenly lifting the legs, he shot MIN
mead foremost into the assure Al its
widest part, stsadying the fan until
ie could reach no further.
suddenly he released his grasp. The
'ody, gaining momentum. slid forward
'eneath the frond OF fern, and disap-
cared in the blackness far beneath
Hollins got down On his hands ana
knees and looked carefully into the
hssurs. He examined It from ever
possible point Of view, endsavorina 10
decide IL IL were by any means likely
mat ssarchers could see anything Of
The dead man.
lie erspt all round IL. looking
5iraight down into II. looking into A.
rom slant and corners: he set fire 20
bundle OF dry heathe. and. using n
as a torch. held It down into the rs
sure as far as he could. Even thai
did not satisfy him. He made a sec
ond torch, attached the line OF string
to II. set the torch on blaze ana low
cred IL down TO the full length OF the
line But he saw nothing IN the
depths below and he let the line sTp
from his nngsrs as g useless thing
He rose from his hands and knees
and looked round him. Two traces OF
his crime met bis anxiously searching
eyes. Leaning against a rock in com
pany with his own was Lloyd'a rife.
lie walked over, seized il and dropped
it into the assure after the body. tax
ing the same prscaution that It could
not be seen from above. Then he
turned and looked at the other evil
dence Of violence, and his face puck
cred into a frown.
That, he was saving to himself
somewhere far back IN his inner self.
could not be allowed 10 remain. Blood
and bits OF bone and bits OF brain
found where such matters were not
likely to be found in the ordinary
course Of events. would lead 10 an in
yestigation which might have IN
pleasant results. And there they were.
plentifully evident on the nat stone
against which Lloyd's life had been
crushed out and on the stone which
had crushed Il out. and on the edge OF
the grave into which his body had
been dropped.
Hollins looked at them with a Gu
rious disgust-his old soldier instinct
was all for cleanliness and order. and
he cursed Lloyd for making such q
mess of things. But since Lloyd was
dead and could not make the place
tidy there was naught for II but that
he must make il tidy himself.