Willmar tribune., 1908-10-28

case as I saw it.
'Ten years ago was serving as an
inferno in Bellevue. In this capacity I
met DR.. John r. Ranthan. He inter-
ested me at once: first because of his
immense stature-he was six feet five
and modelled in proportion-andn next,
for the reason that he was pursuing
special work along lines that interested
me-phenomena of the mind and
senses. "
"We could not agree, however. He
was theorist, while he called me a
gross materialist.'
"'When you have seen the things
that l have seen,' he often roared out
to me in his thunderous voice, you
will believe. have seen an Indian
yogi take tibia and materialize the
complete body, raiment and all. What
do you think of that?' bringing his
ponderous fist down on the table until
the windows ratified. "
"'What would you say if you saw
me materialize from this skull the body
of her whose face forms the handle
what would you say to that? Hal"
"I should like to see that I an
swered.
"'Ah, but you should have seen her
in the flesh, he resumed meditative-
ly. God! but she was beautiful! l
found her in the mission at Mus
soorie, but she was not born for the
hymn-singing trade. Her father was
French, her mother a mountain maid
of Gurhwal, and she had been up to
Simla once and seen life. When I told
her of the great world beyond, where
the shadows of the Himalayas fell not,
her bosom heaved and her eyes
flashed like those of the she-tiger
that had taken that year a toll of a
hundred lives in the foothills. She
left the mission and the half-caste
Hindu who had dared lift his eyes
toward her glorious self and came
with me-"
"'And them l asked" continued
Clarke.
"'And then she died. For two short
months l showed her in the Calcutta
bazaars. Paris, London, New York,
were denied the light"
"A few days later I bolted into RAN
than's apartments after a book he had
promised me. l haG not been accus-
toned to knock, and as l opened the
door I heard the unmistakable swish
of skirts, and Ranthan stood before
me confused and sheepish. I missed
the silver skull from the table.
Pardon me, you are not alone,' I
said.
"'No-yes-that is, l am alone, of
course. The book is in that room,
Just step right in.'"
"The next night l was calling on
DR.. Cartwright, whose rooms were d.
rectly below Ranthan's. l had seen
Ranthan 60 up alone; in fact 1 had
walked over from the hospital with
him. Soon We heard footsteps over
head, the heavy elephantine tread of
Ranthan, and then the light patter of
IA gentler foot. Through a faulty regis
ter we heard, also, Ranthan's stem
torious voice alternated with a sweet
contralto. The conversation was in an
unfamiliar tongue, but one abounding
in beautiful intonations.
"'Come over at once he said.
Something's wrong with Ranthan. I
heard the crash of falling body
overhead. l can't raise him. Both
his doors are locked
"'Suicide,' was the verdict of the
police.
But Cartwright and I both knew
that Ranthan's hand never struck the
blow that sank IL inches of blade and
three inches of hilt into his own heart
just at the left armpit. A left-handed
blow was out of the question. A right
handed blow at that point would lack
the force.
Read it Sexton, page 401 of the
scrap book:
For the benefit of science, I, John
r. Ranthan, hereby declare, that if
am slain, it will be by the hand of
Ynath, half-caste maid of Gurhwal,
whose body have repeatedly material
lied in the flesh from relics in my
possession. have sworn not to write
the secret. Let him who would learn
it seek out one Yangmal, a hermit
yogi, whose cave lies in the foothills
of the Himalayas, in the Province of
Sikhim, ten leagues north of the tenn
pie of Darjeeling. l have spoken"
'Then We can save the state of ILL.,
nois something by returning him to
New York." said Inspector Ship, who
had arrived in time to hear, with star
ing, incredulous eyes the most of
Clarke's story.
mot until / have made an expert.
ment," said Clarke. "Achmon, you
say you have the secret. Prove it,
and the skull is yours"