The searchlight. [volume] (Culbertson, Mont.) 1902-current, 1909-05-28

on the curious discovery made By the
men who were dragging. Ned VA
looking. IL possible, rather moro dis
sipated even than usual.
Whats all this ERE about!" he In.
quired Of q bysiander. with = some.
what unsteady wave OF his hand
towards the scene Of the operations.
The man addressed turned, stared
at Ned-with almost incredulous eyes.
and slowly backed away from him:
then recovered himself and shouted
out the news In a voice that made
every one turn--much to Neds own
amazement. whose inquiry had been
made in perfect good faith. Ned had
gone at a moments notice. for a trip
with friend on a canal boat. and had
returned quite unconscious the con-
lectures his absence had provoked in
the village. The next moment he was
more startled still. as his wife, who
had hitherto hardly dared to call her
soul her own in his. presence. rushed
up to him excitedly and cuffed him
hard on each ear. as IL TO relieve her
almost hysterical feelings.
"You ought to be ashamed Of your.
self-there!" she cried: and little
group of village folk. standing round
the bewildered Ned. severely endorsed
her expressed opinion-as though 1t
was rather grievance than otherwise
that he should have turned up again
when he was believed to be dead.
Meanwhile the inspector was exam.
lining the small revolver with the
fancifully chased handle, the sight of
which had made Stephen Ruthen turn
shade paler--the revolver from
which must have been fired the shot
that killed Philip Hume, the revolver
he had flung into the river.
Suddenly Freddy Thornton reached
out his hand. excitedly.
May ] look ut It. Inspector" he
cried; and he almost snatched 1t out
of the officers hand. He examined
1t for moment; then, Il know to
whom this revolver belongs" he ex-
claimed. 1T belongs 10 Bonholt
Hume."
do you say 1t is Bonholt Hume's,
this revolver" broke in Stephen Ru-
then. swiftly; and the note of strange
excitement In the cry that made the
tones unlike the rector's caused
Thornton to look up at him suddenly.
Stephens face was white and startled
What do you mean. Thornton?"
Just what I say. This Is Bonholt
Hume's revolver-didn't you know
he's a crack shot? He all but won
the 'Winans contest that we got UP
among members Of the club some
time ago. He showed me his revolt
yer then-this revolver; the chasing
on the butt is too uncommon for me
to be mistaken. Different chasing on
each side, too"
Stephen suddenly became aware
that Thornton was regarding him Gu.
riously, as IL puzzled at the intense
excitement that his manner betrayed.
That new startling thought which had
swept In on him with Thornton's
words had carried him for moment
beyond self-control: with an effort the
rector pulled himself together to some
semblance of outward composure,
startled as he was. This revolver that
he had taken from Olives hand had.
IL Thornton's statement were q fact.
belonged to Bonholt Hume!
And Stephen was convinced that II
was fact. This statement of own
ership threw sudden light on Bon.
holt Hume's motive for prying into
that locked drawer. confirming his
first suspicion; threw light on other
circumstances in the dark OF which
he had been cropping. He had as
sumed from the first that the revo!-
yer was Olives. But IL II were Bon.
holt Hume's. not hers. the whole as.
pect became instantly changed.
Had Olive. after all. killed Philip
Hume?
8 g.