The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-24
Page OF
Interest
I he
THE SKY-MAN
BY
HENRY MITCHELL WEBSTER
Author l,eitl Samuel Mcrtcinl Of Calumet K
Copyright 1910 by The Century Company.

rience among those people, and tina, I
! know how deadly an implement IL
He made little pause there. and |
then looked UP suddenly into Cayiey"s |
face. '>And ] imagine" he continued |
very slowly, tthat you know that as
wei AS ] do
Cayley made no answer at all, but
II MIR. Fanshaw hoped 10 find, with
those shrewd eyes OF his, any LOOK
uf guilt or CONSERVATION in the pale
face that confronted him, he was dis
appointed.
Suddenly he turned to his son,
Where Is that thing that Donovan
brought aboard with him just now"
he asked.
The biood-stained dart lay on the
deck beside Toms chair. lie picked
1t up and held IT out toward his ia
thcr, hut the elder man, with a ges
ture. indicated to Cayfey that he was
to take 1t in his hand; then, Jeanne.
my dear" he asked. will you fetch
out from the cabin the stick which
dropped from MIR. Cayley's belt last
nightY'
When she had departed on the err
rand, he spoke to Cayley, You wiB
observe that the butt of this dart is
not notched, as ii would have To be
II ii were shot from bow
He did not look at Cayiey's face as
he spoke, but at his hands. Could IL
be possible. he wondered, that those
hands could hold the thing with that
sinister brown stain upon 1.-THE stain
of Perry Hunters blood without
trembling? They We're steady enough.
though, SO far as he could see,
When Jeanne came out with the
stick, he handed that to Cayiey also.
You will notice" he said that the
dart and the groove in this stick were
evidently made for each other. Mr..
Cayley.'
The pupils OF Jeanne's eyes dilated
as she watched the accused him MT
them together, and then balance the
stick in his hand. as if trying to dis
cover how it could he put to so deadly
use as Mr.. Fanshaw had Indicated.
He seemed preoccupied by nothing
more than purely intellectual Curl
osity.
His GOODNESS seemed to anger Mr.
Fanshaw, as it had formerly angered
hts son For a moment this sudden
anger Of his rendered him almost in
artienlate. Then;
Il
came like the explosions of quick
fire gun ''And you have no need TOR
trying experiments You knew how
nicely that dart would tit In the groove
that was cut for it, You know, alto
gether too we'll. what the stain is that
discoIors IT, You know where We
found that dart You're only sur
prised that 1t was ever found at all
/ 1t and the body 81 the man 1t Slew"
Everything you say is perfectly
true" said Cayley, very quietly. n
am surprised that the body of that
man was ever recovered I'm little
surprised, also, that you should think.
because this stick fell from my belt
last night. and this dart, which you
found transtiXlng a mans throat this
morning
Tom Eanshaw interrupted him, His
eye swere blazing with excitement. 1T
was not from us that you learned that
that dart transfixed the murdered
mans throat" he cried.
II knew 1t. nevertheless" said Cay
ley in that quiet voice. not looking to-
ward the man he answered. but stu
keeping his eyes on Old Mr.. FanshaW.
And also u little surprised" he went
| on AS il he had not been interrupted,
that you should think, because this
stick and this dart fit together, that
i am. necessarily, Il murderer"
| You have admitted IT now, at all
events" Mr.. Fanshaw replied. His
voice grew quieter too. Az the inten-
sity of his purpose steadied it. Il
suppose that is because. upon this No
4 Man's-L Land, you are outside the pale
of law and statute--beyond the juris-
dietion of any court. | tell you this:
| ] think we would be justified IL giving
! you trial and hanging you from that
/ yard there. We will not do II. We
viii not even. take you back to the
| States To prison. You may live outlaw
| here and enjoy, undisturbed. your
| freedom, such as 1t Is. and your
/ thoughts and your conscience. such as
/ they must be. But IL ever you try to
return To the world of men
4 Cavley interrupted the threat before
| 1t was spoken: Il have no wish to re-
turn to the world OF men, he said.
/ II wish the world were empty OF
men, as this part of 1t is, or as I
/ thought IL was. | abandoned mankind
once before but yesterday when ] saw
men here, felt stirring OF the blood
the call OF what was In my own
veins Last night when l took to the
air again, after the hour / had spent
| on that ice-fioe yonder, I thought |
wanted 10 come back to my own kind.
wanted, in spite of the past, 10 be one
of them again. Perhaps 1t is well
] that ! should be rid of that delusion
so quickly. ! am rid of 1t, and ! am
rid of you--bloedy, sodden, stupid,
/ blind,
| ITO be Continued)