The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-26
THE SKY-MAN
BY
HENRY KITCHELL WEBSTER
Author t,cith Somgel Mer,ein) Of Calumet "K''
Copyright 1910 by The Century Company

beautiful faith Of yours can't be called
proof"
II me ant Just what said-disprov-
ed They shall admit 1t when / go
back on deck Won't won't you
give US chance to disbelieve the oid
story, too"
II can never explain that now he
said; can never lay that phantom.
never in the world
Il am sorry" she said. holding Out
her hand to him. Il wish you'd give
us chance Good bye"
This time he took the hand. bowed
over it and pressed it lightly to his
lips. Then. without any other fare
well than that, he dropped down TO
the dinghy and was rowed back to
the toe--back to his wings
When she returned TO tho deck she
found that Mr.. Fanshaw had gone
around to the other side Of 1t to see
the sky-man take to the air,
But Tom sat rigid, where he was
For the first time that she could re-
member. ne was regarding her with
open anger Il knew" he said. that
you never liked Hunter. though /
never could see why YOU should dis
like him, and II didn't take two mihs
utes to see that this man Galley with
his wings and his romance had fasci-
mated you. But in spite of that,
thought you had a better sense OF
justice than you showed Just now"
She flushed a little. My sense of
Justice seems to he better than yours
this morning. Tom" she answered
quietly Then she unslung her hinoc-
ulars again. and, turning her back
upon him. gazed out shoreward.
cd "a
shore party" she remarked, as if by
way of disseminating the quarrel IF
there are ten or twelve men living
there, in hiding from us, willing to
do unproyoked murder. when they
can with impunity--"
so you believed that part of the
story. too, did you >" Tom interrupted.
She did not answer his question at
all, but turned her attention shore
ward again.
moment later she closed her BIZ
noculars with a snap. and walked
around to the other side of the deck,
where Mr. Fanshaw, leaning his ell
bows on the rail. was looking out
across the ice-fioe.
Well" he asked briskly, as she
came up and laid an affeetionate arm
across his shoulder. II suppose you've
been telling Tom why you did it
why you made Cayley throw that dart
away, ! mean; but you'll have to tell
me. too. / can't figure it out You
had something in mind. I'm sure"
II haven't been telling Tom" she
said. He doesn't seem in a very
reasonable mood this morning. But
! did have something in mind. /
was proving that Mr. Cayley couldn't
possibly be the man who had com
mitted the murder"
II suspected II was that" he said.
It's the stick that proves 1t. real
ly,' she said You remember how
puzzled you were because the end of
IL which you held 1t by wouldn't TT
your hand? l discovered why that
was when you sent pe in to get 1t
a short while ago Its a left handed
stick. 1t Ats the palm of your left
hand perfectly. Youll find that that
Is so when you try 1t. And Mr. Cay
ley is right-handed"
The old man nodded rather dubi-
ously "Cayley may be ambidex-
trous. for anything YOU know" he
objected.
She had her rejoinder ready. But
this stick. Uncle Jerry. dear, was
made for man who couldn't throw
with his right hand, and Mr.. Cayley
can. He did IL perfectly easily. and
without suspectlng at all why | want
cd him to. Don't you see? Isn't II
clear"
Its quite clear that the brains OF
this expedition are in that pretty head
of yours, he said. Yes. | think
you're right" Then. after pause,
he added, with an enigmatical look
at her: Don't be too hard on Tom,
my dear. because YOU see the circum-
stances are hard enough on him
already"
She made little gesture of impa-
thence. They're not half as hard on
him as they are on Mr.. Cayley.G
"oh. / don't know" the old gem
tleman answered. Take it by and
large should say that Cayley was
playing in luck"