The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-26

yet, with all my horror Of you. my
disdain OF YOU. should not expeo,
one Of you to do murder. without
some sort Of motive. some paltry hope
Of gain, upon the bbdv of stranger
1t is OF that that You &ecuse me
"A stranger" Tom Fanshaw achoed
'fWhy. when you confess To 50 much.
do you try IL lie at the end You
cant think We don't know that the
man you murdered was once your
friend--or thought he was. God help
him. Why try to make us believe
that Perry Hunter was a stranger 20
you?t
The girls wide open eyes had never
left Gayleys face since the moment
of her return to the deck with the
throwing stick Through II a IL
through Tanshaw's hot accusation,
ard his own reply-through those
last words OF Tom s. il had never
changed There had been contempt
and anger in il, subdued by an iron
seif-control, no other emotions than
those two until the very end Until
the mention OF that name Perry
Hunter
But at the sound of that name
just then, the girl saw his face go
0fBoattHS. Itk dit az Oiittt SiVN4f4 Ia
thcr. And then atter-a little while
he uttered great sob, not of grief,
but such sob as both the Fanshsws
! had heard before. when, in battle or
skirmish, a soft-nosed bullet smashes
its way through some great, knotted
nerve centre. His hands went out
in a convulsive gesture. both the stick
and the dart which he held, falling
from them, the stick at the girls
feet, the dart al his own. Then lean
ing back against the rail- for support.
he covered his face with his hands.
At last, while they waited silently. he
drew himself up straight and looked
dHzedly into her face
suddenly, To the amazement OF the
ether two men, she crossed the deck
TO where he stood. I'm perfectly
sure. for my part, that you didn't
do it: that you are not the murderer
OF MIR. Hunter. Won't you shake
hands"
He made no move to take hers, and
though his eyes were turned upon ner,
he seemed to he looking through. ra-
Their than at her, SO intense was his
preoccupation,
Seeing that this was So she laid her
hand upon his forearm. You didn't
do H." she repeated, but you know
something about 1t, don't you" You
saw ii done. from a long way ofr--saw
the murder. without knowing VINO ITS
victim was
Il might have saved him." he muir
INJURED brukenly. If / had not hung
aioft there too long, just out OF curt
osity: IL they had been men TO me
instead Of puppets. But when | guess
ed what their intent was. guessed that
II was something sinister. 1t was dome
before could interfere. ! saw him
going backwards over the brink or a
assure In the Ice, tugging at a dart
that was in his throat And when
they had gone--hs murderer
They" she cried Was there more
than one p
Yes" he said. there was party,
There must have been ten or twelve
at least. When they had gone | fte -
down and picked up that stick. when
one of them had dropped, And TO
think | might have saved him.
Her hand still rested on his arm
"im glad YOU told me" she said, She
felt the arm stlffen suddenly at the
sound Of Tom Fanshaw's voice
Jeanne, take your hand away. Can
you touch a man like that? Can you
believe the Hes but there. with
peremptory gesture, his father silenc-
Ell him
lsHI even ne SAEiaIuiGu AT the girl
next action. for she stopped, picked
up the blood stained dart which lay
at Philip Cayleys feet. and handed II
10 him. Throw 1t away, please, -
she said. overheard. and as far as
you can
Even before the other men cried our
at his doing the thing she had asked
him to. he hesitated and loked at her
IN some surprise.
DO It, please she commanded. Il
ask II seriously"
Tom Fanshaw started.->opt of his
chair: then as an intolerable twinse
from his ankle stopped him, he drop.
ped back again. Hts father moved
quickly forward. too, but checked him
self. the surprise in his face giving
way to curiosity, As a general thing.
Jeanne Fielding knew what she was
about
There was one more surprise IN
store for the two Faushaws. When
Cayley, without a glance toward either
of them. walked out on the upper
landing Of the accommodation ladder,
thee girl accompanied him, and. side
by side with him, descended the little
stairway, at whose foot the dinghy
waited.
You are still determined on that
resolution Of yours, are YOU. to aban-
don us an for the second time--all
mankind. | mean? This later accu-
satfon against YOU was SO easily dts
proved"
~Disproved?" he questioned. That