The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1911-05-08
cHAPTER "a
"oPENw


| - HAVE mentioned poison as my
| first thought. It was natural
/ one, the result undoubtedly OF
having noticed two small cordial
Glasses standing on little table over
! against tho fireplace. When was
conscious again OF my own fears
crossed to the table and peered into
these glasses. They were. not club
glasses, and they both were empty.
However, they had not been so long.
In each found traces of anisette
cordial. and. though, no bottle stood
near, was very confident that It
could readily be found somewhere in
the room. What had preceded ana
followed the drinking OF this cordlal2
Alas, there was but little more to
see! A pair of curling irons lay on
the hearth, but had no sooner lifted
them than dropped them with
shudder of uuspenkabIe loathinG, only
to start at tho noise they made IN
striStng the tiles, for It was the
selfsame noise I had heard when
listening from below These toDgs.
set up against the side OF the fire.
place. had been Jared down by the
forcIble shutting Of the large front
door, and no man other than myself
was In the house oc had been In the
house-only the two women. A stick
or two still smoldered- on the hearth
stone In the ashes lay some scat
tered fragments Oft b3peF (which
crumbIed OF my touch = On the door
in front espIed only stray hairpin-
Everything else wnS in place through
out the room except the cushions and
that horror-on the lounge, waiting the
second look l had so far refrained
from giving 1t.
That look could no longer With
hold. l must know the depth Of the
gulf over which hung. must not
wrong with a thought one who had
smiled upon me like IN angel of-liGht-
n young girl, too. with the dew of in-
nocence on her beauty to every eye but
mine and only not to mine within
shall say ten awful minutes?
would look again and perhaps discover
that my own eyes had been Mt fault;
that there were no marks on Adelaide's
throat. or, IL marks, not Just the ones
my fancy Iad painted there.
Turning, let my glance fall frst on
the feet. I had not noted them before.
and was startled to see that the arc
tics In which they were clad were hlled
all around with'snow. She had walked
then as the other was walking now
she who detested every effort and
was of such delicate mike that exer-
ton of unusual kind could not readily
be associated with her. Had she come
alone or in Cnrmel's company, and, II
in CarmeTs company. on what osten-
siblc errand IL not that of death2 Her
dress, which was OF dark wool, showed
that she had changed her garments
for this trip. had seen her at dinner,
and this was not the gown she had
worn then-the gown in which she
had confronted me during those few
intoIerable minutes when could not
meet her eyes. Nothing spoke OF the
dinner party or OF her having been
dragged here unaware, but all OF pre-
vious intent and premeditation. Surely !
hope was getting uppermost. II / had
dreamed the marks
But, no! There they were. unmistakA /
able and dnmnInG. just where the |
breath struggles up. I put my own
thumbs on these two dark spots to see |
If, when What was tia lightning |
stroke or call of fate'5which one
must answer while sense remains?
felt my head pulled around by some
unseen force from behind and met |
staring into mine through the glass Of
the window pair Of burning eyes. |
CTo be continued1.