The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1911-04-20

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svssy vsy - eoavsy tie inDrsssiso
q AsviAS eoos more rsesatly froo
tAs eivilissl. Aabitabls postioa of ths
world tAaa his eooDaaioas. He cor.
ris1 . rils slsng By . straD ever -
shoulder. evidently forssssiag - ~
mediate uss Tor II. aAA . 1Ask
Cayisy vas too far aloft ~ tAsae
eoaveesahoa 70 ~ aulible = hin, bot
- eealA hsas that thsy vsrs talking.
Tho leatAse-s1AA 0Aa aDDeasol 70 -
loinG tAs Dsst q II. end. hon ~
inAsst3ea q his vsles. b sssos1 -
- speaking b EAGiisA.
Prseeatly - noticed tAat the IsatA-
se-elsA nan had forged . little aAsaA
of hi eoopaAioas. or. 1tAsr-liks .
1asA. this i1sa occurred 70 Cayisy-
tAae he otAsss vsre purpossly les.
giAg Q littls bshinA-
Ana then. before that staistse tdss
could formulate ITSELF late Q lsanits
suspicion, his eyes vidsasl With
amaxsmsat and the cry hs would
have uttered died In Ais throat: for
this man. Who had % innocently a.
lowed the others to fall behind him.
suddenly staggered. elutchsd at some.
thins-it locked like . thin ivory dart
that haA transAxsd his throat.
tuggel II out in Q sudden Nood oe
crimson. reslsd . little and thea went
backwards over the CLASSY edge of .
assurs in the 10. which lAy Just y
the lsft ef The patA whsrs he had
bsea Walking.
From the instant whsa Caylsy had
noticed the othsrs dropping behind. to
the last glimpse he had Of the body
Of the murdered man could hardly
have been I've seconds.
The instant the murdered man dis
appeared. another. who had not prsvi.
ously been with the party. 1t seemed.
appeared from behind . hummock of
ice. There could be no doubt either
that hs was the assassin. or that he
was the commander Of the little group
of skin-clad figures that remained.
The ambush appeared to have been
perfectly deliberate. There had been
no outcry. not even q gesture Of sur
prise or Of remonstrance.
Cayley looked at the assassin curl
ously. He was dressed exactly like
the others. but seemed very much
bigger: seemed to walk with less Of
SLOUGH, and had, even to Cayley's
limited view of him. an air Of authori-
ty. Cayley was surprised at his not
being armed with a bow, for he knew
Of no other way In which dart could
have been propelled with power
enough. even At close range. to have
transfixed . mans throat. The assas
sins only weapon. except for . CULVER
full of extra darts. seemed to be a
short blunt stick. rudely whitfield.
perhaps ten inches long.
Obedient. apparently, to the order
Of the new arrival. the party changed
its direction, leaving what was evi-
IDENTIFY = wsll-known path TO them. for
4 seemingly more direct but rougher
route. And they moved now with IN
appearance of haste. Presently they
scrambled over . precipitous ledge of
ice and, in 4 moment, were lost to
Cayley's view.
The world was suddenly empty
again, as II no living foot had ever
trodden 1t: and Cayley, lowering
there. a little above the level Of the
ice, rubbed his eyes and wondered
whether the singular. silent tragedy
he had Just witnessed were real. or
trick the mysterious arctic light had
played upon his tired eyes. But there
remained upon that vacant scene two
material reminders Of the tragedy to
which 1t had afforded = setting One
was smudge Of crimson on the snow;
the other, a little distance OF. Just
this side Of the icy ridge over which
the last Of the party had gone scram.
bling a moment before. was the
strange looking blunt stick which he
had seen in the assassins hand.
Cayley few 4 little lower. his wings
almost skimming the ice. Finally.
reaching the spot where the thing had
fallen. he alighted and picked 1t up.
Whether its possessor had valued 1t.
or not. whether or not he might be
expected to return for it. Cayley did
not know, and did not much care.
He stood for some time turning the
thing over in his hands, puzzling over
It, trying to make out how 1t could
have been used as the instrument of
propulsion to that deadly ivory dart.
There was a groove on one side Of it,
with = small ivory plug at the end.
The other end was curiously shaped.
misshapen, rather, for. though 1t was
obviously the end one held. 'Cayley
could not make 1t ht his hand. what
ever position he held 1t in.
Giving up the problem at fast. Re
tucked the stick into his belt. slipped