, 1911-02-23

Tom spoke before his 1atner cduiu
~.uswer-spoke with a short, ugly
laugh. You weren't invited. You
rere, as the police say. wanted"
BE quiet. Toni" his father com
handed. That's not the way to talk
to anybody"
Cayley's lips framed a faint, satir.
,cal smile; and again he bowed slow.
" But he said nothing, and stood
waiting for the old gentleman to
90 on.
This Mr.. F%anshaw seemed to find 1t
rather difficult to do. At last, how
ever, he appeared to find the words
he wanted. When Miss Fielding gave
us an account, this morning. OF the
strange visitor she had received last
night. we were-I was. at least-in.
clined to think she had been dream
Ing 1t without knowing 1t. To con-
vince mt that you we're real and not
q vision, she showed me a material
and highly interesting souvenir Of
your call. 1t was an Eskimo throwing
stick, Mr.. Cayley. such as the Alaskan
and Siberian Indians use to throw
darts and harpoons with. 1t happens
that I've had a good lea of exper-
fence among those people, and that /
know how deadly an implement it is"
He made a little pause there, and
then looked up suddenly into Cayley's
face. And I imagine" he continued
very slowly. that you know that as
we'll as ] do"
Cayley made no answer at all. but
II Mr.. Fanshaw hoped to find with
those shrewd eyes of his. any look
Of guilt or CONSERVATION in the pale
face that confronted him, be was dis.
appointed.
Suddenly, he turned to his son:
Where is that thing hat Donovan
brought aboard with him just now?"
be asked.
The blood-stained dart lay on the
deck beside Toms chair. He picked
1t up and held 1t out toward his ia
Their. but the elder man, with a ges-
ture. indicated to Cayley 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 MI. Cayley's belt last
night?"
When she had departed on the er.
rand, he spoke to Cayley: You will
observe that the butt OF this dart is
not notched, as it would have to be II
1t were shot from a bow"
He did not look / Cayley's face as
he spoke. but at his hands. Could it
be possible. he wondered. hat those
hands could hold the thing with that
sinister brown stain upon 1.-THE stain
of Perry Hunters blood-without
trembling? They were steady enough.
though, SO far as he could see.
When Jeanne came out with the
stick, he handed that to Cayley also.
You will notice." he said, that that
dart and the groove in this stick e
evidently made for each other. Mr.,
Cayley."
The pupils of Jeanne's ayes dilated
as she watched the accused man At
them together, and then balance the
stick in his hand. as If trying to dis
cover how it could be put to SO dead
ly a q as Mr.. Fanshaw had indi-
Gated. He seemed ~preoccupied by
more than a purely intel.
curiosity.
His GOODNESS seemed to anger Mr..
Fanshaw. as it had formerly angered
son. For a mopent this sudden
of his rendered him almost in
Then:
We cont want a demonstration"
came like the explosions of a quick
fire gun. And you have no need for
trying experiments. You knew how
nicely that dart would fit in the
groove that was cut for 1t. You
know. altogether too we'll. what the
stain is that discolors 1t. You Know
where we found hat dart. You're
only surprised that 1t was ever found
at all-it and the body of the man 1t
Everything you say is perfectly
said Cayley. very quietly. Il am
surprised that the body Of the man was
recovered. I'm a little surprised,
also. that you should think. because
this stick fell from my belt last night.
and this dart, which you found trans
hIing a mans throat this morning
Tom Fanshaw interrupted him. His
were blazing with excitement.
1t was not from us that you learned
that that dart transfxed the murdered
mans throat" he cried.
Il knew it, nevertheless" said Cay
ley in that quiet voice. not looking to-
ward the man he answered. but still
keeping his eyes IN old Mr.. Fanshaw.
And also a little surprised" he went
On, as II he had not been interrupted,
that you should think, this
stick and this dart At together, that
necessarily, a murderer"
You have admitted 1t now, at all
events" Mr. Fanshaw replied. His
voice grew quieter, too. as the in
tensity of his purpose steadied it. Il
suppose that 10 because, upon this
No-Man's-Land,' you are outside the
pale of law and statute-beyond the