Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1911-04-27

eliminating facts against Cayley, but
he eve would speak.
"As for Cayley himself, he made no
defense whatever. He denied he did
1t, and that was all. There wasn't
any real corroborative evidence
against him, 80 the court-martial dis
missed the case as not proved. But
he wouldn't testify himself, nor have
a single witness called in his behalf,
and he resigned from the service then
and there, and disappeared, so far as
| know, from the world. l heard he
had a ranch down somewhere in New
Mexico, near Sandoval, / think the
place was"
His father saw a quick tightening in
the girls horror-stricken eyes at the
sound Of the name, which evidently,
in some way, helped ~corroborate the
story to her, but he did not question
her about it.
There was a silence after that,
while the three out there on the Au-
rora's deck looked blankly into each
others faces.
The silence was broken at last, by
none of them, but by a hail from the
shore. "Ahoy, Aurora!" cried fhe
voice. ,
Mr.. Fanshaw answered with a wave
Of his arm. That's Donovan" he
said to the others; then, yes; what
is it," he cried.
"Will you send a dinghy for me.
please?"
The boat was dispatched at once,
and while they waited, Mr.. Fanshaw
borrowed Jeanne's field-glasses for a
look at the man who had hailed them.
Hes in a hurry" said the old gentle
man. He looks If he had news of
one sort or another" They all had
felt it in the mere timber of his voice
something urgent; something omin-
Gus.
1t seemed an 'interminable while be-
fore the returning boat came along
side the foot Of the accommodation
ladder. When the newcomer appear
ed at the head Of it, his face had
plainly written on it the story Of
some tragedy.
What is it?" Jeanne asked, not
very steadily. "Oh, please don't try to
break it to me! Tell me, just as you
do the Others"
It's nothing concerning you, miss,
not especially, l mean; nothing to do
with your father" Then he turned to
Mr.. Fanshaw, Il found Mr.. Hunter,
sir"
"Dead?" The tone In which Dono-
van had spoken made the question
hardly necessary.
Eyes, sir. His body is lodged deep
down in one Of the ice assures in the
glacier. l could see it perfectly,
though I couldn't get down to it."
Tom Fanshaw covered his face with
his hands for a moment. Then he
looked up and asked, steadily: HE
slipped. / suppose?"
At the same moment his father
asked: do you think we shall be
able to o the body?"
Donovan answered this question
first.
We can try, sir, though I've not
much hope Of our succeeding"
Then, after a moments hesitation,
he turned to the son.
mo, sir, he didn't fall; at least-it
wasn't the fall that killed him. I
found this in a cleft in the ice near
by. 1t must have been driven clean
through his throat, sir"
He held out, in a shaking hand, a
long, slim ivory dart, sharp almost as
steel could be, and stained brown
with blood. HE was murdered, sir"
Donovan concluded simply.
"Give me the dart" the old gentle
man demanded. AS he examined it,
his fine old face hardened. do you
see?" he asked, holding it out to his
son. There is no notch in the end
for a bow-string, but 1t will lie very
truly in the groove Of that throwing
stick that Jeanne brought aboard the
yacht this morning"
Then he turned to the girl. I'm
afraid your visitor last night was no
vision, my dear, after all"
But the girl was looking and point
Ing skyward.