The Tupelo journal., 1912-02-16

stick in his hand, as II trying to dis
cover how It could be put to so dead
~ q use as Mr.. Fanshaw had indi-
Gated. He seemed preoccupied by
nothing more than purely intel
lectual curiosity.
His coolness seemed to anger Mr..
Tanshaw, % 1t had formerly angered
his son. For . moment this sudden
anger Of his rendered him almost in
articulate Then:
I'VE don't want . demonstration"
came like the explosions Of quick
fre gun. And you have no need for
trying experiments. You knew how
nicely that dart. would At In the
groove that was cut for It, You
know, altogether too well. what the
stain is that discolors 1t. You know
whore we found that dart You're
only surprised that 1t was ever found
at ALT and the body Of the man 1t
slew"
Everything you say is perfectly
true" said Cayley, very quietly. Il am
surprised that the boSy Of the man was
ever recovered. I'm little surprised,
also, that you should think, because
this stick fell from my belt last night,
and this dart, which you found trans
fixing a mans throat this morning"
Tom Fanshaw interrupted him. His
eyes were blazing with excitement.
ut was not from us that you learned
that that dart transfixed the murdered
mans throat" he cried
Il knew it, nevertheless" said Cay
lev in that quiet voice, not looking to-
ward the man he answered, but still
keeping his eyes on old Mr.. Fanshaw.
and also little surprised he went
on, as If he had not been interrupted.
that you should think, because this
stick and this dart fit together. that
am, necessarily, a murderer
"You have admitted it now, at all
events" Mr. Fanshaw replied. His
voice grew quieter. too, as the in
tensity of his purpose steadied it. i
suppose that is because, upon this
'No-Man's g. Land you are outside the
pale of law and statute-beyond the
jurisdiction Of any court. tell you
this: l think we would be justified
IN giving you trial and hanging you
from that yard there. We will not do
II. We will not even take you back to
the states to prison. You may live
outlaw here and enjoy, undisturbed,
your freedom, such as it Is, and your
thoughts and your conscience, such
as they must be. But If ever you try
to return to the world Of mem"
Cayley interrupted the threat before
it was spoken: x have no wish to re-
turn to the world Of men," he said Il
wish the world were empty OF men,
as this part of 1t is. or as ! thought
1t was. abandoned mankind once be-
fore, but yesterday when l saw men
here, felt stirring OF the blood
the call of what was in my own veins.
Last night when / took to the air
again, afteg the hour ] had spynt on
that ice-foc yonder, thought / want.
ed to come back to my own kind:
wanted, in spite Of the past. to be one
of them again. Perhaps 1t is well that
should be rid of that delusion SO
quickly. ! am rid Of 1t, and l am rid
of you-bloody. sodden, stupid, blind.
yet, with all my horror of you, my,
disdain of you, should not expect ono
Of you to do murder, without some
sort Of motive. some paltry hope OF
gain, upon the body Of stranger. II
Is of that that you accuse me-"
"A stranger!" Tom Fanshaw echoed.
why, when you confess to SO much.
do you try to lie at the end? You
can't 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 q stranger to
your"
The girls wide eyes had never left
Cayley's face since the moment of her
return to the deck with the throwing
stick. Through it although Fan.
shaw's hot accusation, and his own
reply-through those last words OF
Toms, it had never changed. There
had been contempt and anger in it,
subdued by an iron self-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
bloodless, not all at once, slowly, rath-
err. And then. after a little while he
uttered a great sob not of grief, but
such sob as both the Fanshaws had
heard before, when, in battle or skir-
mish, a soft-nosed bullet smashes its
way through some great, knotted nerve
center His hands went out In con-
vulsive gesture, both the stick and
the dart which he held, falling from
them, the stick at the girls feet, the
dart at his own. Then leaning back
against the rail for support, he cover.
ed his face with his hands. At last,
while they waited silently. he drew
himself up straight and looked dazedr
ly into her face.
Suddenly, to the Amusement of tho
other two men, she crossed the deck
to where hs stood. I'm perfectly
sure. for my part, that you didn't do