Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-03

She could see nothing of course-she did
not wish to see that which the chauffeur
saw when first he opened the door of his
cab-but she stood rooted to the spot,
feeling that strange. unexplainable fas-
cination which one always feels when
one Of those great life dramas Of which
one reads SO often and so indinerently
happens to be enacted within the close
range OF ones own perception.
She cleaned phrase here and there
saw the horror-stricken faces of those
who had seen, the placid, bovine express
sion OF the two gardens, more Injured to
such sights: and calmly taking notes by
the light Of the electric standard.
But to think that I drove that ras-
cally murderer in my cab. and put him
down safe and sound not ten minutes
ago.. Came with the adjunct Of loud
oath from the irate chauffeur.
How did 1t all occur?"
The gardens tried to stem the flow of
the drivers eloquence: such details should
first be given to the police. Voyons! But
what We're. two fat mOuchards against
twenty stalwart idlers all determined to
hear-and then there were the women
they were determined to know more.
Louisa bent ner ear to listen. She was
just outside the crowd-nOt a part Of it
and there was no really morbid curiosity
In her. 1t was only the call of the fnag-
nation, which is Irresistible on these oc-
casions-the prosy, matter-of-fact, high
bred girl could not, just then, tear herself
away from that cab and the tragedy
which had been enacted therein, in the
scious driver sped along, ignorant, of the
gruesome burden which he was dragging
to it's destination.
'Voiia" he was saying with many
calculations and expletives. and voliey
OF excited gestures. Outside the pare
near the theater two bourgeois hailed me,
and one of them told me to draw up at
the top of the Galerie st. Hubert, which
l did. The same One-the one who had
told me where to go-got out. clapped the
friend, who had remained inside"
What did he say?"
"Oh! couldn't hear and didn't listen
But after that he told me to drive on to
Boulevard Waterloo No. 81. and here 1
am"
You suspected nothing?'
Nothing, how should I? Two bour-
geOis get into my cab; see nothing;
hear nothing. One of them gets out and
tells me to drive on farther. How should
l think there's anything wrong?'
What was the other man like? The
one who spoke to your
MA fol! I don't know It was
raining SO fast and pitch dark just out
side the pare lights-and he did seem to
keep in the shadOw-now come to think
Of it-and his cap-he wore a cap-was
pulled well over his face-and the collar
OF his coat was up to his nose. It was
raining so. didn't really see him prop
erly. saw the other one better-the
one who has been murdered
But the rotund gardens had had enough
of this. Moreover. they would hear all
about 1t at full length presently AS for
the crowd-it had no business to know too
much.
They hustled the excited driver back on
to his box, and themselves got Into the
cab beside 1.-THE dead man, stabbed in
the neck from ear to ear-the wound
quite small, as II it had been done with
q skewer.
The gardens ordered the chauffeur to
drive to the commissariat. and Louisa
turned away with slight shiver down
her spine and her throat choked with the
horror of what she had only guessed.
Go be continued tomorrow