New-York tribune., 1912-01-07

"Shc was light; but she was strong Ike
panther. II her dress bound her, ! was as
bad of in my robe. At the first grip ! Was
forced back into a bush, and -prawl,l there,
in a tanglc Oi branches and flying cloth.
Somehow. ! twisted her fingers from my
throat. We struggled ont into the moon
light again. got fair look "a, her face, and
! guess went mad with terror myself. The
next thing | remember clearly She was quiet
on the ground and was hammcring, ham,
mcring, hammcring at my WIS, with a
blood stained stone. do not know if it was
her blood or mine. Both, maybe; for my
wrist was like pulp when the iron finally
cracked open and | was free. | caught q
glimpse Of blood on her temple ! suppose !
had hit her there with the stone She looked
dead.
All | wanted was TO think-to think-to
think. How could | think with her lying
there? crcpt out Of sight OF her and kncclcd
down. Her constellation, the Virgo that she
had picked out for herself, was shining in my
ewes like cold glare. That very minute
a wisp Of cloud blew across and wiped II out,
and heard myself squcal again. was
pretty much dotty, guess.
"While | was trying TO think she came
(.
I've seen men in my sea days when they
were knocked out. She was on her feet all IN
a minute and was racing across the fields,
with the broken handcuff dangling and Jan
Cling against her knees. 1t had been an
awful night; but there was nothing else IN
il. not even the finding OF her afterwards, 50
awful as that figure running and lcaping over
the broken ground toward the cliff edge II
had tried to follow, ! never could have
kept up with her. And she was going straight
for the cliff. She dropped down into hol-
low and came up on the rise beyond. l
yelled to her to stop. Then ! held my
breath to listen for her scream when she
went over. | never heard it.
PUT this did hcar,-a mans voice, clear
- and strong and high, in shout Of horror;
then a rush OF little stones and gravel.
That was all.
There was a rise Of ground beyond me.
| ran up on it. 1t gave me clear view OF
the cliff, and | made sure TO find the man
who had cried out. Not a sight Of him,
thought So he had gone over the cliff tool
threw myself down and buried my face.
How long | crouchcd on the ground !
don't know. The dead woman's star-I
knew she was dead by that wisp Of cloud
was blottcd out; but the moon was shining
high, and by that light stumbled down the
ravine that leads to the beach. ! found her
BODY at the foot Of the cliffs; but no sign Of
any other body. So | sat and watched pa
,icntlv to see if the man who had shouted
would come to look for her Right away It
was quite clear to me what | must do, II he
did not come. Perhaps my own brain was
queer from the shock and the beating she
had given me with her manaclcd wrist; but
felt that before went away from there !
must conceal the cause Of her death, and
everything about it that could. II II was
known how She was killed, they would be
more likely 10 suspect me.
Il went back and got the rope. got an
Old grating from the high-,idc level at the
loot Of the cliff dragged the body INTO
the sea and let it soak Then ! Iashcd 1t
onto the grating, careful and sailorwsc. IT
was good imitation Of a body washed
ashore: good enough for the country rubcs,
anyhow. | figured. if no salorman took 10
looking into il too close. After ! got that
fixed. | tried 70 knock of the manacIc with
a rock, but the hammCnng against dead
flesh was too much for me. ! stripped the
,,wcIrv from her. But ! couldn't take IT..
That would have made me murderer.
There isa rock in the gully that marked.
Nobody else would ever notice il. Under
{. hid the icw,lrv. ! viii take you 90 II.