Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1912-03-29
CHAPTER VIII.

Startled out of his Gargantuan
slumber by the revolver's loud report
Howard sat up with a jump and
RUBBED his eyes. On the other side
or the screen, concealed from his OBJ
servation, there was heavy crash of
body falling with a chair-then all
was quiet.
Scared, not knowing where he was
Howard jumped to his feet. For a
moment he stood STILL trying to col.
iect his senses. 1t was too dark to
discern anything plainly, but he could
dlmly make out outlines of aesthetic
furniture and bibelots. Ah. he re.
membered now! He was in Under.
woods apartment.
Rubbing his eyes, he tried to recall
how he came there, and slowly his he.
fuddled brain began to work. He re-
membered that he needed $4,000. and
that he had called on Robert Under.
wood to try and borrow the money.
Yes, he recalled that perfectly well.
Then he and Underwood got drinking
and talking, and he had fallen asleep.
he thought he had heard a woman's
Folce-a voice he knew. Perhaps that
was only dream. He must have
been asleep some time. because the
lights were out and. seemingly, every
BODY had gone to bed. He wondered
what the noise which started him
could have been. Suddenly he heard
a groan. He listened intently, but all
was STILL The silence was uncanny.
Now thoroughly frightened, How
ard cautiously groped his way about,
trying to find the electric button. He
had no idea what time it was. 1t
must be very late. What an ass he
was to drink so much! He wondered
what Annie would say when he didn't
return. He was hound to let her
sit up and worry like that. Well, this
would be lesson to hint was the
last time he'd ever touch a drop. OIL
course. he had promised her the same
thing hundred times before, but this
time he meant it. His drinking was
always getting him into some fool
scrape or other.
He was gradually working his way
along the room. when suddenly he
stumbled over something on the floor.
1t was man lying PROSTATE. Stoop-
ing. he recognized the figure.
"Why-it's Underwood" he ex-
claimed.
At first he believed his classmate
was asleep. yet considered it strange
that he should have selected so un.
comfortable place. Then it occurred
to him that he might be i'll. Shaking
him by the shoulder, he cried:
Hey, Underwood. what's the mat
ter?"
NO response came from the pros |
trate figure. Howard stopped lower,
to see better, and accidentally touch
Ing Underwood's face, found it clam.
my and wet. He held his hand up in |
the moonlight and saw that it was
covered with blood. Horror-stricken,
he cried:
my God! He's bleeding-he's
hurt!"
What had happened? An accident
or worse? Quickly he felt the mans
pulse. 1t had ceased to beat. Under.
wood was dead.
For moment Howard was too
much overcome by his discovery to
know what to think or do. What
dreadful tragedy could have hap
pened? @ Carefully cropping along the
mantelpiece, he at last found the cleo.
trio button and turned on the light.
There, stretched out on the floor. Law
Underwood, with bullet hole in his
left temple, from which blood had
flowed freely down on his full.dress
shirt. 1t was ghastly sight. The
mans white, set face, covered with
a crimson stream, made a repulsive
spectacle. On the floor near the body
was a highly polished revolver, still
Howard's first supposition was that
burglars had entered the place and
that Underwood had been killed while
defending his property. He remem.
bered now that in his drunken sleep
he had heard voices in angry alterca.
ton. Yet why hadn't he called for
assistance? Perhaps he had and he
hadn't heard him.
He looked at the clock, and was
surprised to find 1t was not yet mid.
night. He believed 1t was at least