The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-09

! might have inferred that his soul
was not In the music.
Nearer and nearer to high-watef
mark his pacing took him. Presently,
though all the time continuing his
whistling, he was scanning the tangled
debris that the highest tide Of the
year had heaped up, almost against
/ the cliffs foot. His whistffng became
slow, luguhrious. minor. 1t sagged. 1t
died away. When 1t rose again, II was
/ in march time, whereto the virtuoso
stepped brislsly toward the crowd. BY
/ this time the group had received sew
erai additions. but had suffered the
! loss of one OF its component parts,
the sheriff Conjecture was buzzing
from mouth to mouth as to the off,
4 Gals sudden detection.
/ Whatever Ii was he got from the
| pocket" Kent heard one Of the men
say 1T started him quick"
| Looked to me like an envelope"
| iazarded some one.
Mo- contradicted Sailor Smith;
paper would have been all pulped up
| by the water
Marked handkerchief, maybe"
suggested another.
Like as not said Jarvis. You
bet that Len Schlager figured 1t out
| there was somethin' in IT for him.
| anyways. I could see the money
CLEAN in his eye"
That's right. too. confirmed the
old sailor. HE looked just like that
when ne brought in that half-wit
| dollar-reward thief, last year
Trust Len Schlager to look out for
number one first, an be sheriff after
ward" observed someone else.
/ Amidst this interchange of opinion.
none of which was lost upon him. Pro-
fessor Kent advanced and bent over
! the manacied corpse.
Have to ask you to stand back,
Perfessor.s said Jarvis. LENS APP
pointed me special deputy till he comes
back, and he says nobody Is TO lay
| finger on hide ner hair of the corpse;
not even the doc. IL he comes"
Quite right" assented the other.
Sheriff Schlager exhibits commend
able zeal and discretion"
Wonder If he knowed the corpse ?"
suggested somebody in the crowd.
| TELL you who did, II he didn't"
said another man.
who, them"
| Elder Try bennett. Didn't none OF
you hear about his meetin' UP with "a
strange woman yestiddy evwrin' p
aShucks. This couldn't be that wo-
| man. said Jarvis How'd she come
to be washed ashore from wreck be-
tween last night and this morning ~
How'd she come TO be washed
ashore from wreck, anyway" count
cred Sailor Smith. The amt been
no storm for week, an this body
amt been dead twenty-four hour"
/ 'It plumb beats me-" admitted JAR
| Wis.
who lis this Dennett?s asked Pro-
fessor Kent.
| Try? He's the town CAB OF Mar
tindale Center. Does little plumb
in an tinkerin' ON the side. just
now he's up TO Cadystown. Took the
| ten o'clock train last night
i Then Ii was early when he met
| this woman?''
Little after shutdown, He was
risin' the hill beyond the Nook---tlfat,s
Sedgwick's place. the painter Teller
hen she come out OF the shru bbery--
pop He quizzd her Trust the Elder
| for that. But he didn't get much out
/ OF her, until he mentioned the Nook.
/ Then she allowed she guessed She d
go there. An he watched her go
You say man named Sedgwick
lives at the Nook. Is that Francis
sedgwiok. the artist" asked Kent.
That's him. said Sailor Smith
Paints right purity pictures. Lives
there all alone with Chinese cook. =
| .weil, the lady went down the hill"
continued Jarvis lust as Sedgwfci
| come out to smoke pipe on his stone
wall. Try thought he seemed surprised
when she bespoke him. They passed
| a few remarks, an then they had some
words, an the lady laughed loud an
| kinder scornful. He seemed to be
| pointin' at necklace of queer, fiery
/ pink stones tibet she wore, and tryin'
| to get somethin' out of her. She turn
| ed away, an he started to follow,
when. all OF sudden she grabbed UP
a rock an let him have it---bIip.
4 IL ri Gn rga go Z,
away up the road toward Hawkill
Cliffs. That's the way Try bennett
!. tells 1t. But afn't never heard of a
story losin' anythin' In the tellin' when
| 1t come through Iry's lips"
Well, this corpse ain't got no pink
!, necklace" suggested somebody
Bodies sometimes gets robbed,
| said Sailor Smith.
| Chester Kent stopped over the
/ wrlthen face, again peering close.
| Then he Strengthened up and began
pulling thoughtfuily at the lobe OF his
/ ear.
He pulled and pulled. until. an ii
| by that process, he had turned his
face toward the cliff. His lips pursed.
| He began whistling softly and tune-
lessly. His gaze was abstracted.
''Ain't seen nothin to make you
| feel bad. have you. Professor 7" In
CURED ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Jar
| Wis with some acerbity.
| Eth? What7" said Kent absently.
/ Seen anything? Nothing but what's
| there for any one to see"
! Following his fixed gaze. the others
studied the face OF the Cliff all but
| Sailor Smith. He bfinked near-slght-
/ eddy at the corpse.
| Say" said he presently, whats
them queer little marks on the neck
under the earl"
/ Back came Kents eyes. Those ?"