Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-04-08
A NOVELTY IN MYSTERY STORIES
B G%E SE&SE d6 ST
SAMUEL HOPKINS ADAMS
AUTHOR OF AVERAGE JONES ETC

Ing a while. You can give no clue
whatsoever to the identity of your yes.
terday's visitor?"
There was the slightest possible
hesitation before the artist replied,
"None at ALL"
III I find 1t difficult to believe that
what will the villagers think OF 1t
when Elder bennett returns from
Cadystown and tells his story, as he
is sure to do?"
Does bennett know the woman?"
mo; but It isn't his fault that he
doesn't He did his best In the inter-
viewing line when he met her on her
way to your place"
"She wasn't on her way to my
place." objected Sedgwfck.
bennett got the notion that she
was. Accordingly. with the true home
bred delicacy Of our fine old New Eng
land stock, he hid behind bush and
watched"
did he overhear our conversation ?"
"He was too far away. He saw the
attack on you. Now, just tit together
these significant bits Of fact. The
body of woman, dead by violence,
is found on the beach not far from
here. The last person, as far as Is
known, to have seen her alive Is your
self. She called on you, and there was
q colloquy, apparently vehement, be-
tween you, eliminating in the assault
upon you. She hurried away. One
might we'll guess that later you fol-
lowed her to her death"
Il did follow her." said Sedgwick in
a low tone.
"For what purpose?"
"To find out who she was"
(Which you didn't succeed in 10
ing7"
"she was too quick for me. The
blow of the rock had made me giddy,
and she got away among the thickets"
That's a pity. One more point Of
suspicion. bennett, you say. saw your
picture, The Rough Rider. He will tell
every one about 1t, you may be sure"
What OF IT,"
1.-THE strange coincidence of the
subject, and the apparent manner Of
the unknown's death"
people will hardly suspect that I
killed her and set her adrift for a
model, 1 suppose" said the artist bit
terly; particularly as bennett can
tell them that the picture was finished
before her DEATH
"Not that; but there will be plenty
Of witchhangers among the Yankee
populace, ready to believe that a fiend
| inspired both picture and murder In
your mind. Why, the very fact Of your
being an artist would be prima facie
evidence Of a compact with the devil.
to some people. And you must admit
certain diabolical ghastliness in the
painting"
Evidently some devil Of i'll fate is
mixing up in my affairs. What's your
advice In the natter"
''Tell me the truth, the whole truth.
and nothing but the truth" sus. ted
Chester Kent.
Easily done. The question is
whether you'll believe it,"
IF l hadn't felt pretty sure of your
innocence, shouldn't have opened the
case to you as I've done. I'll believe
the truth II you tell it, and tell 1t all"
Every we'll. was sitting on my wall
when the woman came down the
road. noticed her first when she
stopped to look back, and her absurd
elegance of dress, expensive and i'll
fitting, attracted my closer attention.
She was carrying a bundle, wrapped
in strong paper. 1t seemed to be heavy,
for she shifted it from hand to hand.
When she came near, | spoke to
her"
"You spoke to her first?"
"Well, we spoke simultaneously"
"Why should you speak to her, II
she was stranger to you?"
see here, Kent. You'll have to let
me tell this in my own way, If I'm to
tell it at ALL"
80 long as you do tell it. What did
she say to you?" r.
"She asked me the timer"
Casually" ~
mot as If she were making it a
pretext to open a conversation, II that
is what you mean
1T is" -.
Certainly it wasn't that. She
seemed anxious to know. In fact.
think she used the word exact; the
exact time she said"
Presumably she was on her way to
an appointment, then"
Every likely. When told her, she
seemed relieved; might even say re.
Taxed. AS If from the strain Of nerv-
GUS haste, you know"
Good. And then?'
"She thanked me, and asked II
were Mr. Sedgwick. I answered that
I was and suggested that she make
good by completing the Introduction"
j"She wasn't woman of your own
class, them?
Sedgwick looked puzzled. "Well. no.
I thought not. then, or shouldn't
have been SO free and easy with her.
For one thing, she was painted badly,
and the perspiration, running down
her forehead, had made her sight.
Yet, I don't know: her voice was that
of cultivated person. Her manner
was awkward and her dress weird for
that time Of day, and, for all that, she
carried herself Hike person ac-
customed to some degree Of considera-
ton. That felt quite plainly. felt,
too, something uncanny about her. Her
eyes alone would have produced that
impression. They were peculiarly rest
less and brilliant"
"Insane?" questioned Kent.
"Not wholly sane. certainly; but it
MIGHT have been drugs That sup-