The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-03-31

comfortable place. Then 1t occurred
to him that he might be ILL., 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 bIeeding-he's
hurt"
What had happened? An accident
or worse? Quickly he felt the mans
pulse It had ceased to beat. Under
wood was dead.
For moment Howard was too
much overcome by his discovery to
know what 10 think or do. What
dreadful tragedy could have hap
pened? Carefully cropping along the
mantelpiece. he at last found the clec'
trio button and turned IN the light.
There. stretched out on the floor, lay
Underwood with a bullet hole in his
left temple from which blood had
flowed freely down on his full-dress
shirt 1t was a CHASTITY sight. The
mans white. set face, covered with
crimson stream. made repulstve
spectacle. On the floor near the body
was a highly polished revolver, still
smoking.
Towards first suppOsiton was that
burglars had entered the place and
that Underwood had been killed while
defending his property. lie remem'
bered now that in his drunken sleep
he had heard voices in angry alterca.
Won. 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 II was not yet mid.
night. He believed 1t was at least
five o'clock in the morning, It was
evident that Underwood had never
gone to bed. The shooting had oc.
Cured either while the angry dispute
was going on or after the unknown
visitor had departed The barrel Of
tho revolver was still warm. showing
that 1t could only have been dis.
charged a few moments before. Sud
denly 1t flashed upon him that INDEX
wood might have committed suicide.
But It was useless to stahd there
theorizing. Something must be done.
He must alarm the hotel people or
call the police. He felt himself turn
hot and cold by turn as he realized
the serious predicaulent In which he
himself was placed. II he aroused
the hotel people they would find him
here alone with a dead man. Suspi'
Cion would at once he directed at him.
and II might he very difficult for him
to establish his innocence, Who would
believe that he could have fallen
asleep in he'd whiic man killed
himself In Tic same room? u sounded
'preposterous. The wlscst course for
him would,le to get away before any
body came. ~
Quickly he picked UP his hat. and
made for the door. Just as he was
about to lay hand on the handle there
was. the click Of a latthley. Thus
headed of, and not knowing what to
do, he halted in painful suspense.
The door opened and a man entered.
File looked as smrprtsedgto see How
ard as the latter was to&see him. File
was clean.sEaven and neatly dressed,
vet did not look the gentleman. His
appearance was rather that Of a sery.
ant. All these details flashed before.
4lGward's MUD before he blurted out:
who the devil are you""
The man looked astonIshed al the
>(To Be Continued Tomorrow
AZ. ------- "