The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1913-07-17

sesn this spear amongst Ills trc
phies7"
The man glanced at It. and then
shrank back with a shiver.
TITS the thing that killed him." he
stammered.
Exactly. But you do not answer
my question"
There may have been one like It.
but I couldn't swear to It, sir. The
colonel would never have his collec-
ton touched He OF Miss Sherr:ck
busted 'em and arranged 'em them
selves. He was always buying some
new thing"
Would Miss Sherrick known"
Very likely, SIR"
Thank you That is ALL"
Az the butler closed the door. the
sergeant stepped up to the inspector
and saluted.
Il should have noticed those collec-
tions." he said. Il have made a fool
Of myself, SIR"
"A man who can make such an ad-
mission is never a fool, Sergeant
Hales- And now kindly take me up
stairs to the coloneIs room. You
can wait here, Mr.. Phillips"
1t was close upon the half-hour be-
fore they came back to me, and had
leisure enough for considering the
problem. When Peace had walked
into my rooms at lunch time, mention
ing that he had case with possibili-
ties at Richmond, II 1 cared to come
with him, I had never expected 80
strange development Nor, l fancy,
had he.
This Colonel Bulstrode had served
many years in India Had the mystic
ries Of the east followed him home to
London suburb? The gigantic force
with which this spear had been
thrown-there was something abnor-
NAL there. something difficult to *
plain. Yet, after all, 1t might be a
simple matter. Boyne was presum-
ably a strong man, and the deadly
fury that induces murder In a law
abiding citizen is akin to madness,
giving almost a madman's strength.
was still puzzling over It when the
door opened and the little inspector
walked in.
The story of Sergeant Ha1es?"
asked him rs he exaggerating-
was the spear thrown with unusual
yiolence?"
Very unusual 1t is the crime of
giant Or"
He did not finish hts sentence, but
stood tapping the table and staring
out at the gold and green of a gum
mer sunset. At last he turned to me
with slow inclination OF the head.
"Hales is waiting" he said, "and
we must get to work The light viii
not last forever"
The sergeant led US over the lawn
to the Wilderness and through it's
paths to the wicket-gate. Showers in
the early morning had turned the
dust Of the road into grey mud
that had dried under the afternoon
sunshine. The surface was scored
into puzzle of diverging lines by
the wheels of carts and carriages,
cycles and motors. Yet Peace hunted
It over even more closely than he had
hunted the paths In the grounds. He
was particularly anxious to know the
position in which the body had lain,
and finally the sergeant got down in
the drying mud to show him.
Apparently the colonel had walked
about ten yards from the gate when
the spear struck him. He had fallen
almost In the center of the road.
which at that point was broad, with
stretches Of grass bordering It on
either side. His revolver had not
been fired, though he had been found
with 1t in his hand.
We walked on down the road, Ad-
dington Peace leading, his eyes fixed
on its surface. and the sergeant and
following behind. For myself. 1
had not the remotest idea of what he
hoped to effect by this promenade,
nor do l believe had the sergeant. We
circled the outside of the gardens, the
road finally curving to the left, and
bringing US to the entrance-gates.
Here we stopped at word from the
inspector. The little man himself
walked on, and finally dropped on his
knees close to the hedge. When he
Joined us again, 1t was with an ex-
preston of satisfaction. He beamed
through the gates at the old elm ave-
nue., that rustled sleepily in the gath
ering dusk
What a pretty place 1t is" he said.
Thank heaven that these old houses
still find owners or tenants who dare
to defy the jerry builder and all his
works Hello, and who may this be7"
He had turned to the toot of the
horn. The motor was close upon US,
for steam-car moves in silence as
to the busy hum Of petrol
driven mechine. 1t stopped, and the
chauffeur jumped down and ran to
open the gates. OF the driver we
could see nothing save peaked cap,
goggles. and long white dust coat.
CHRONICLES TO BE coNTINUED)
(4@A, 81 20 O.