The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-16
"she wasn't drowned z"

Il should De very inuCH sur pfiSea
il the autopsy showed any water in
the lungs"
But the boy said that the body
was dashed to q grating, and that
there were chains on 1t. Is that
true?"
ut was dashed to grating, and
manac1ed."
"Manacled? What CHASTITY mys-
terry" ,5edgwick dropped his chin In
meditation. IF she wasn't drowned,
then she was murdered and thrown
overheard from a boat. Is that it,"
Chester Kent smiled inscrutably.
'SGpRose you let me do the question
ing a while. You can give no clue
whatsoever to the identity Of your yes
terday's visitor?"
There was the slightest possible hes
itation before the artist replied, None
at all"
IF find it difficult to believe that,
what will the villagers think of it
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 sedgwick.
was Accordingly, with the true home
bred dehcacy of our fine old New Eng
land stock, he hid behind bush aud
watched"
Did he overhear our CONVERSE
tion?.'
He was too far away. He saw
the attack on you. Now, just At to-
gether these significant bits of fact.
The body of woman, dead by vio-
& fcy . ~ A.o I, ~ Fa%.
from here. The last person, as far as
is known, to have seen her alive is
yourself. She called on you, and there
I was colloquy, apparently vehement,
+ between you, eliminating in the as
sault upon you. She hurried away.
f One might well guess that later you
followed her to her death"
/ Il did follow her." said Sedgwick
in low tone.
For what purpose %
4 ITO find out who she was"
4 Which You didn't succeed in do
ing?"
! she was too quick for me. TIE
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 saw. saw
your picture, The Rough Rider He
will tell every one about it, you may
/ be sure"
4
I The strange coincidence of the sub
/ ject and the apparent manner of the
unknowns death" E.
People will hardly suspect that !
killed her and set her adrift for q
model, I suppose" said the artist bit
terly: particularly as bennett can tell
/ them that the picture was finished be-
I fore her death"
| Not that; but there will be plenty
/ of witch hangers among the Yankee
4 populace, ready to believe that fiend
/ inspired both picture and murder in
/ your mind Why. the very fact of
! your being an artist would be prima
1 devil, TO some people. And you must
admit a certain diahoiical ghastliness
/ in that painting"
Evidently some devil of i'll fate is
miying up in my affairs. What's your
/ advice in the NATTER"
/ Tell me the truth. the whole truth.
/ and nothing but the truth" suggested
Chester Kent
/ Easily done. The question is
whether youll believe it,"
If hadn't felt pretty sure of your
/ innocence. I shouldn't have opened
! the case to you as I've done. III be-
lieve the truth If you tell 1t, and tell it
all"
Very well, ! 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 ii from hand TO hand.
| When she came near. / spoke to
| her"
You spoke to her first?'
We'll, we spoke simultaneously
why should you speak to her. IL
she " her slr1 Keatt to 4 ySgT have to
! let me tell this in my own way, If I'm
/ TO tell it at ALL"
4 so long as you do tell it. What did
I she say to you 2?
| She asked me the timer
Casually"
..p4text to open a conversation, Ii that
is what you mean.
II ut is"
Certainly it wasn't that. She SEEM
\ ed anxious to know. In fact. ! think
\ she used the word exact. the exact
/ time, she said. !"
H Presumably she was on her way
| to an appointment. then"
Il Very likely When | told her, she
seemed relieved: / might even say re-
Taxed AS If from the strain OF ner-
vous haste, you know"
h Good And then?"
"She thanked me, and asked If
were Mr. Sedgwick. l answered that
| was, and suggested that she make
good by completing the Introduction,
She wasn't a woman of your own
/ class, them"
Il Seodgwick looked puzzled We'll,
4 no. 1 thought not, then. or shouldn't
/ have been so free and easy with her.
1 For one thing, she was painted bad
Iy, and the perspiration, running down
4 her forehead. had made her sight
H Yet, | don't know: her voice was that
1 of cultivated person. Her manner
was awkward and her dress weird for
/ that time of day, and for all that, she
carried herself like a person accus-
1 toned to some degree of considera-
ton. That felt quite plainly. i