The Green Forest tribune., 1915-08-20

Iner6 now looking at the spot, they say"
 A man! And yet the body I found was that of woman-that could swear
 After lunch I took the dogcart and drove alone into Dumfries.
 The police constable on duty at the town mortuary took me up a narrow alley unlocked door, and found my self in the cold, gloomy chamber of death. From small dingy window above the light fell upon an object lying upon a large slab of gray stone and covered with a soiled sheet.
 The policeman lifted the end of the i sheet, revealing to me a white, hard set face, with closed eyes and dropped i jaw. l started back as my eyes fell upon the dead countenance I was en- i tirely unprepared for such a revela- | tion. The truth staggered me.
 The victim was the man who had acted as my friend-the Italian waiter, Olinto.
 1 advanced and peered into the thin inanimate features, scarce able to real ize the actual fact But my eyes had not deceived me. Though death dis torts the facial expression of every man, had no difficulty in identifying him.
 You recognize him, sir?" remarked the officer. Who is he? Our people are very anxious to know, for up to the present moment they haven't succeed ed in establishing his identity.
 T will see your inspector" I an swered with as much calmness as could muster. Where has the poor fellow been wounded?"
 Through the heart" responded the constable, as turning the sheet farther down he showed me the small knife wound which had penetrated the vic tins jacket and vest full in the chest.
 This is the weapon" he added. talk ing from shelf close by a long, thin poniard with an ivory handle, which he handed to me.
 In an instant I recognized what it was, and how deadly It was an old tlorentine misericordia, with a hilt of yellow ivory, the most deadly and fatal of all the daggers of the middle ages. It was still blood-stained, but as l took the deadly thing in my hand I saw that it's blade was beautifully dam ascened, most elegant specimen of medieval arm. Yet surely none but an Italian would use such a weapon. or would aim so truly as to penetrate the heart. And yet the person struck down was woman and not man!
 l looked again for the last time upon the dead face of the man who had served me so well, and yet who had entlced me so nearly to my death. In the latter incident there was a deep mystery He had relented at the last moment, just in time to save me from my secret enemies.
 Could it be that my enemies were his? Had he fallen a victim by the same hand that had attempted so in geniously to kill me?
 Why had Leithcourt gone so regu- larly up to Rannoeh wood? Was it in order to meet the man who was to he entrapped and killed? What was Olinto Santini doing so far from Lon don, if he had not come expressly to meet someone in secret?
 With my own hand I recovered the face with the sheet. I accompanied the constable to the inspectors office some distance across the town.
 Having been introduced to the big. fair-haired man in rough tweed suit who was apparently directing the in- quiries into the affair, he took me eagerly into a small back room and began to question me. I was, however. wary not to commit myself to any. thing further than the identification of the body.
 'The fact is" I said confidentially. you must omit me from the witnesses at the inquest"
 'Why?' asked the detective sus. piciously
 Because if it were known that l have identified him all chance oi getting at the truth will at once van ish," l answered. T have come here to tell you in strictest confidence who the poor fellow really is"
 Then you know something of thu
 affair."" he said, with a strong High land accent.
 T know nothing" I declared. Moth
 ing except his name"
 "H'm. And you say he's a foreigne an Italian-ehT
 ! lie was in my service in Leghorl
 for several years, and on leaving m he came to London and obtained al engagement as waiter in restaurant
 His father lived in Leghorn; he wa doorkeeper at the prefecture" , But why was he here in Scotland |? How can I tell?" You know something of the affair
 l mean that you suspect somebody, Q you would have no objection to givin evidence at the inquiry" : T have no suspicious To me tn t affair is just as much of an enigm t as to you," I hastened at once to e,
 plain. My only fear is that if tn assassin knew that I had identifie