Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1915-10-22

was 50 | found him-lying Just where
he had fallen in a heap out Of the
leather chair at his desk. The top
right.hand drawer Of his desk was
open, the key in II and the rest of the
bunch still swinging A revolver Law
as it lid dropped upon the desk-!t
hal upset the ink and there were
cartri .ses lying loose ia the open
drawer, and the revolver was loaded
| swept il back into the drawer, turned
the Key and removed It with the bunch
But there was something else ON the
desk that sllNermounte truncheon
and a man 5 cap was lying on the
floor picked them both up My
ilrst instinct, | confess 1t, Was to re-
move every sign Of manslaughter aad
to leave the scene to be reconstructed
into one of accident seizure any
thing but What it was!"
He paused as If waiting tor ques
ton None was asked Toye's mouth
might have been sewn up, his eyes
We're like hatplns driven into his head
The other two simply stared
1T was mad idea but had gone
mad" continued Calalet II had hat.
ed the victim alive and it Couldn /
change me that he was dead or dying
that didn't make him a white man,
and neither did it necessarily blacken
the poor devil who had probably sui,
tered from him like the rest of us
and 6nly struck him down in self
defense 7iIle- revolver on the desk
made that pretty Jain 1t was out
OF the way but now saw blood all
over the desk as well; it was soaking
into the blotter and it knocked the
bottom out Of my idea What was to
be done? | had meddled already, how
could ! give the alarm without giving
myself away to that extent, and God
knows how much further? The most
awful moment of the lot came as
hcstatcd-the dinner gong went off in
the han outside the door! | remem.
Der watching the thing on the floor
to see II 1t would move
Then | lost my head absolutely.
turned the key in the door, to give
myself few seconds grace or start;
II reminded me OF the KEYS in my
hands one of them was one of those
little round bramah keys 1t seemed
familiar to me even after SO many
years | looked up and there was my
fathers Michael Angelo closet, with
its little round bramah keyhole.
opened ii as the outer door was
knocked at and then tried But my
mad instinct of altering every pos
slble appearance, to mislead the pc
lice, stuck to me to the last And
took the mans watch ana chain into
the closet With me, as we'll as the
cap and truncheon that | had picked
VI before
Il don't know how long | was above
ground, so to speak, but one OF my
fathers objects had been to make his
retreat sound-tight, and could scarce.
~ hear what was going on in the room
That encouraged me, and two of YOU
don't need telling how got out
through the foundations, because you
know all about the hole | made my
self as boy in the floor under the
oilcloth II took some finding with
single matches, but the fear OF your
neck gives YOU eyes in your finger
ends, and gimlets, too, by Jove. The
worst part was getting out at the
other end, into the cellars; there were
heaps OF empty bottles to move, one
by one, before there was room to open
the manhole door and to squirm out
over the lab and thought they rang
IKE a pea OF bells but | put them
all back again and apparently
nobody overheard in the scullery.
The big dog barked at me Hike
blales he did again the other day
but nobody seemed to hear him either
| got to my boat tipped a fellow on
the towing path to take it back and
pay for it why haven't the police got
hold OF hin@-and ran down to the
bridge over the Nelr | stopped big
car with a smart shaver smoking his
pipe at the wheel should have
thought he'd have come forward for
the reward that was put up; but pre-.
tended vas late for dinner had in
town. and let him drop me at the
Grand Hotel lie cost he d tiyer, but
! had on walstcuat lined with notes
and I'd more than five minutes in hand
At Charlng cross Ii you want to
know II was the time in hand that
gave me the whole idea of doubling
back to Genoa, | must have been half.
way up to town before | thought OF
it,"
tie had told the whole thing as he
always could tell an actual expert.
cnCr, that vas one reason why II rang
SO true TO one listener al every point.
But the sick mans sunken eyes had
advanced from their sockets in Cumu
latiye amalemeut And Hilton Toye
laughed shortly when the end was
reached
you figure some on our Credulity!"
Was Ills first comment
y don't figure on ANYTHING from
You, Toye except pair OF handouts
as Il first installment
Toye rose in prompt acceptance of
the challenge Seriously. Cazalet,
YOU ask us to believe that YOU did all
this to screen man you didn't have
time to recognize"
I've told You the facts"
We'll, guess You'd better tell
them to the police Toye took his
hat and stick Soruton was struggling
from his chair, Blanche stood petri
fed dove under a serpent's spell as
Toye made her a sardoniC bow from
the landing door You broke your
side Of the contract, Miss Blanche!
guess its up to me to complete
"\Iaitit