The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1915-08-21

going home at five this morning came
upon a dead body"
Call Holden. I'd like to know all
he's heard" | said. And presently.
when the gardener emerged from the
grapehouse, l sought of him all the
particulars he had gathered.
Il don't know very much, sir" was
the mans reply. Il went into the inn
for glass of beer at eleven, as l al
ways do, and heard them talking about
it. A young man was murdered last
night up in Rannoch wood"
THE body was that of a MANI" /
asked. trying to conceal my utter be-
wilderment
"Yes-about thirty, they say. The
police have taken him to the mortuarv
at Dumfries, and the detectives are up
there now looking at the spot, they
say"
A man! And yet the body found
was that of a woman-that ] could
swear.
After lunch | 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 a 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
sheet, revealing to me a white. hard
set face, with closed eyes and dropped
jaw. / started back as my eyes fell
upon the dead countenance. was en-
tirely unprepared for such a revela-
ton. The truth staggered me.
The victim was the man who had
acted as my friend-the Italian waiter,
Olinto.
advanced and peered into the thin
inanimate features, scarce able to real
lie 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.
Il will see your inspector" / 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, TAX
ing from a shelf close by a long, thin
poniard with an ivory handle. which
he handed to me.
In an instant / recognized what it
was, and how deadly. 1t was an old
Florentine misericordia, with a hilt
of yellow ivory, the most deadly and
fatal Of all the daggers of the middle
ages. 1t was still blood-stained, but as
/ took the deadly thing in my hand |
saw that its blade was beautifully dam
ascened, most elegant specimen of a
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 a woman and not a mani
looked again for the last time upon
the dead face of the man who had
served me so we'll, and yet who had
enticed me so nearly to my death. In
the latter incident there was a deem
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 Rannoch wood? Was II 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 / recovered the
face with the sheet. l accompanied
the constable to the inspectors Office
some distance across the town.
Having been introduced to the big.
fair-haired man in a rough tweed suit
who was apparently directing the in.
quiries into the affair, he took me
| eagerly into q small hack rom and
began to question me. / was, however.
wary not to commit myself to any.
thing further than the Identification of
the body.
The fact is" said confidentially.
you must omit me from the witnesses
at the inquest"
"Why?" asked the detective sus-
! piciously.