The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1915-12-16
CHAPTER VII.
THE TRAGEDY.

Ine wall was masked on the otleT
side by a tense growth of shrubbery,
and struggling through this, 1 found
myself on the gravelled path where L
had seen Marjorie Vaughan. Before
me, along this path, sped d shadow
which l knew to be Godfrey, and l
followed at top speed. At the end or a
moment ! caught a fash OF light
among the treet, and knew that we
were nearing the house; but l saw no
sign of Swan.
We came TO the stretch of open lawn,
crossed it, .and, guided by the light,
found ourselves at the end of a short
avenue OF trees. AT the other end, d
stream of light poured from an open
door, and against That light a running
figure was silhouetted. Even as ! saw
it, it bounded through the open door
and vanished.
It's Swami" gasped Godfrey. and
then we, too, We're at mat open uoor.
For an instant, l thought The room
was empty. Zen. nom behind the
table in the centre, Il denoniac, blood
stained figure rose into view, huldinS
in it's arms u white robed woman. with
a sort of nervous shock. saw That toe
man was Swain, n the woman Mar.
jorie Vaughan. y thrill OF fear gan
through me as | saw nov her lead lei
backwards against her shoulder, how
her arms hung limp.
Without so much as a glance in
our direction. he laid ner ge!i!.y on =
couch, fell to his knees bea-Ge II. aad
began to ch&fc her WRISTS.
1t was Godfrey who mustered himself
first, and who stepped tCr#ard 10
SWANS side.
rs she dead?" he asked.
Swain Shook his head impatiently.
without looking up.
How is size hurt?' Godfrey persist
ed, bending closer above TIE un~on-
scious girl.
Swain shot him one red glance.
shes not hurt" he said, hoalseiy.
"She has fainted-that's all. Go away"
But Cooley did not go away. Alter
one burning look at swans lowering
face, he bent again above the still tig-
ure on the couch and touched his tin
gers to the temples. What he saw or
felt seemed to reassure him, for his
voice was more composed when he
spoke again.
Il think you're right. Swain he said.
But we'd better call someone"
Call away!" snarled Swain.
you mean there's no one here?
Surely her father...."
He stopped, for at the words Swain
had burst into a hoarse laugh.
Her father" he cried. "Oh. yes;
he's here! Call him! He's over there!"
He made a wild gesture toward a
high backed easy chair beside the ia
BILE, his eyes cleaning with an almost
fiendish excitement: Their the CLEAN
faded, and he turned back to the girl.
Godfrey cast n astonished glance
at him and strobe to the chair. 1 saw
his face culver with sudden horror, 1
saw him catch at the table for support,
and for an instant he stood staring
down. Then he turned stiffly toward
me and motioned me to approach.
In the chair a man sat huddled for
ward-a gray haired man. clad in a
white ODE. His hands were gripping
the chair arms as though in agony.
His head hung down almost upon his
knees.
Silently Godfrey reached down and
raised the head. And a cry of horror
burst from both of us.
The face was purple with congested
blood, the tongue swollen and horribly
protruding, the eyes suffused and
starting from their sockets. And then,
at a motion from Godfrey's finger, I
saw that about his neck q cord vas
tightly knotted. The man had been
~strangled.
Godfrey, after a breathless moment
in which he made sure that the man
was quite dead, let the head fall for
ward again. 1t turned me sick to see
how low it sagged. how limp it hung.
And I saw that the collar of the white
robe was spotted with blood.
I 10 not know what was in Godfrey's
mind, but, by a common impulse. we
turned and looked at Swain. He was
still on his knees beside the ouch. APP
parently he had forgotten our pres
ence.
It's plain enough" said Godfrey, his
voice thick with emotion. She came
in and found the body. No wonder
she screamed like that! But where are
the servants? Where is everybody
The same thought was in my own
mind. The utter silence of the house,
the fact that no n came. added. some
how, to the horror of the moment.
Those wild screams must ave echoed
from cellar to garret-and yet no n
camel
Godfrey made a rapid scrutiny of the
room, which was evidently the library,
with a double door opening upon the
grounds and another opposite opening
into the hall. On the wall beside the
inner door. he found an electric but
ton. and he pushed it for some mo-
ments. but there was no response. II
1T rang a bell. the bell was so far away
that we could not hear 1t.
A heavy curtain hung across the