Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-02-25
CHAPTER xIV-continued.

-13-
Toye cooked his head at both ques-
tion and answer, but inclined it quick
ly as Cazalet turned to him before |
proceeding.
81 went in and found Henry Craven |
lying in his blood. That's gospel-it |
was so found him-lying just where |
he had fallen in q heap out of the |
leather chair at his desk. The top |
right-hand drawer of his desk was |
open, the key in it and the rest of the |
bunch still swinging A revolver lay |
as it had dropped upon the desk-it |
had upset the ink-and there were |
cartridges lying loose in the open |
drawer, and the revolver was loaded |
I swept it back into the drawer, turned |
the key and removed it with the bunch.
But there was something else on the
desk-that silver-mounted truncheon
and mans cap was lying on the
floor. l picked them both up. My
first instinct, / confess it, was to re-
move every sign of manslaughter and
to leave the scene to be reconstructed
into one of accident-seizure-a
thing but what it was!"
He paused as il waiting for a ques-
ton. None was asked. Toye's mouth
might have been sewn up. his eyes
were like hatpins driven into his head.
The other two simply stared.
1T was a mad idea, but had gone
mad" continued Cazalet 81 had hat
ed the victim alive, and it couldn't
change me that he was dead or dying;
that didn't make him white man,
and neither did it necessarily blacken
the poor devil who had probably suf-
fered from him like the rest of us
and only struck him down in self
defense. The revolver on the desk
made that pretty plain. 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
hesitated-the dinner-gong went of in
the hall outside the doori / remem-
ber watching the thing on the floor
to see if it would move.
Then lost my head-absolutely
turned the key in the door, to give
myself few seconds grace or start:
1t 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
it's little, round bramah keyhole. I
opened it as the outer door was
knocked at and then tried. But my
mad instinct of altering every pos
sible appearance, to mislead the po-
lice, stuck to me to the last And
took the mans watch and chain into
the closet with me, as we'll as the
cap and truncheon that | had picked
up before.
81 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, andI could scarce
ly 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 a boy in the floor under the
oilcloth. 1t took some finding with
single matches; but the fear of youl
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 oper
the manhole door and to squirm ou
over the slab; and thought they rant
like a peal of bells, but | put then
all back again, and apparently
nobody overheard in the scullery.
"The big dog barked at me Iikt
blazes-he did again the other day
but nobody seemed to hear him either
[ got to my boat. tipped fellow ol
the towing path to take it back am
pay for it-why haven't the police go
hold of him?-and ran down to tn
bridge over the weir. / stopped a bi
car with a smart shaver smoking hi
pipe at the wheel. | should hav
thought he'd have come forward 70
the reward that was put up; but pre-
tended | was late for dinner l had /
town, and l let him drop me at tn
Grand Hotel. He cost me flyer, bu
had on a waistcoat lined with note,
and I'd more than five minutes in han
at Charing Cross. If you want t
know, it was the time in hand ths
gave me the whole idea of doublin
back to Genoa; | must have been hal
way up to town before ! thought
it,"
He had told the whole thing as b
always could tell an actual exper
ence; that was one reason why it rar
so true to one listener at every poin
But the sick mans sunken eyes hs
advanced from their sockets in cum
lative amazement. And Hilton To,
laughed shortly when the end Wi
reached.
You figure some on our credulity
was his first comment.
81 don't figure on anything fro
. you, Toye, except a pair of handcut
as a first installment!"