The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1916-03-02
CHAPTER xvuI-(COntinued.)

man like Swain doesn't commit muir
der-though, as q matter of fact, this
Is a dangerous generalization, for all
sorts Of men commit murder; but II
he should do so, II would be only under
great provocation and in the heat or
anger, certainly not in cold blood with
q moose; and, finally, If the motion or
the curtain Miss Vaughan noticed was
made by the murderer, II couldn't pos
sibly have been Swain, because he was
with us at that moment. You will see
that there Is a mass of evidence against
him, and practically the whole defense
Is that such q crime would be tmpoS-
sible to one Of his temperament. You
know yourself how flimsy such a de-
tense is.
Against the Hindus, on the other
hand, practically the only basis Of sus-
picion Is that such a crime might be
temperamentally possible to them.
They may have been on the ground,
and the method Of the murder savors
strongly of Thuggee-though don't for
get that Swain admitted he could have
tied that knot. Besides, If 1t was the
Thug who followed them, he wouldn't
have made any noise, and most GER
tainly he couldn't have left the prints
Of SWANS fingers on the body. But,
II Swain Is right in his assertion that
he saw the snake in the arbor, 1t is
Against an unknown II may be
urged that neither Swain nor the Hin
dus could have committed the crime;
but don't see how an unknown could
either, unless he happened to be one
Of the three or four people in the world
with finger tips like SWANS. And that
IL too far fetched to be believable.
But this am sure Of Lester" and
Godfrey leaned forward again-"the
nnpoNnfttnA aifhnr nv SUM in
or by someone anxious to imphcate
Swain. We agree that II wasn't Swain,
Very Wen, then: the person who COM
mitted the murder made a noise In
following Miss Vaughan and her IA
Their so that she should think II was
Swain who was following them; he
picked up the bloodstained handker-
chief that Swain had dropped, per-
haps when he fled from the arbor, and
placed II beside the body; and in some
way inconcefvable to me he pressed the
prints of SWANS fingers on the dead
mans robe. Now, to do that, he must
have known that Swain was injured
the bloodstained handkerchief would
tell him that; but he must also have
known that it was his right hand that
was injured. There was no blood or
SWANS left hand"
Godfrey paused. was following his
reasoning with such absorbed atten'
ton that l could feel my brain crinklt
with the effort.
Now. listen" said Godfrey, and
could have smiled at the uselessnes:
Of the admonition-as If l we're no
already listening with all m! faculties
There is only one way in which TIT
murderer could have known that 1t wa
SWANS right hand, and that was b!
overhearing the conversation in tn
arbor. But If he overheard that much
he overheard 1t all, and he knew there
| fore what it was Swain proposed to do
| He knew that Vaughan's sanity Wa
| to be questioned; he knew that III
would probably be placed in sana
| torium; he knew that Miss Vaughan
| would probably marry Swain. Pre-
| Stunning that it was Silva, he knew
| that, unless something was done t
! stop Il, a very few days would plac
| both Vaughan and his daughter beyon'
his reach
| "That is true" 1 admitted; "bu
| Vaughan was beyond his reach a goo
! deal more certainly dead than he woul'
have been in a sanatorium. Besides
it isn't at all certain that he woult
have been sent to a sanatorium."
That's an objection, surely" God
frey agreed; but / must find out
! Vaughan is really beyond his reael
, dead"
| l stared at him.
| You don't mean
| IT don't know what I mean, Lester
! / can feel a sort of dim meaning a
| the back of my mind, but l can't &c
1t out into the light"
Besides" 1 went on, If the yog
| did 1t, how did he get back into tn
house before we got there?
He peeped in at the door, saw tn
coast was clear and went back throug
! the library. Remember, Miss Vaugha
was unconscious. That doesn't both
er me. And another thing, Lester. HOY
did Miss Vaughan's father come I
burst in on, her and Swain like that
How did he know they were In tn
arbor? It was dark and he couldn
have seen either Of them"
= "He might have been walking abou
the grounds and overheard them.
II don't believe 1t. l believe some
body told him they were there. An
only one person could have told him
that is Silva. No-there's only on
point can't get past-that's the fling
er prints"
And then remembered.
Godfrey" cried. there's one thin
I forgot to tell you. You hear
Swain remark that Vaughan was
collector of finger prints"
| Yes"
And that he had a set of SWANS?
Yes"
We'll, when told Miss Vaugha
about the prints on her fathers rob-
she ran to a bookcase and got out
book. 1t had Vaughan's collection
II. all bound together. But the pag
on which SWANS were had been tor
out" .-
Godfrey sat for a moment, starin
at me spellbound. Then he began pac
ing up and down the study, like a Il
ger in it's cage; up and down. up an
I down.
I'm bound to add" went on final
~. that Human suggested n yer
pladusible reason for their disappear
ance.'
What was it?"
He said they were probably dc
stroyed by Vaughan himself, becaus
of his dislike of Swain. He said the
would be characteristic of Vaughan
| form Of insanity"
| Godfrey took another turn up an
down, then he stopped in front OF m
nhoir