Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-07-21

lower In the shadow-a mar was ad-
vancing from the black concealment
of the woods and crosstng the open
bpace.
He moved cautiously, yet boldly
enough, and bis movements were not
those Of an Indian, although the low
bushes between Us and the house
shadow, prevented my distinguishing
more than his mere outline. It was
only when be lifted his head into the
CLEAN OF light, and took hasty survey
through the window Of the scene WITH
n, that l recognized the face OF
D'Artigny. he fingered scarcely a
moment evidently satisfied with what
be saw, and then drew silently back,
hesitattng a brief space, as though de
batting his next movement
I.waited. GREATNESS, wondering what
bis purpose could be, half inclined to
Intercept and question him. Was he
seeking to serve my causef to learn
the truth OF my relationship with Cas-
sion7 or did he have some other OBJ
Ject, some personal feud In which he
sought revenge? The first thought
sent the warm blood leaping through
my veins; the second left me shivering
as II with sudden chill.
Even as 1 stood, hesitating. uncer-
tain, he turned and retraced his steps
along the same path Of his approach,
passing me not ten steps away and
vanishing into the wood. l thought
be paused at the edge and bent down,
yet before l found voice or determin-
alton to stop him, he had disappeared.
Ny courage returned, spurred by cur
iosity. Why should he take so round
about a way to reach the shore? What
was that black, shapeless thing he had
paused to examined? I could see some
thing there, dark and motionless,
though to my eyes no more than a
shadow. :
1 ventured toward It. creeping be-
hind the bushes bordering the path,
conscious OF an odd fear az I drew
closer. Yet It was not until l emerged
from the fringe Of shrubbery that even
the faintest conception Of what the
object was 1 saw occurred to me.
Then I stopped, frozen by horror, for
l confronted a dead body.
For an instant l could not utter a
sound or move a muscle Of my body.
Ny hands chung convulsively to a
nearby branch, thus supporting me
erect In spite Of trembling limbs and
I stared at the gruesome object,
black and almost shapeless IN the
moonlight. Only part Of the trunk
was revealed, the lower portion con-
cealed by bushes, yet l could no longer
doubt It was a mans body-a large.
heavily built man, his hat still crushed
on his head, but with face turned
away.
What courage overcame my horror
and urged me forward 1 cannot tell;
! seemed impelled by some power not
my own, a vague fear Of recognition
Juggling at my heart. I crept nearer,
almost inch by inch, trembling at
every noise, dreading to discover the
truth. At last l could perceive the
ghagtly features-the dead man was
Hugo Chevet.
l nerved myself to the EFFORT and
turned the body sufficiently to enable
me to discover the wound-he had
been pierced by a knife from behind;
bad fallen, no doubt, without uttering
q cry, dead ere he struck the ground.
Then It was murder, foul murder, a
blow In the back. Why had the deed
been done7 What spirit of revenge,
Of hatred, Of fear, could have led to
such an act2 I got again to my feet,
staring about through the weird moon
light, every nerve throbbing, as I
thought to grip the fact and find its
cause Slowly I drew back, shrinking
In growing terror from the corpse,
until I was safely in the priests gar
den. There 1 paused ~irresolute, my
dazed, benumbed brain beginning to
grasp the situation and assert itself.
ITO Be Continued.)