Tensas gazette., 1917-11-30

This is the person." lie said. in his
expert way selecting his subject al
once The latter made no objection tc
being examined. He turned up his
eyes as directed. he submitted to the
various tests of the oculist with instru
ments and chemicals.
stone blind" finally announced the
oculist. and he put up his instruments
and closed his satchel
Marvel glanced al me as if challerg
ing my claim Of having seen the mar
under normal sight conditions.
"Well?" spoke the quasi-prisonei
impatiently. Are III through with
me?'
My friend signalled the chief to dis
miss the subject under surveillance
He also made gesture TO a dark little
man. and the latter followed the
blind" man from the Office.
Unless there are two of him." OBJ
served Marvel as we left headquarters
you identified the right man the other
night. | want you to do something fol
mel wish to have an introduction to
Mr.. Dale at his home"
referred to my plan for calling that
evening, and this quite harmonizet
with my friends request. 1t was jus;
after dusk. the garden was in shadow
the house itself brilliantly illuminated
as We were shown into the front draw
ing room, being informed that Mr.
Dale and his niece, as the servant put
it. were out for a drive and would re-
turn soon.
The alert glance of my companion
swept the room comprehensively until
his eye fell upon the portrait of the
new mistress of this elegant home
Then he advanced towards it. A con.
noiseur in matters artistic, | read
his impression of a picture which had
appealed 10 me as the merest daub
He drew close to the portrait. ran his
thumb nail over a corner of its painted
surface, and turning quickly said in a
guarded one:
Watch that door-advise me if any
one comes"
watched him pull the picture out
from the wall, an open penknife in his
hand. This he inserted against the
tacked-on canvas, lifted it free, and re-
turned to his chair.
"A portrait from Rome." he said. a
faint, queer smile playing about the
corners of his lips. Wait"
I 1.
nounced this word. left his chair and
glided to the open bay window in the
rear drawing room. had caught the
echo of a peculiar call, one-half whis-
tie, one-half bird call, proceeding ap-
parently from the garden. | saw Mar.
vel step through the window and dis
appear in its shadows.
1t was only later that knew that he
met there the man who had followed
the blind" man from headquarters.
that this tireless shadower had sound
ed a signal announcing that an impor-
tant crisis in the case had arrived, and
that the juncture demanded his per
sonal presence and attehtion.
The small, spry man from headquar-
ters beckoned him from behind a nest
of shrubbery. And joining him Resil-
ius Marvel saw staring in at the front
window-the blind" man!
The blind" man had his eyes fixed
on the portrait upon which screened
electric bulbs focused a radiance that
brought out every essential of the
glowing canvas. Those eyes. pro-
nounced sightless by high expert pro-
fessional authority, glowed, glared.
scintillated. They gloated over the por-
trait. they revelled in some thought
its presence suggested. Then the
great hands of the blind" man Joined
and clenched, and rolled over and over
as though crushing TO nothingness
some object of fury and hate
1t was at that moment that Mr.. Dale
and his ward, the artist girl from
Rome" entered the house and then the
room. and was introduced to the
original of the portrait. A creepy SEP
sation passed over me somehow as
the woman smiled and touched my fin
ger tips, and clung to the fond. cher
ishing arm of her escort, the proud
old man who so counted on her pres
ence to ameIiorate the loneliness OF
his life.
1t was just here that Marvel, noise
lessly regaining the rear drawing
room. advanced. a shadowy figure in
his trail.