Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-03-06
CHAPTER TX (Continued.)

The inquest was adjourned and pres
emily the newspapers let the matter
drop and was no longer pestered by
reporters wanting to interview me
about how l felt during what the plac
ards called Peers Heroic Snake
Hunt" For weeks my friends called
me Heroic Snake Hunter
The police, however did not let the
matter drop; they were hunting among
the snake dealers, Janrach anddthe rest
for the man who had bought the
snakes. They got on his track easily
enough. He was plainly the young
Spanish collector who had bought them
for his collection, as he put it. But
the police did not find the young Span
ish collector. The other chance of get
ting to the bottom of the business was
to and the pretty girl who had told me
that she was Vicentrs niece. grew
very tired of detectives calling to see
me with photographs of all the female
scum of Europe and the Americas, on
the chance that might recognize one
of them as her.
It was not the slightest use my tell
Ing them that she was quite all right =
lady, and not an adventures at all.
The other odd thing was that though
Vcenti was worth nearly million, no
heirs turned up to claim the money.
The police could not discover anything
about him, neither who he was nor
what his business had been.
Then I met the pretty girl - on the
Lawn at Ascot.
She was wearing charming frock-
what they call CONNECTION - evident
" from Paris; and there wasn't doubt
that she was one Of the prettiest wo'
men at the meeting. She was talking
10 a tall, sallow. black bearded man
when my eyes fell on her. ! stared at
her, very naturally, trying to make up
my mind what to do; then she saw me.
She looked at me quietly enough and
said something to the tall man; he
turned and looked at me too. Then
she left him, came across the Lawn to
me and held out her hand.
"How do you do, Lord Garthoyle? 2"
she said, with charming smile. i
knew that we should meet zooner or
later"
"How do you do?" said shaking her
hand. 81 have been hoping we should
meet ever since the evening you called
on your uncle in Garthoyle Gardens; s., ,
40 have the poleece, believe she
said, with another charming smile and
she led the way out Of the crowd to
couple OF chairs beside little table.
We looked at each other, and she
said: IT moost introduce myself. l am
the Sonora Carvalho. My husband ees
ze Colombian ambassador. Was eet
not strange about my oncle - your
tenant of Number 16? He was not my
oncle truly. Oh, no. He was Ell Ca
ballo.'
"Was he said I, though had never
heard of Ell Caballo in my life.
: eyes: sometime cen Colombia zey
call heem re Black President some
time re Red President He was presf-
dent for four monz. And what a hor-
ror, He was a murderer and brigand
at first; and when he was president
he was vorse-oh, mooch worse. He
robbed and murdered and tortured not
only bees enemies, but also hees own
party" She paused: she was not smil-
ing now: then she added slowly: He
shot my fazer and my brozer - leetle
boy Of twelve"
"The hound" said.
my mozer was zere and I. l was
nine years old. My mozer died veree
soon. At the end Of four monz, he dis
appeared, re president - suddenly. We
fought Eat he had been killed quietly
and buried, cough eet was strange Eat
nobody could find re money he had
stolen. People talked about heem for
wears when was a child. Zen zey for
rot heem. Eight monz ago recognized
heem In Picadilly. He was vefee diff
ferent - oh, yes, veree different. But
knew heem - right zere. He did not
know me; and followed heem to hees
house cen Garthoyle Gardens"
IT see" said.
ZONE of my friends came from Co
lombia- IONS of murdered fazers. ley
COON quickly. But zomehow he learn
ed zat icy had COON. We do not know
how he learnt ,eet, but he knew why
aey had COON He shut up hees house:
eld we fought Eat he had gone away.
We could not find out where he had
gone: but we waited. Always one or
re ozer watch re house. But he nevaire
came. Zen one Of my coosins cen re
beeg garden >een re needle, on a hot
day, saw what would you call eet?
he saw re heat twinkle above chin
day, saw - what would you call eet?
another cousin got into re house from
re back and found re barricade. He
tooched a wire cen Re hall; and re bell
rang. Ell Caballo fred at heem and
beet heem in re shoulder, but my
coosin got out of re house. We did
not know what to do. Zen | planned
re snakes. saw zem cen hook, an
Eengleesh book called. lie. Shippers
Wooing. but only one snake was cen
re book. We got more snakes. to make
sure. NY coosin bought Zem and went
quickly out of England. Zen we poot
zem in re house"
I'm jolly glad YOU got him - the
hound wanted killing Off said.
"Ah, you understand she said. with
a little sigh of relief And my friends
have gone back to Colombia and my
husband he does not know. An anbas'
sador should not know zese zings."
nodded.
"But eet ees strange Eat re police
know nozing - nozing at all?" she said
anyiously.
"They will never know ANYTHING
about it, or about any one connected
If hot