Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-06-06

HE wrested the image from Win
sarde's body and, knowing his man
would never rest quiet under the theft,
he saw that his death alone would
serve to render his own possession Sc
cure. He wrenched out the handle Of
the image and plunged it into Win.
earde's breast, wounding his heart.
The poison on the blade acted quickly.
Wngarde sank dying. 1t was easy
enough then for the one who had slain
TO complete his purpose and possess
himself of the gem
"I,ut he knew that the discovery Of
the body would excite comment and
suspicion. 1t must be concealed. The
tom would either conceal his work by
allowing the body to be washed away
or, failing that, by making it appear
that Wingarde had stumbled over the
edge in the dark.
Lifting him up, he carried him TO
the edge and pushed him off. There.
after he followed the natural impulse
and looked over. and SO left the con.
vcting mark of his hand as we'll as
the prints of his feet And the fact
that he had laid the body down and
pushed it off showed him to have been
a man Of no exceeding strength or
stature A nan far larger than Win
garde would have hurled Lis man from
the cliff
"A man of the same size or nearly,
would have done as this man did.
Therefore, we know that our man II
OF ordinary stature, from the three de-
tails--the record of his action, the size
Of his shoe, and the print Of his hand.
To this we add the detail that he
walks slightly on the outer side Of his
foot, and that the last two joints of
the little finger on his left hand are
missing That gives us fairly good
description, think"
Gosh, yes" said Heffy. When
YOU get done I'll grab him, If he's
snywheres around lis dump. That's
As good as a photoe aph Of the guinea.
yor think he's got the image an tt
stone anywheres near him."
Il think scat present. said Semi
Dual
Having disposed OF the professor"
he went on, "he was now confronted
nv the Indian as witness. | scarcely
think he meant to destroy his agent at
first, but now circumstances compel.
81 the deed. He conceived q crafty
scheme
Returning to the Indians side, ne
walked with him toward the pile of
stones. As he walked he lifted the
dagger from the image and plunged 1t
n0iselessly into his companions
throat. But he did not seek to conceal
The body
He reasoned that Wingarde and
the Indian had been seen. Therefore
ne left the latter lying by the stones
to be found and to show by his bodys
condition that he had died of apparent
snake-bite. 1t might even be supposed
thar the two men. Wingarde and his
guide had stumbled across a venom.
Gus serpent, and the Indian being bit
ten aud Wingarde excited, the scien
fist had started for help, become
turned around in the darkness through
the shock of the occurrence, and SO
ran directly off the lip of the cliff.
And his belief was plausible. l
think, or he had no reason to believe
that any ono would have reason to
suspect him. In fact, he had planned
to make it appear that he could not
possibly have had any connection with
the affair In pursuance OF that plan
be took from the Indians body the
price of his betrayal of the professor
and left him where he lay.
But here again the iortutous fate,
which at times seems to pursue the
guilty. played him false. He took not
all Of the price Of Judas, but a part.
The hole in the dead mans pocket be.
trayed him.
1.-TWO of the bills slipped partly
through II, and he missed them In his
hurry and the darkness, and perhaps
in part because of the reaction from
his deed. so he took part and left the
others TO point to the fact of a third
party's presence. and so induce
search for himself.
HE came back to the hotel and
was seen about 1t. Doubtless he con.
csaled his booty In some spot he be-.
lieved perfectly safe. II lies there