Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-06-03
"1he'Curse::
Of QujIetzal::
eytJ. U. otESY 4 J.sB. SMITH
Authors OF Semi.Dual Stories
Copyright,
The Frank A. Munsey Co.

Dual turned his head quickly
"Why nolg" he said.
Before he was croaked" Heff,
was growing incoherent
Naturally" said Semi, and follow
ed Bill
He led us quite to the edge OF tn,
lip. where he stopped and pointed I,
blurred, dragging mark in the sol
"a sickening thing, which showed
where some object had slipped ovel
: and gone. hurting downward into
that dreadful abyss where the mist O.
distance swung between US and tht
writing river so far below.
HE just happened to light on thu
ledge down there" he remarked,
pointing over. Il reckon whoever
showed him off thought he would 30
all the way. II was meant, all right.
Semi went quite to the edge short
way beyond the telltae drag on the
brink, got down and peered over. in
fact, We all looked down to where Il
narrow ledge had caught the body ana
So stayed It's plunge into the terrible
depths.
Bill began dilating on The recovery
as we looked Il had 'em tie me to q
rope, an slid down an tied the body
fast. I hen lley hauled him up an
let tn rope ,wn again for me. Tell
you that there ledge "a a s.iNery place
. to stand on at night, all right,
Dual came hack to the dragging
mark, which showed where Wingarde
had been thrust off
He moved slowly about 1t. search
ing, as | tancied, for more of the
slender footprints. And he found
them. We all crowded close as he
pointed them out, partly smudged by
the later walking over the spot, but
YET discernible to a trained eye which
knew in advance for what ii was
searching, one pair Of them pointed
dhcctly toward the brim Of the canon
and were printed deeper at the toe, as
though the full weight of the maker
had been thrown on the forward part
of his feet and they were directly
back OF that point where IT, sugges
tive sliding mark showed on the edge
| looked at Semi. He laid the
body down and showed it off by push
ing against it, | suggested. THAT
would explain The pressure on the toes
OF his shoes. should think"
He nodded.
Exactly, Gordon. We may picture
the murderer bending and forcing his
victim over the edge. He expected
The body to drop to the river and
either sink 10 the bottom or be car.
ried tar down and SO removed as an
accusing object. The chance ledge
and hesconcealing darkness betrayed
his plan without his knowing it had
happened
Sluht'u ~ iLdltuO. lie WIS
standing not far from the edge, and
drawing his feet slowly backward and
forward in Il nervous manner while
he watched our Investigations, His
dark lace was intent, tense, full of
The keenest interest in our actions.
you would have thought, il he
had thrown the body Off, he would
have tried to see il it really went all
the way down. l said to Semi.
Let us see" he remarked softly,
half rose and moved in crouchlng
attitude to The very edge Uf the cash
in the earth, sklrting the mark OF the
body as he went, and sinking to his
knees again MS he reached the brink.
Tn the other side of the sliding i'm.
preston Osborne and followed suit
until We. too, knelt just back of the
rim, yet 30 close that could look
over and down to the shadows, which
the mornings sun had not yet been
able to 'dspel
Dual was speaking.
"The natural impulse of one hay.
Ing thrown the body Of another over
such all edge would be to approach
the edge himself and look over And
because II was dark he would exer.
else caution. That he did SO we can
see by the fact that he pushed the
body over rather than having held It
up and thrown it out and down. He
would in all probability creep for.
ward and seek to look over. Look
for the marks OF hands rather than
feet here, Gordon"
He was right.
n ! saw 1t even while be was speak.
ins. Hefty heard, too, and Joined In