Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-07-29
WOMAN IN BLACK
By EDMUND CLERlHEW BENTLEY
,pyrisht. 1919. BY the Century Company. -

| money, and his surprising anger
He had made a false step.He had
already fastened his note-case up
with the rest of what was to figure
as my plumber. and placed it in my
hands. opened it. 1t contained a
few notes as usual didn't count
them.
Tucked into the flaps of the big
case in packets were the other
notes, just as l had brought them
from London. And with them were
two small wash-leather bags, the
look of which l knew we'll. My
heart jumped sickeningly again,
for this too was utterly unexpected
In those bags Henderson kept the
diamonds in which he had been in
vesting for some time past. I didn't
open them;-I could feel the tiny
stones shifting under the pressure
of my fingers. How many thousands
of pounds worth there were | have
no idea. We had regarded Mander-
sons Acknowledging as merely a
speculative fad. | believe now that it
was the earliest movement in the
scheme for my ruin. For any one
like myself to be represented as hav-
ing robbed him there ought to be a
strong inducement shown. That had
been provided with vengeance.
Nov, thought, l have the
whole thing plain, and must act.
| saw instantly what l must do. |
had left Henderson about a mile
from the house. 1t would take him
twenty minutes, fifteen if he walked
fast. to get back to the house, where
he would of course Immediately tell
his story of robbery, and probably
would telephone at once to the po-
lice in Bishopsbridge. | had left him
only five or six minutes ago-for all
that l have just told you was as
quick thinking as l ever did. 1t
would be easy to overtake him in
the car before he neared the house
There would be an awkward inter-
view-I set my teeth as I thought
of it, and all my fears vanished as
| began to SAVIOR the qualification
of telling him my opinion of him.
There are probably few people who
ever positively looked forward to
an awkward interview with Man
derson; but l was mad with rage.
My honor and my liberty had been
plotted against with detestable
treachery. l did not consider what
would follow the interview. That
would arrange itself.
y had started and turned the car
Il was already going fast-when
| heard the sound of a shot in front
of me, to the right.
Instantly l stopped the car. My
first wild thought was that Mander-
son was shooting at me. Then l re-
allied that the noise had not been
close at hand. l could see nobody
on the road, though the moonlight
flooded it. l had left Henderson at
a spot just round a corner that was
now some fifty yards ahead of me.
| started again, and turned the cor
ner at slow pace. Then l stopped
again with a jar, and for a moment
l sat perfectly still.
Henderson lay dead a few steps
from me on the turf within the gate,
clearly visible to me in the moon.
light"
Marlowe made another pause,
and Trent, with a puckered brow,
inquired: Con the golf-course"
"Obviously," remarked Mr.. Cup
ules. "The eighth green is just
there" He had grown more and
more interested as Marlowe went
on, and was now playing feverishly
with his thin beard.
"On the green, quite close to the
hag,' said Mr.. Marlowe. "He lay
on his back, his arms were stretched
abroad, his jacket and heavy over
coat were open; the light shone
hideously on his white face and his
shirtfront; it glistened on his barred
teeth and one of the eyes. The other
. you saw it. The man was GER
tainly dead. As I sat there stunned,
unable for the moment to think of
all, l could even see a thin dark
line of blood running down from
the shattered socket to the ear.
Close by lay his soft black hat, and
at his feet pistol.
Continued Tomorrow.)