Omaha daily bee., 1919-08-04
WOMAN IN BLACK
By EDMUND CLERIHEW BENTLEY
the Century Company.

Then, with a perfectly instructive
movement never knew l meant to
do it flung away his free hand
and clutched like lightning the
weapon, tearing it from his fingers
By miracle it did not go off.
darted back few steps, he sprang
at my throat like a wild cat, and
fired blindly in his face. He would
have been about a yard away, l sup
pose. His knees gave way Instant
ly. and he fell in a heap on the turf.
Il flung the pistol down and bent
over him. The hearts motion ceased
under my hand. l knelt there star
ing, struck motionless, and l don't
know how long it was before |
heard the noise of the car return
ing.
Trent, all the time that Marlowe
paced that green with the moon
light on his white and working face,
l was within a few yards of him,
crouching in the shadow of the furze
by the ninth tee. | dared not show
myself. l was thinking. My pub
lie quarrel with Henderson the same
morning was, l suspected, the talk
of the hotel. | assure you that every
horrible possibility of the situation
for me had rushed across my mind
the moment saw Henderson fall
| became cunning. | knew what |
must do. | must get back to the
hotel as fast as | could get in some
how unperceived, and play a part
to save myself. | must never tell
word to any one. Of course | was
assuming that Marlowe would tell
everyone how he had found the
body. l knew he would suppose it
was suicide; l thought everyone
would suppose so.
when Marlowe began at last to
lift the body, stole away down the
wall and got out into the road by
the clubhouse, where~~fe could not
see me. felt perfectly cool and
collected. l crossed the road,
climbed the fence, and ran across
the meadow to pick up the field
path | had come by, that runs to
the hotel behind White Gables. l
got back to the hotel very much out
of breath"
"Out of BREATH repeated Trent
mechanically, still staring at his
companion as if hypnotized.
Il had had sharp rum" said Mr..
Cupples. well, approaching the
hotel from the back | could see into
the writing room through the open
window. There was nobody in there,
so l climbed over the sill. walked to
the bell and rang it, and then sat
down to write letter l had meant
to write the next day. I saw by the
clock that it was little past II.
When the waiter answered the bell
| asked for glass of milk and
postage stamp. Soon afterwards l
went up to bed. But | could not
sleep"
Mr.. Cupples, having nothing more
to say, ceased speaking. He looked
in mild surprise at Trent. who now
sat silent, supporting his bent head
i'll his hands.
He could not sleep!' murmured
l. iClll dl last III ilOlloW tOllC' ~
frequent result OF over-exertion dur
ing the day. Nothing to be alarmed
about He was silent again. then
looked up with pale face. Couples,
| am cured. | will never touch
crime mystery again. The Mander-
son affair shall be Philip Trent's
last case. His high-blown pride at
length breaks under him." Trent's
smile suddenly returned. 81 could
have borne everything but that last
revelation of the impotence of hui
man reason. Cupples, I have abso-
lutely nothin left to say, except
this: you have beaten me. drink
your health in a spirit of sclf-abase-
ment And you shall pay for the
dinner"
1.-THE Fnd)