The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1919-05-22

4 wOfhS anu ~ utQht Y. AA0s no, ~ -
demoniac chuclle, at didn't"
Take me away, I can't stand It,"
moaned Pauline.
Again there was silence. The pho
nograph had ceased; Loria sat, with
his head fallen forward on his hands,
at his table. He was still, and Stone
wondered IL he were alive. Then, sud
denly, he lifted his head and cried out.
"Yes, I did it because I was crazy,
wild over my Nile scheme. All, that
wonderful work! 1t will nS0er be done
now. When / heard Stone was here
I knew 1t was all up. I planned to lose
Polly for a t;me-not forever, no, not
forever would have found her some
day-some day--all dead, in the des-
ert, all dead"
Pauline tainted and Stone flew to
her side. But in a moment she re-
vived, and he begged her to go home.
She consented. and Ahri, dependable
now, took her to the hotel.
Fleming Stone and Mr.. Pitts at
tempted to get Loria to calm down and
talk more coherently. Shortly he. did
SO. He gave q fun account OF all the
details of his crime, and though he de-
MED the intention Of leaving Pauline
to die in the desert, his word was not
believed by the two listeners.
Finally, he rose and walked across
the room. "You see," he said, a little
YEARLY, but quite sane, now, "rve q
bad streak In me. My father was a
Spaniard and he killed his W uncle.
The Loria line is q series of criminals.
Aunt Lucy never knew this, for my
parents lived always abroad. But
, blood will tell. And my father, after
he killed my uncle, followed 1t up by
taking his own life-like this
Though Stone caught the gesture
and sprang to prevent It, Loria was
too quick for him. He had snatched a
dagger from the table and plunged 1t
into his heart.
: Both men leaped at him. but It was
all over In an instant. Carr Loria had
himself dealt the punishment for his
crimes.
Perhaps it's as WELL" said Stone,
musingly. "A trial, and all that,
would have been awful for his cousin.
and the family connections. Now the
matter can be disposed of with far less
notoriety and publicity" "
YES" agreed Pitts.
Fleming Stone waited till morning
to tell Pauline Of her cousins death.
She was wide eyed end pathetically
sad, but composed.
Its all SO dreadful" she said. 'but,
Fleming, I knew 1t before / left New
York. l didn't know 1t, exactly, but l
felt sure 1t must be SO. and had come
here to see. Then I found Carr SO
gay and light hearted i thought / must
be mistaken, and / was glad, toe. Then
when you came, I couldn't make up my
mind whether you suspected Carr, or
whether" 49,.
whether I came only to see you,"
supplied Stone. at was both, dear"
what made you think of Carr, in
the first placer" -
Because there was no real evidence
against anyone else, though the police
were making things dangerous for you,
my little girl" Stone held her close,
as IL ever yet there might be a hint Of
danger. "And I made Miss Frayne
confess that she didn't really see you
leave your aunt's room that night.
though she did honestly think that you
were in there, and your aunt was
talking to you. Nor you didn't see her
actually leaving the room, did your"
81 only saw her with her hand on
the door knob. That was my first
glimpse OF her, and I thought she was
coming out"
"No; she thought Of going in to apol-
ogize for her hasty temper. But, hear
ing a voice, she paused, and so thrill
ing was the talk she overheard, she
waited there some minutes"
"And then you thought of CARR"
81 sized up all the people who had
motive, and Loria was surely in that
category. And then I found the pow
der papers. Dear. those would have
gone sorely against you il anyone
else had discovered them. 1 resolved
to wrest the secret from those papers,
and I did,"
"You did? Howr"
"By studying them for hours; with
magnifying glasses, and without. I
found at last a clue-a possible Clue
in the fact that the edges of the papers
had been cut with the curved blades Of
a pair Of manicure scissors. 1 had
Jane bring me all the manicure scis-
sors in the house-thank heaven, your
scissors didn't come within a mile OF
fitting the edges! You see. the papers
were family scailoped IN every edge.
They must have been cut by the little
curved blades, and rarely do two pairs
Of manicure scissors make the same
scallop. The great discovery was that
Miss Lucy's own scissors did fit them!
This, dearest, would have pointed to
you in the eyes Of these determined
police, for you had access to your
aunt's toilet appointments"
$50 did Anita or anybody in the
housed" /. ... .l'.
Eyes, but the police were hot on
your track, and ready to bend any hint
your way. oh, thank God, that I
q -L.. x