The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-07-10

To my establishment it was crossed by
broad smilei
THAT you, Francie7" he remarked
TRANQUILITY, getting up. 81 thought II
was Edwardes. returned. My reason
for feigning all the chief symptoms Of
impending death by cerebral paralysis
was a pressing one. I do assure you.
You look scared. Take a cigarette"
There was box of them upon the
table. with a loose one on top. As I
placed it between my lips Tredways
said calmly:
Three or four whiffs of that. Fran
Gle, and you will not assume the un-
pleasant symptoms to which alluded:
you will get them in serious earnest
That Is the identical cigarette h1nded
/ to me by our friend Edwardes. He
came to do me a mischief; the intent
was quite evident in his bearing. He
produced his cigarette case and covered
all with his fingers. in a seemingly
/ absent-minded way, except that one.
i 1 took It, but managed to replace 1t
with one OF my own. I noted his
manner when lighting up. His eyes
became sparks of fire. All the savage,
the bestial, the primitive murder-lust
Of his forbears glowed in his watching
eyes, I saw that 1 must act a part
or that he would let the life out of
me in a more open fashion, Hell
| alone knows the kind of poison that
is in that tube Of rice-paper But we
shall find 1t out in good time and so
complete the case against him. Now.
Francie, what have you to tell me7"
That the answer is mo- to both
questions"
$50 anticipated. We will now look
in upon Miss wildrave."
On the way I remarked to my com
panion "Of course, the impending
crime to which you referred was this
attack upon yourself?"
You think 1 should have made so
much fuss about my own skim" he
laughed. At that moment a servant
opened the door to u.s.
Miss Wndrave went out ten minutes
ago, sir" we were told.
"Alone?" snapped my companion.
Mr.. Edwardes was with her, sir"
heard Tredways mutter Good
Godi" under his breath He fairly
pulled me away. "a cab, Francie!" he
/ calculated in the tone of one nortally
afraid. MY soul, If that hound beats
us!"
What is the matter, Tredways?" I
demanded openly. as he fdgetted and
chafed and fretted and muttered.
Matter" he echoed. "Only that
while we sit here Miss wildrave may
actually be marrying Edwardes at a
registrars oficei"
1t was touch and go, with a ven
geance. When we arrived on the
scene that sweet girl was on the very
edge OF putting her signature to the
all-important document Edwardes saw
I'D IL
it. He got past Tredways. but J
tackled him low. He went clean over
my shoulder and wall knocked the
senses out Of him.
MY dear Tredways," accosted my
friend that evening. we sat in his
room and regarded each other over the
top OF a cigar, this thing has wound
Itself out so quickly that most be-
lieve you have worked at it-not since
yesterday morning, but from. the first
hour Of my introducing you to It. a
couple Of weeks ago."
Wrong. Francie wrong. I own that
we unravelled the thread with unusual
speed. but once made my preliminary
discovery the rest, from the nature
of the case, was bound to happen
smartly. Was I acting when / said
there was nothing in the AFFAIR."
/
Of the profound when, examining that
Malayan painting merely as work of
barbarous art, found something i'm
bedded very deeply in the woody fibre
| used as a native canvas. 1t looked like
a tuft OF silk. Of yellow silk, and was
well-nigh indiscernible on the back
ground Of color. extracted it with
my pocket-knife. It was precisely what
1 thought 1t was: a small dart tufted
: with silk, very much like the we'll
known darts we used to discharge from
air-guns, when we were boys.
1T was interesting, but scarcely sug-
Z gestive. A true Suspicion was created
l when Miss Wildrave spoke so hest
; tadngly Of poor Branderwine's protegc
I as a man Of Malay blood who could
t translate the hieroglyr Now, ]
5 was looking about for som, party who
had been kept dark from Us. You
viii remember that on our arrival wher
! wished to reopen the case, Mis-
! Wildrave told me. with no small agita-
I ton, that had too long delayed. This
!, statement she confirmed when I said
= with intent that could do nothing for
some weeks. What could her distress
1 mean? How was 1 to interpret her
hushes. her alternating pallor7 ]
translated 1t all by assuming that she
was about to give herself away IN
" marriage. I guessed the presence OF
s an ardent. a long-patient sutton IN the
! background I felt that she still loved
! Oswald Street, whom, OF course. she
could not marry branded as he was;
E and that she was soon to yield to this
! waiting this pressing, this unknown
third person. But could he be Ed
! wardes? It seemed most likely He
: had been dear to her uncle. they had
: been near to each other since child
hood All the same, there was a GER
, tain amount Of dark blood in his veins
For that reason she would keep HIS
! offer secret. aware Of strong opposi-
ton which would be brought to bear
{ on the part Of friends.
"An this considered. I wanted To
: know more about Edwardes. I re-