Evening star., 1920-03-21


Marsh shut up in his isolation with his
experiments. On the morning of 1t
bought pistol at gunsmiths in the
Strand, afterward passing the weapon to
Willis.
II spent half an hour that evening
with Margaret Although she was In
ignorance Of what was to follow there
was that in my manner which troubled
her. ] will say clearly that we loved one
another, Margaret and !. I was really
bidding her an eternal farewell that
evening, and my pain betrayed itself.
"Soon after 9 o'clock Willis and I
left town for the east coast We travelled
in his car. which he drove. We left 1t
in an obscure and weedy lane not far
from our destination. There was no one
about for, as l said. that part Of the
coast Is intensely lonely and the night
was without moon or stars. 1t was
freezing hard, and the mud ruts We're
unyielding under our feet.
"About a. hundred yards from the cot
tage my companion left me. was alone,
with the north wind shrilling through
the long grasses, and the sea heaving in
shocks Of sound against the cliffs
II waited there. straining my ears for
the terrible sound of a pistol shot. It
did not come, and the suspense fretted
my CALLED nerves. I drew to the cot
tage. Its rough garden was surrounded
by a low wall of flints. The light from
an oil lamp shone through the yellow
blind of window. Suddenly l saw It
mans form pass swiftly between the
ylo nj 1tot,%
heard-or perhaps fanced I heard-the
barking Of a dog somewhere behind me-
- "The thought that some one else was
coming to the cottage chilled me with
dread. For second or two l listened
intently and then there came, from the
interior Of the cottage, the murderous
report Of the revolver.
yielding to panic, I rushed to the
door and beat upon 1t with clenched
fists. Then, obeying a new impulse,
ran back to see who was coming-if
anybody. But no one appeared, and
that real or fancied sound of dogs
bark died away.
IT waited several minutes I had no
doubt that Willis had left the cottage
and was on his way back, as arranged.
Hc uGAt ilONc was lOT InG 10 QTdW
responsibility. Finally entered the
cottage, where had to seek for a crime.
"And I found McMarsh lying dead
upon the floor Of the front room. He
had been shot through the heart The
pistol had been flung down near the
body. I took 1t and I fed.
II gave myself up to the police that
night, in the nearest town. My trial
followed in due course. 1t created
some stir because there seemed no
strong incitement to the deed. But
my guilt could not be questioned.
There was my confession. There was
the pistol which / had purchased at
the gunsmith's in the Strand Ny
guilt was not questioned. but my
sanity was. And then my name was
known to the public, and my friends
were mon of repute and standing.
received the capital sentence, and
was then respited to penal servitude.
From that long exile I emerged,
gentlemen, three days ago."
Shaws finished his remarkable story
as he had commenced it with lite
or no emotion. He now sighed wear
lily and waited for one Of us to speak.
4IcoWdyS lOOkeU at CuTlOuSly,
and then at me, and then shrugged
his shoulders and got up to fill his
pipe. Was 1t possible that my COM
panion did not credit this tale? He
puffed for a minute or two and then
said:
For more than ten years you have
bit on this secret. Why do you let
1t slip now?"
81 came out to find my friends scat
tered or dead. The league we formed
is no more"
1T was killed, perhaps, by a violent
reaction following upon the desper-
ate measure it took in regard to Nc
Marsh?"
Perhaps. At any rate, it is dis
solved" was the spiritless response.
you speak with somber sadness
Shaws. Don't you want me to do
anything for you?"
You cannot without bringing
down my old confrere Willis. I
should not wish you to do so. Be
sides, 1t is too late"
Yes, indeed. You have purged the
crime, and the chapter would seem
to be closed" answered Tredways
with thoughtfulness. He turned to
me with the remark: do you want to