Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-09-01
By DAVIS WtHITELAW

E
-.
Y bling pitifully. He heard the treao
OF q policeman IN his beat, n Iol
one tense moment the light ron :
!. lantern flashedIsto on the anu
There would ID workmen about
I! and .milkmen \ ON. their early ROUNDS
{! They would take notice Of q flgure
in evening dress which was seen leav:
ling a. house at that hour: and woulo
4 remember 1t afterward to his UNDO
ing. He called to mind cases in which
such evidence had placed the p
rounds mems necks
Besides, there was the body-he
could not leave 1t there staring W
at him. He could just make out the
!! shapeless figure on the white squar.
i of the rug. He knew that Baxentel
| had intended leaving for Paris In the
morning, and that he had already
sent his servants a~way-thes cook to
1 her home, and his a q to execute 9
! commission for him in the country
After all, perhaps the body would be
as safe where it was as anywhere:
But some force wal working within
him. telling him to hide from the
coming day his CHASTITY handtwork.
VIVIAN told himself that he had not
meant sthis-it was not the first time
| he had used the chloroform-pad
which he carried always IN its little
! case in his breast pocket. It had
been his intention only to drug the So
licitor, and he felt a seethtng resent
ment against the fate which had made
him q murderer in spite Of himself
With .noiseless steps he crossed the
room and opened the door; looking
out fearsomely into the dim and lofty
hall. ~The staircase, wide and carpet
ed, led away up into the gloom, and,
taking his courage in his hands, Wv
ian assembled. The stairs creaked and
cracked like pistol shots through the
silence.
He passed from ghostly Sroom to
ghostly oom the gray dawn giving
to the shrouded furniture and chan
deliers strange and unwonted shapes
glasses. Ascending further. he found
attics crowded with lumber. A win
dow grimy with dirt led out on to the
roof, and Vivian saw that here was
the. hiding place he had been seeking.
Among the chimney stacks and hid
den by the gables. a body might lie
forever undiscovered.
He performed the task vaguely and.
as though in a dream. The burden.
not a heavy one. but It seemed
an eternity Of unreal life before Wv
stack and said that his labor was
nCAP - Hr--s-,IAIhh g-a#YLf H-t.#t HH|NH- -
The fog had lifted with the com
ing of the day and the sun now shone
out hazily. Below him Regent Park
lay, spread u like a gray-green map.
From the Geological Gardens came
the Eoar Of the awakening beasts.
Two sparrows fitted noisily past him,
and fighting. and alighting
on a nearby gable. eyed him narrow
" with their beady yes. From the
street far beneath him there. camo
the jing!s of milk-cans, and someone
was whisrling q comic song.
Lfe-awakening life-in all but
the motionless figure which lay be-
meath the shelter OF q stone coping
at his feet.
Vivian .craw!ed with a ,shudder back
through the window and. so down to
the card-room. The air here was
chill and the. fire vas long past. dead
ashes. The nan seemed to miss the
figure that had been on the rug. He.
shivered, and had recourse to the
bottle again and again.
most in his mind was that he must
spend the whole day in this house.
Of death. It was now close upon.
eight O'Clock. and, peeping between
the blinds, Vivian saw that the life
Of the terrace had begun in earnest
were hurrying past on their
way to the tube station, and the post
was at the house opposite talk
ing through the area ratings with q
servant-maid. He noticed all.
these things with a curious detach-
msnt.
These clerks, hurrying to their
work. would Be passing up till ten
O'clock, and after them would come
the nursemaids with the children and
the ladies of to their shopping, Each
felt that they would all stop and stare
st him. No, there was nothing for It
but to wait until darkness made es-
cape possible. 4
At,the same time, he told himself
he wa perfectly safe where he
was Hubert B%axenter was supposed
70 have left, and none could suspect
q tragedy which had taken place in.
the. night.
But he must be silent, and the
blinds must be left down., and he
must allow himself neither fire nor
light After nightfall the road
would be clear, and in the darkness
he could leave unperceived. He was
elAd that he had removed this thins
h rug; the long white fur was
liattened down at places and he ruff
fled these with his foot.
For ianrno TINA <La gaarN
less in the silence of 4 the darkened
room. The hours passed slowly ana
ne Y have fallen asleep, for ne
awoke TO find himself on the. Chester
Held with the afternoon sun cuttine
bright patterns IN the carpet. The
clock pointed to asquarter to two. He
counted on his fingers thatfthere were
five ore hours at the Least.
vivian was feeling hungry, and.
akih nus way down to the kitchen.
ne found few biscuits and refreshed
himself with these and a Ear e No.
ter taken from the tap, Az I'd
drank, g shadow fell across the vim
low and the tumbler all but dropned
from his nerve1ea0 fingers. He stenned
carefully to the door. MI
the bedroom window.
peered cautiously over the blind.
Two men werc at work insstha d
zen: nd Ydyian watched them with
e cold clutch at. his heart! supposa
they HAD q key ia the house ana wes.s
com u! But sa4ner 1udgmert 9told
him tina ~ va hardly likely, and
that they were gardeners end would
use the side door. Nevsrtheleas their
presence was m added terror II
imprisoned nan The ttck-tackEof tins
clock came through the folding doors,
I'LL spelled out murder. but not