The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-07-07
CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER VII.
I Seek Miss conrad-The Threads Be-
come Tangled.
rasped the thing in my hand
holding it up incredulously into what.
ever faint light I could find. There
was no question as to it's identity;
could not doubt. This was the same
peculiar ornament I had observed that
evening in the girls hat, or else its
| exact mate. I recalled the quaint
shape of the miniature hlt too clearly
to be mistaken. Then this car was the
! one in which she had departed with
| Gustave Alva two hours before. What
had occurred in the meanwhile? Some.
thing serious evidently. The dagger
J on the floor would indicate struggle.
or at least hasty departure from the
vehicle,
/ stood staring at 1t, slowly compre'
hending the probable meaning OF those
dark stains on the blade. Their ma
ture could not be determined in so
dim q light, yet when I touched them
with my finger 1t became discolored.
MY God! could it be blood? Blood! 1t
was blood; then this had been a scene
Of tragedy, of awful crime perhaps.
The discovery sickened me. but I had
to 20 on. I wrenched open the for.
ward door and peered fearfully with
In. I could not but know instantly
what saw-a dim, huddled form
leaning forward across the steering
wheel, one hand yet on the spokes,
with head dangling helplessly, upheld
only by contact with the windshield.
knew the man was dead before I
touched the cold hand; his very pos
ture told that-and how he had died
instantly, from stab in the back. !
could not see his features, the dark
ness hid them, but desperation drove
me to pass my hand over the con-
cealed face. the upturned mustaehe,
the exposed teeth. grinning ironically
in death, left no doubt as to who he
was-the Chilean soldier and attache,
Captain Alva. The awful horror OF 1t
paralyzeG my very brain. She must
have done this! That girl must have
killed him! But why? for what rea-
son? for what purpose? Could it have
been in answer to insult? Had the
man dared to press his advances once
they were alone? and had she re-
sisted? I would not question his in.
clination, yet this was not possible
The knife lay on the floor behind him,
Just as plucked, blood-stained, from
the wound. The girl, then, was not
even riding beside him; she could not
be to have dealt such blow-she
must have been alone in the rear seat.
There in the dark, unnoticed by tn"
man d::,tng, she had leaned forward.
and driven that sharp blade un"rii:..
" home to the heart. H. lad s.:s'
pected nothing in time to raise even
ap arm in self-defense. Then, dazed,
frightened by her terrible deed, for
getful even Of the knife in her terror,
she had dashed it to the floor and fled
into the darkness. leaving the rear
door open behind her.
That was the story; that must be
the story. My mind pictured the scene
in all it's horror. Yet what could ac-
count for such an act? What cause
could transform this woman, this
smiling-faced girl, into a murderess!
Her leaving that weapon behind
would seem to proclaim that the deed
was done in haste, on the spur or the
moment; that it had not been in any
way premeditated and planned. 9th
erwise she would have guarded
against such danger Of discovery.
Why, that carelessness alone might
ruin every hope of escape, might bring
her to the electric chair-it was
damning evidence.
I dare not remain there in the
presence Of this grisly spectacle. 10
be found would fasten the hideous
crime upon me, while such story as
must tell would never be believed.
did not know even who she really was,
or where she might be. I cared moth
ing for Alva's death; horrible as 1t
was. I was conscious Of no regret, but
I must not be mixed up in the affair.
The only thing for me to do was to
disappear, and leave the police to
make their own discovery. And the
knife? the weapon which had done
the deed? What should I do with
that?
1 did not hesitate long. 1 would
protect her from discovery II could;
at least until I was myself convinced
OF her guilt. There was no longer
the slightest doubt in my mind but
what this was her act. Everything
pointed straight toward her. Yet
there might be q reason, a worthy
cause, and, in any case, she had done
q service to the country. The world
was better off with this cOnspirator
dead; nor would I denounce the one
who had taken his life. l hid the
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