American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1921-06-24
CHAPTER VII.
| Seek Miss conrad-The Threads Be-
come Tangled.

! Seek Miss conrad-The Threads Be-
come Tangled.
/ grasped the thing In my hand,
holding II up incredulously into what
ever faint light l could find. There
was no question AS to It's Identity |
could not doubt. This was the same
peculiar ornament l had observed that
evening In the girls hat, or else Its
exact mate. l recalled the quaint
shape OF the miniature hlt too clearly
10 be mistaken. Then this car was the
n In which she had departed with
Gustave Alva two hours before. What
had occurred I'm the meanwhile7 Some.
thing serious evidently. The dagger
on the floor would indicate a struggle,
or at least a hasty departure from the
vehicle.
/ stood staring at II, slowly compre-
bending the probable meaning OF those
dark stains on the blade. Their ma.
ture could not be determined in so
dim n light, yet when | touched them
with my finger II became dlscolored.
My God could II be blood? Blood Il
was blood then this had been n scene
of tragedy, of awful crime perhaps.
The discovery sickened me but | had
10 go on. | wrenched open the for.
ward door and peered fearfully with
I'm. ! could not but know instantly
what ! saw dim, huddled form
lenning forward across the steering
wheel, n hand yet on the spokes,
with head dangling helplessly, upheld
only by contact with the windshield.
/ knew the man was lead before |
touched the cold hand; his very pos.
ture told that-nnd how hi had died
instantly, from a stab In the back. /
could not see his features, the dark
ness hid them, but desperation drove
me 10 pass my hand over the con-
cealed face; the upturned mustache,
the exposed teeth, grinning ironically
in death, left 40 doubt az 10 who he
was-the Chilean soldier and attache,
Captain Alva. The awful horror OF Il
paralyzed my very brain. She must
have done thisi That girl must have
killed him But why7 for what rea-
SOM for what purpose7 Could IL have
p''h - aAHWNA W lAFulI Ilnu Ilt
man dared 10 press his advances once
they were alOne7 and had she re-
slsted1 ] would not question his in
clination, yet this was not possible
The knife lay on the floor behind him,
just as plucked, b~lood-stained, from
the wound. The girl, then, was not
even riding beside him she could not
be 10 have dealt such a bl0w-sho
must have been alone in the rem pn'
There In the dark, unnOticpd 90 30
man driving, she had leaned '
and driven that sharp blndr
ly home 70 fhc> heart.
pected nothing In time to raise even
an arm In self.defense. Then dazed, |
frightened by her terrible deed, for
getful even Of the knife In her terror,
she had dashed II TO the floor and fed
into the darkness, leaving the rear
door open behind her.
That was the story; that must be
the story. Ny mind pictured the scene
In all It's horror. Yet what could ac-
count for such an actf What cause
could transform this woman, This
smiling-faced girl, into a ~murderess7
Her leaving that weapon behind
would seem 10 proclaim that the deed
was done in haste, on the spur Of the
moment; that II had not been In any
way premeditated and planned. 9th
erwfse she would have guarded
such danger Of discovery.
Why, that carelessness alone might
ruin every hope Of escape. might bring