Evening star., 1921-04-17
DOOM RED RIVER

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Of leaving camp and the time they
embarked in the cancer?
I'VE never was in no canoe. assert
ed Carshaw. '"Them's dipping blisters
/. on my hans"
I'VE amt dipped since a week ago,
retorted the oreman. Speak on. Mis-
| ter. Did you see EN- take the canoe:
NO living eye saw them, in all prob
ability. from the time they left Hang
ging Bridge to their arrival IN the
city"
Then what are you projeckin al
with your talk against honest folk?
challenged Carshaw.
But 1 can tell you-I think I can
tell you something of what they die
and said about 2 o'clock"
Three minutes" croaked Tapley
| Three minutes is up an moren.
The foreman pushed him back. and
he huddled close to Carshaw. whis-
| pering hurriedly.
THE two men came down the road
| until they reached the canoe, as the
buoy" pursued the narrator. The
electric searchlight at her prov
| flooded the roadway. The wayfarers
could not endure the light: they had
| that on their souls which made them
feel that the light-ray was great
HHScF pointing tncn Oul. 4hSy
| shrank back into the shadow of the
palmettoes fringing the sulphur
| spring"
"a lie. A lie! A lie." wheezed the
huge old man lamentably.
THE prints are in the soft mud. too
plain to be mistaken. There is the
deep mark of a very heavy man. and
| the impress of a twisted foot"
"Tweakin' me on my haltness" said
the cripple in venomous voice. I'll
settle that later Well. allowin' we
was there. anybody's got right to
take a drink from the spring. l
| reckon"
Certainly. Small wonder that you
drank. Your throats were perhaps
parched. You were nerve-wrecke ed
particularly Mr.. Tapley. You talked
in whispers about what happened al
Hanging bridge. One of you. perhaps,
spoke OF the difficulty of nnding any
I think. urged the large sum of money
on the body"
You think?"- interrupted the fore
man. III you heard all this talk.
| whyn't you know"
| Yes" murmured a voice from the
group, whats about all this chat and
prate: We want the murderer"
so do ]. gentlemen. Nobody able to
report the conversation accurately
heard it. But one point which l am
| coming to presently will be definite
! enough. Mr.. Carshaw. perhaps, ar
gued that it was foolish to have left
| the place empty-handed. and that If
he had not surrendered to Mr.. Tap
ley's fears they could have had the
money which they had seen displayed
| by Mr.. Delano that noon. He may
even have suggested that they return.
think did say that the river showed
red in the pistol flash (here the old
man seemed to be ckoking) and that
nothing would induce him to venture
| into such troubled waters. All this is
more or less hypothetical. Now we
full of memories. An ancient super
stition was harrying him internally.
| He gave expression to it,"
Stretching out his arms until point
ed at the shaking and preposterous
girth of Tapley. the professor recited:
Doom river clear.
Naught to fear.
Doom river red
SpewS
"oh. my Gawd" shrieked the old
! man. wrapping his arms over his
/ eyes. "Oh. my Gawd! He done it,
Saul done 1t. He shot him. on Hans
bridge. From benin he shot hiln
whilst The oily old voice failed
away into mutterings and stranglings
saul Carshaw." said the little pro-
fessor, II charge you with the mur-
der"
I'm get you first" shouted Car
shaw.
He snatched at his belt. There was
la dim CLEAN in his hand. Then he
turned his head over his shoulder and
downward as If selecting a suitable
spot, slowly folded his legs under
him. sat down and rolled on his face.
Not until then, as it seemed to me,
did I identify the sound and source
of the shot which the deputy sheriff
had fired from his window. He walk
ed into the stricken group.
This is my man." said he. settling
his grasp on the quivering mountain
of flesh. "You-aH boys nights well
go home now, I reckon"
Il reckon you're right" answered
the foreman. and led his followers
away.
THE little professor walked into the
main room and sat down, staring
into the fire. All of US followed and
clustered about except the lovers. who
sat close and still on the dim stair
way.
1T was wonderful. Prof. Rainey."
said Hecker. quite meekly for so cock
sure a person. How did you get your
first clue?
From certain elemental factors of
psychology" returned the other
wearily. Such a condition of semi
trance as Mr.. Charlton was in. when
it finds vocal expression, usually up
sets subconscious memory. Given the
fact of the murder and his recital, in
connection with it, of a question so
the memory of the locality, and the
rest was simple. He must have hal
that from some local inhabitant old
enough to have known the slave
hunts. There are few left. One OF
those few is man who knew be-
forehand of poor Delano's wild
turkey plans, and also knew that he
was carrying temptingly large sum
of money.
"The finding Of the footprints of
Tapley and his junior, but superior.
partner Carshaw was hardly neces-