The Adair County news., 1922-12-26
CHAPTER v
The Hand in the Aisle.

The Hand in the Aisle.
The man whose interest in the pas
Benger in Section Three of the last
sleeper was most definite and under.
standable and, therefore, most openly
acute, was Conductor Oonnery. Con-
merry had passed through the Pullman
several times during the morning, had
seen the hand which hung out into
the aisle from between the curtains;
but the only definite thought that
came to him was that DOrne was a
sound sleeper.
Nearly all the passengers had now
breakfasted. Connery, therefore, took
a seat in the diner, breakfaSted lei
surely and after finishing, walked
back through the train. DOrne by
now must be up, and might wish to
see the conductor.
AS COnnery entered the last sleeper
his gaze fell on the dial of pointers
which, communicating with the push
buttons in the different berths, tell
the porter which section is calling him,
and he saw that while all the other
arrows were pointing upward, the ar
row marked "3" was pointing down.
DOrne was up, then-for this was the
arrow denOting his berth-or at least
, was awake and had recently rung his
bell
Connery looked in upon the porter,
who was cleaning up the washrOom.
= "Section Three's getting up?" he
asked.
mo NIistah COnnery-nOt yet" the
porter answered.
"What did he ring fOr?" COnnery
looked to the dial, and the porter
came out of the washroom and looked
at it also.
"Fo' the lan's sake. l didn't hear
no ring. Mistah Connery. l. mus have
been when l was out on the plat
form"
Answer it. then" Connery directed.
As the noyrO started to obey. Con-
merry followed him into the open car.
He could see over the negrO's ShOul-
der the hand sticking out into the
aisle, and this time, at sight of it,
COnnery started violently. If DOrne
had rung. he must have moved; a man
who is awake does not let his hand
hang out in the aisle. Yet the hand
had not moved The long, sensitive
fingers fell in precisely the same posi-
ton as before, stif1y separated a
little one from another: they had not
changed their position at all.
'Waitw COnnery seized the porter
by the arm. "Tn answer it myself
He dismissed the negro and waited
until he had gone He looked about
and assured himself that the car ex,
cept for himself and the man lying
behind the curtains of Section Three
was empty. Walking briskly as
though he were carelessly passing VI
the aisle. he brushed hard against the
hand and looked back, eXclaiming an
apology for his carelessness.
The hand fell back heavily, inertly
and resumed it's former position and
hung as white and lifeless as before
No response to the apology came from
behind the curtains; the man in the
berth had not reused. COnnery rushed
back to the curtains and touched the
hand with his fingers. 1t was cold
He seized the hand and felt it al
over; then, gasping, he parted the cur
tRlns and looked into the berth. HC
stared; his breath whistled out; hi
shoulders jerked, and he drew back
Instinctively pressing his two clencheC
hands against his chest and thepOcke
which held President Jarvis order.
The man in the berth was lying oil
his right side facing the aisle; the lef
side of his face was thus exposed
and it had been crushed in by a vic
lent blow from sohe heavy weapon
which, too blunt to cut the skin an,
bring blood, had fractured the cheek
bone and bludgeoned the temple. Tn
proof of murderOus violence was S,
plain that the conductor, as he saw
the face in the light, recoiled Wit
staring eyes, white with horror.
BE looked up and down the aisl
20 assure himself that no one hai
entered the car during his examina
fse- then he carefully drew the cm
tains together ogain, and hurried t