Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-07-30

at him. Prove what- I asked
Who killed my friend came the
reply.
Wondering if 1 heard Alright I
gasped, You know who killed
/ Rice
He simply nodded. the fine face
stern. tine lips tight In a second,
seeing my wondering LOOK he half
smiled as he answered. Yes, / know
now. But the legal proofs viii be
the hardest OF all"
BY the elevator door he paused
as II thinking Of something Then
he turned TO me Peit, you better
stay here for at least forty minutes
so il l want You I can get you at
once"
FHnging the elevator door open,
he stepped within but did not close
the door after him Instead there
/ came q thoughtful look over his
face as he once more repeated the
line Of Chaucer N q mEsing tone.
j Then he spoke:
~Chaucer was right, Murder viii
. out / am going 20 town On one Of
the remotest chances have evel
taken-one in . million. Yet some
through There in some nemesis
kills Blind chance steps forth.
interposes facts and motives So
with my trip 20 town. it's the one
little ftp that fate may have taken
II SO. I have my man" He paused
for q moment. adding as he closed
the door TO descend. Have him
cold
Startled by his words. stood gax-
ing rather biankiy at the wall for q
few moments. Try as could.
failed 10 understand what he had
discovered that made him think he
knew the murderer. When he came
into the room. he had No idea who
the guilty person might be- He had
said that But his very tone and
air convinced me he was sure now.
Besides BARLEY never made positive
statements OF that kind unless he
was sure ! knew that from past
experience.
that had given him his positive
tone. True, / realized that the dis
oovery that the door would not lock
. by the spring catch had changed the
theory we had been working or The
murderer could not have left the
room and simply closed the door
and. by that. locked il The key had
been found inside and the door had
TO be locked with the key, locked
from inside the room. That left the
windows as the only means OF
escape. True. that meant walking
: the narrow ledge and sliding down e
copper pipe 10 the ground. Some
I how Il seemed almost impossible.
Yet il was TIE only way out Of the
room tina: had been left But some
/ how I had the idea that the thing
BARLEY had discovered was OF more
: importance than the fact the spring
: lock did not Work. What !. was, J
could not tel.
i Giving il up as 2 had Job. wen.
into the library. For a while bent
over the cases which contained the
/ parchments. knew little about
them. besides the knowledge that
i they were the work OF the monks OF
I The twelfth century and onward
/ The gay-colored letters. still bright
after the centuries, had caused me
( 20 think OF the tired fingers thar
/ long ago had SO carefully traced the
letters The work had been the life
task of many and the though: came
. that those fingers which had ioiisG
50 carefully. hundreds % years ago,
were now dust.
Tired % the ElznuscTip pts ] 3, gan
T 20 look at the books II 1he asses.
I The cases filed all sides O: re Tocm.
cases with glass doors behind which
rested thousands OF dollars worth
OF books In idle curiosity l went
( from case 10 case. giving quick
glance al the contents OF The row @
+ shelves but Tot touching any If the
( bcohs. I would have been Unable to
LOOK az most OF them anyway. f.r
the majority Of the cases were
locked.
], was not TIL had reached tie
case by the broken door that
found one unlocked Ny eye caYsht
the title q book that I knew. Il
had seemed OUT O. place in the
room. for the collection was rut
modern az al. being first editions OF
ether days. Opening the glass door.
pulled the back forth
spent = few moments looking AZ
il. reading saatcheS here and there.
smiling once in q while as I saw in
certain lines Characteristic words OF
my friend. Then. through with IL,
started 20 put u back AS did 50.
noticed that the line OF books On
the shelf was a little Cnever. /
started 10 straishtsn them when. In
reaching hack. my hand fell On q
book standing behind the others
against the wall OF the case.
Hardly thinking what I did, and
p-esuniag the book perhaps had
fallen out Of place pulled Il forth.
started TO place IL back in the row
cf books when ny eyes suddenly fell
OF the title. Il was = thin book Of
about twice the usual breadth and
, the letters on the cover were faded
with axe, SO faded I could barely
make them out But as glanced
az them. suddenly caught my
breath and stood silent. There
ran the words I soanetti lussuriosi
hand the missing book. worth 33s,-
Geo
For a while I could only stare at
g. lot even turning the pages When
] opened il. my eyes fell OF the
faded Italian letters that were at the
i bottom Of each engraving. The less
said about tie engTavings the better.
for even though I was alone, my
face flushed as I looked at them
( The thought came 20 me that IL
seemed a very small book TO be
worth 50 much money. There were
I only between Fifty and sixty pages
E and, as remember. sixteen OF
seventeen eagravtngS- They were
drawn in 4 day when times were
more free than ours. yet the subjects
( even then caused trouble knew.
/ Of course. the value Of the book did
not depend upon its size but on the
fact IL was the criy enc in the
world
Z P1zxied AZ my discovery Of the
-
ssreif 20 see II there vas ANYTHING
. II. l.