Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1924-04-04

| COlllIHpUCeu 10 unSCTeW III. "A HlUle
exclamation escaped from Francis
lips. The woman looked on with tired
eyes
THE join In the STEEL" Hilditch
pointed out lis so fine as to be un-
distinguishable by the naked eye. Yet
when the blade comes off, like this,
you see that although the weight is
absolutely adjusted, the inside Is hol-
low. The dagger itself Is encased in
this cotton wool to avoid any rattling
/ put 1t away in rather a hurry the
last time / used 1t, and as you see l
forgot to clean It,"
Francis staggered back and gripped
at the mantelpiece. His eyes were
filled with horror. Very slowly, and
with the air Of one engaged upon some
interesting task, Oliver Hilditch had
removed the blood-stained sheath of
cotton wool from around the thin bla de
Of a Notwithstanding stiletto, on
which was also a long stain Of en-
crusted blood
There Is a handle" he went on,
which is perhaps the most Ingenious
thing of all. You touch a spring here,
and beholdw
He pressed down two tiny supports
which opened upon hinges about four
inches from the top of the handle.
There was now complete hilt.
with this little weapon" he ex-
planned, "the point is so sharpened and
| the steel so wonderful that it Is not
necessary to stab. 1t has the perfec-
tion Of a surgical instrument. You
have only to lean 1t against a GER
tain point in mans anatomy, lunge
ever so little and the whole thing is
done. Come here, Mr.. Ledsam. and
/ ! will show you the exact spot"
Francis made no movement His
eyes were fixed upon the weapon.
"It had only knOwn!" he muttered.
"My dear fellow, If you had," the
other protested soothingly, "you know
perfectly well that it would not have
J made the slightest difference. Perhaps
that little break in your voice would
not have come quite so naturally the
! little sweep Of your arm towards me,
| the man whom a moments thoughtless-
ness might sweep into Eternity, would
| have been a little sitter, but what
matter? You would still have done
! your best and you would probably still
have succeeded. You don't care about
trif1ing with Eternity, eh? Very well,
I will find the place for you"
Hilditch's fingers strayed along his
shirt-front until he found a certain
! spot. Then he leaned the dagger
against it, his forefnger and second
finger pressed against the hilt. His
| eyes were fixed upon MS guests. He
seemed genuinely interested Francis,
glancing away for a moment, was sud-
denly conscious of new horror. The
woman had leaned a little forward
in her easy-chair until she had at
tanned almost crouching position. Her
eyes seemed TO be measuring the dis
tance from where she sat to that quiv-
ering thread of steel.
You see, Ledsam," his host went
on that point driven now at that
angle would 60 clean through the vital
parr Of my heart. And II needs no
force, either--just the slow pressure
Of these two fingers. What did you
say, Margaret?' he inquired, breaking
off abruptly
The woman was seated upon the
very edge of her chair, her eyes rivet-
ed upon the dagger. There was no
change in her face, not a tremOr In her
tone.
Il said nothing" she replied. II
did not speak at all. was just watch
ing"
Hilditch turned back to his guest.
"These two fingers" he repeated,
"and a flick of the wrist-very little
more than would be necessary for
thirty-yard putt right across the
green"
found his bearings to a certain extent.
Il am sorry that you have told me
this, Mr.. Hilditch," he said, little stiff
fly.
"Whyf" was the puzzled reply. II
thought you would be interested
an lulcIcStcu W LllS cAtChlt
Francis declared, II shall accept no
more cases such as yours unless I am
convinced of my clients innocence I
look upon your confession to me as
being in the worst possible taste, and
regret very much my efforts on your
behalf"
The woman was listening intently.
Hilditch's expression was one of cyni-
cal wonder. Francis rose to his feet
and moved across to his hostess.
"Mrs. Hilditch," he said. "will you
allow me to make my apologiesf Your
husband and I have arrived at an un-
derstanding-or perhaps l should say
a Misunderstanding renders
the acceptance Of any further hospi-
tality on my part impossible"
She held out the tips Of her fingers.
II had no idea,' she observed. with
gentle sarcasm. that you barristers
were such purists morally. thought
you were rather proud of being the
last hope Of the criminal classes"
Madam" Francis replied, Il am