Evening star., 1927-12-05

"Tell your storyw ordered Capt.
Francis Newcombe shortly.
"Well, when / went up there from
here" said Runnells, II saw the
house all lit up and the blacks oil
running around and the whole place
humming. And they spotted me,
some of the servants did, and all
began talking at once about the old
bird having shot himself, and they
seemed to take it for granted that /
knew, too--d'ye twig?--that I'd been
in the house, Of course. and had got
up and dressed, having heard the
keep my mouth shut and let 'em
think so--and listen to them. 1t
seems, as near as they knew. that his
nibs had been asleep, and suddenly
wakes up and goes blind off his top
and runs upstairs with revolver and
goes to Locke's room and opens the
door and begins shooting. and all the
time he's screaming out at the top
Of his lungs, You're one of them.
you're one of them; but I'll kill you
before you open itr Locke must have
had his nerve with him. Anyway. he
jumped out of bed and tried to get
the revolver away from the old fool.
BY this time the whole house was
took a hand by trying to collar his
nibs, but Marlin breaks away from
them somehow and runs for the stairs
like a mad bull. He must have trip
ped going down, or knocked his arm,
or something, anyway his revolver
goes off and when they got to him
he was at the bottom of the stairs
with a hole in his head" Runnells
paused for a moment, but, eliciting
no comment, went on again: "Well,
while I was getting all this informa-
ton that was supposed to know,
Locke comes out on the veranda and
spots me. I've just besn to your room,
Runnells,' he says. DO you know
where Capt. Newcombe is?' And
says, No, sir, I don't; leastways,' I
says. I've been too excited to notice.
Then he says I'd better try and find
you, and that gave me the first
chance to get away and cop these
spades. sneaked around through
the woods at the back Of the house
with them"
Capt. Francis Newcombe lighted a
cigarette.
"sneak back with them then, the
same way" he said calmly.
fright" said Runnells.
''Noww said Capt. Francis New.
combe. "And you haven't been able
to find me-"
"Rightr' said Runnells again. and
started off at a run.
Capt. Francis Newcombe began to
| walk leisurely across the beach
toward the path leading to the house.
He puffed leisurely and with i'm
mense content at his cigarette. In
the light Of certain knowledge pos.
sessed by himself alone the whole
thing was as clear as daylight. The
old maniac had wakened up, and in
| some way had discovered for the first
time that his key and book were
gone-that had set him off. 1t was
| rather rough on Locke to have been
selected as the thief! But there was
no accounting for what lunatic
would do!
He was chuckling to himself now.
An explanation of his absence from
the house at this hour? It was too
! simple! Polly would substantate It.
| Polly's scruples about keeping silent
were now useless-to him! He had
thought the old madman must have
| telephoned from the boathouse. He
| got up and dressed, and gone down
to see-and. Of course. had seen moth.
ing!
He hicked his cigarette away. And
now he laughed-laughed with the
same evil joy. the same savage tri.
umph, but magnified a hundredfold
now, with which he had laughed a
there. Only the laughter was silent
now-it was the soul that rocked with
mirth. The gods ere very good! The
black of the night had brought a
dawn of incompatible radiance! That
was poetic! Ha, hal Well, why not
poetry? He was In exquisite humor
1t was like wine in his head-that
too, was poetry. wasn't it?-somebody
had said It was-or something like it
Nor God, nor the devil could stay him
now: He had only to be circumspec
in the house of death-and help him
self. Almost poetry again! Excellent
The old fool dead! Even the trouble
and annoyance Of staging an accident
dead-with his secret. They woult
hunt long time-and it would for
ever be q secret.
Except to Shadow Varne!
Howard Locke stood leaning with
his shoulders against one Of tht
veranda pillars. Behind him. in tht
house. he was conscious Of a sort o.
hushed commotion. Out on the lawr
In front Of him little groups Of ne
!. groes stood staring at the house will
J strained, uplifted faces, or moves
, across his line Of vision in frightened
; pathetically humorous efforts to keel
! an unobtrusive silence-walking OF
tiptoes In their bare feet on the vel
. vet lawn. Queer how the black face
. were mellowed into softer colors II
the early morning light
{ Mr.. Marlin was dead. Locke's eye
, half closed: his lips drew together
compressed In q hard line. Strange
. In 0na sAnsa ha sAenaed still dazA1