The Coolidge examiner., 1935-05-10

lnCNNFu 10 tA4NEs ne was EfsFLuERtu
most By his speculation concerning
Z the things be could not see. d.
wouldn't care 20 put In the two
hours that Wrcde spent between
eight o'clock and ten that night. lie
realized that some decision must be
made-that some action must be
taken. But he bad nothing what
ever 20 20 OF 4: bis Imagination was
his only guide
And be came back z" said Mark
ham huskily.
Yea nodded Vance. he came
back Tie bad 10 come back But
IN that interim Of his indecislou
something Unforeseen and horrible
had taken place Brisbane bad re
turned 20 the housc-be had re-
turned siealth.iy. letting himself in
with his own key. lie had returned
70 Kin his brother, lie looked into
The library the lights we're on. but
Archer WAS not there. lie went 90
the drawer OF the table and took
oui the revolver. Then be went up.
stairs Perhaps be saw the light
through Archer's bedroom door. lie
opened the door.
Vance paused.
~ know. Markham. am in
cliued TO think that Brisbane vas
prepared FOR any emergency lie
had worked our a scheme for killing
Archer. placing him IN his bedroom
with the revolver In his hand. and
then boiling the door from the bail.
50 as to make IL appear as suicide
And when he saw Archer sitting ln
bis easy chair. apparently asleep. he
no doubt felt that the fates were
with him. that his road bad been
made easy. ] can see him iip;oeius
across the room TO the easy chair
where the other sat eau soc blm
place the revolver against Archer's
right temple and pull the trigger
The Impact of the bullet drove Arch.
crs head to the left Then can
see brisbane place the revolver IN
Archers hand and return 20 the
door. where he carefully put In op-
GRAFTON the mechanism he had
worked out for boiling the door
from the hall My word.
Markham. what a situation '-Brls-
baue shooting a dead man. and then
deliberately setting the stage 10
prove that Il was suicide -
Good Cd z" hreathed Markham.
"Bui during this tragic farce,
Vance went on. "wrede bad arrived
az a decision. lie had decided 10
come back 10 Archer Coe and I'm
.sh. tor all time. the crime which
apparently he had only started. He
bethouEhi himself % the Ting yao
vase he had broken. and perhaps
fearing It's absence would BE- noted
he picked ont "a sup.rfcially slni
lar vase from his own small collec
ton and carried lt back 10 the Cee
house. The hour. should say. was
around ten o'clock. Wrede
opened the gate of the rear yard.
aud left 70 aJar: and IL was then
that the Sco,ue folloNcl him on
his dark errand lie wE1t In the
rear door % the Coe house. leaving
II open-and the Scoitle followed.
Everything was black and siill. lie
went through the dining room into
the library. and placed his own In.
ferlor vase on the teakwood base
where the Ting yao vase had stood.
lie took the dagger from the vase
In which be had hidden Il, and
moved toward the hall.
Vance raised himself a little ln
bis chair.
"And when be reached the door.
Markham. be saw a figure coming
down the stairs from the second
floor. There was a light Ia the a.
brary. but Ii was not sufficient 20
make possible al absolute recogni.
ton OF the figure on the stairs. To
wrede that figure was Archer
(Archer and Brisbane. youll recall.
were OF the same height and gen.
eral build. and they did not look
dlsslmllarl. Wrede stood behind
the portleres at the library door.
the dagger grasped In his hand. and
waited TIL his opportunity came.
The shadowy figure came down the
stairs and walked toward the closet
door az the end Of the hall.--Bris.
bane was no doubt going back for
the oyercoat and hat which he had
left there on coming In. But Wrede.
with his infiamed Imagination. as-
sumed that Archer was preparing
10 leave the house TO tell some one
OF the attack-to report him 10 the
police. perhaps He couldn't be sure
he only knew that IL spelled dan.
ger for himself. And be was more
thoroughly determined than ever TO
put an end 10 Archer.
brisbane. as | now see II, had
just placed the strings. which he
had used for boltlng Archer's door.
In the pocket OF his top-coat. when
wrede came silently upon him from
behind and thrust the dagger into
his back. He collapsed immediate
ly. and wrede pushed the body.
which he thought was Archer's, en-