Henderson daily dispatch., 1937-01-16

with a cold note In MS voice that
had suddenly become hard.
what do you mean?" The
woman's face had gone dead
white.
You were expecting your hus-
band-Mr. Hucks, from the Bull
Inn, Mrs. Hucks," he said deliber-
ately, and his hand clasped on his
automatic in his pocket.
The pince-nez she always wore
clattered from face on the floor,
and the dark staring eyes cleaned
venomously at him.
They remained silent, rigid,
each listening for any sound from
without. And then the stiffness
was broken by the dreadful sound
Of the baying Of the bloodhounds.
The woman half rose from her
couch and a CHASTITY look Of horror
came to her face. She placed her
hand on the glass that stood half
full on the table, and raised it..
"Stop, put that down" Selden
shouted, and snatched the glass
from her, finging it to the floor.
mot that way, Mrs. Hucks," he
said, and the woman dropped with
moan down on the couch, cover
ing her face with her hands.
They listened in silence, only the
dreary sound Of the rain pattering
on the windows like leaves on a
coffin broke the stiffness. And
then the sounds came nearer, a
hideous discordant lust for blood
in the bell-like notes, and Selden
rushed to the door, drawing his
automatic.
An awful scream split the night,
and then the sound Of shots. Sell
den wrenched the door open, and
the rain blew in with a gust of
sudden wind. Mrs. Thornton, with
look Of unutterable horror on her
face, had slipped from the couch,
and ran after him, her ankle sud-
denly recovered. Selden rushed in
the direction Of the shots.
BY the old oak, at the corner of
the little garden, his electric torch
revealed a CHASTITY sight. A man
was lying on the. ground, while
two ormous hounds were
sprawled on his body.
Selden tugged at the dead
hounds, and then even his strong
nerve nearly gave way. The white
cleaning teeth Of a, bloodhound
were buried in the throat of
Hucks, the landlord Of the Bull
Inn, and the other hound had his
arm in a crushing wise, strong
even in death. There was a ter
rible cry, and Mrs. Thornton tot
tered forward and flung herself on
the man.
"Jim! Jim!" she screamed in
coherently.
With the aid Of the barrel Of his
pistol, Selden with difficulty opened
the strong jaws Of the beasts, and
flung them from the man. He
knelt down and examined him.
while the woman, in a paroxysm
OF weeping, chung to the ex-prize
lighter, muttering endearing words
and sobbing bitterly.
| Selden gazed at the scene. still
FOCUSING his powerful torch on the
dead man. He spoke without a
trace Of sympathy in his voice.
1T was a terrible end, Mrs.
Hucks, but it has saved him from
the gallows. 1t is not as 1 had
planned, but perhaps it is best"
There was the sound Of a car
drawing up outside the cottage,
and Hutchins came forward brisk
~ followed by his two men.
what's all this, Selden? We
heard a deuce of noise going on
pistol shots and what sounded
IKE those Internal bloodhounds."
L will explain everything to
you, Hutchins, as Is only right. but
briefly Hucks was Q coming here
with murderous intent, with the
neip OF his wife; who has posed as
MRS. Thornton up till now. Hucks
mas been killed by the blood
mounds. Mrs. Hucks is lamenting
over him. You had better get
your men to carry the body into
the cottage"
"Hucks-Mrs. Thornton! Are
you mad, Selden?"
Ihey are the murderers Of Sir
Henry Scveringe. and wonld have