Show aill THOU d ft D Y ERNEST T ST WO wv H 0 auldor A bor of CRACKSMAN RAFFLES W etc JILOT RATIONS fo 0 an 0 CW compaan CHAPTER X XIV V continued 13 toye cocked his head at both ques question and answer hut but inclined isquick It quick ly ay as Ca cazalet zalee turned to him before proceeding 1 I 1 W went en tAmand in and I 1 found henr craven lying ira in his blood gospel it was waif soI BO I 1 found him lying just where he had fallen in id a heap out of the leather chair at his desko desk the top right hand draw drawer er of his bis desk was open th ekey in lait it and th the erest rest ot of the bunch stilt still swing swinging A revolver lay as it had dropped upon the desk dedic it had upset tha ithe ink and there were cartridges lying loose in tho the open drawer and the revolver was loaded I 1 swept it bade back into he drawer turned the key and removed it with the bunch but there was something else on the d desk e sk that abat silver mounted mounded truncheon and a mans cap was ly lying ingon on the floor I 1 picked them both up my first instinct I 1 co confess it was to re move every sign of of manslaughter and to leave the scene to be reconstructed into one of accident seiz seizure tire anything bit what it wasl was I 1 he paused as it waiting for pt a qu ques es tion none was asked toyes mo mouth jtb might have been sewn up his eyes were like harpine driven into his head bead the other two simply imply stared it was a mad idea but I 1 bad gone mad continued cazalet 1 1 I had hated bated the victim alive and it change me that he was dead or dying that make him q a white man and neither did it necessarily blacken the poor devil who had probably suffered from him like the rest of us and abd only struck him down in self defense the revolver on the desk made that pretty plain it was out of the way but now I 1 saw blood all over the desk as well it was soaking into the blotter and it knocked the bottom out of my idea what Wha was to be done 1 I had m meddled edal ed already how could I 1 give the alarm without giving myself away to that extent and god knows how much further tho the most awful moment of the lot lof came as I 1 hesitated the dinner gong went off in ahe he hall outside th the door I 1 remember watching batchin 9 the dithing on the floor to see I 1 if it would move then I 1 lost my head bead absolutely I 1 turned the key inthe in the door to div give e myself a few seconds grace or s tait start it reminded ahe me of the keys in my hands one of them basone of those little round bramah keys it seemed familiar to me even after so many years I 1 looked up and there was my lathers fathers michael angelo closet with its little round bramah keyhole I 1 opened it as the outer door was knocked at and then tried but my mad instinct ot of altering every pos ible bible appear appearance tace to mislead the police 1 ce stuck to me to the last and I 1 took the mans watch and chain into the closet with mo me as well aa th the e cap and truncheon that I 1 had pic picked ed up before 1 I dont know how long I 1 was above ground so to speak but one of my fathers father s objects had been to make lits his retreat sound tight and I 1 could scarcely hear bear what was going on in the room that tha t encouraged me and two of you dont need telling how I 1 got out through the foundations because you know all about the hole I 1 made myself as a boy in the floor under the oilcloth it took some finding with single matches but the fear of your neck gives you eyes in your finger ends and gimlets giblets gim lets too by jovel jove the worst part was getting out at the other end into the cellars there were hoaps heaps of empty bottles to move one by one before there was room to open the manhole door and to squirm out over the slab and I 1 A thought thought they rang like a peal of bells but I 1 put them allback all back again and apparently apparent li nobody overheard in the scullery the big dog barked at ma me like blazes chedid again the other day but nobody seemed to hear bear him either I 1 got to my boat tipped a fetlow fellow on the towing path to take it back and vly pay for it why the police got hold of him and ran down to the bridge over the weir I 1 stopped a big car with a smoking hla his pipe at the wheel I 1 should have thought hed have come forward for the reward that was put up but I 1 pre tended I 1 w was late for din dinner nerl I 1 had bad in town and 1 I let him drop me at the grand hotel he cost me a fiver but I 1 had au on a waistcoat lined with notes suid and id more than five minutes in hand band at charing cross it if you want to litov krow kr ow it was the time in fit hand that gave m me e the whole idea of doubling back to genoa I 1 must have been halfway up to town before I 1 thought of it 11 ile he had told the whole thing as ho he could tell an actual experience defice that was one reason reason why intang it tang so true to urfe listener at every point but the sick mans sunken eyes had bad advanced from their thear sockets in cumulative ia amazement and lilt toye X laughed shortly when the md v was as reached I 1 you figure sonie some on our credulity ll I 1 was his bis first comment I 1 1 I dont dat figure on anything from you toye except a pair of handcuffs s M a uret first installment toye rose in prof prompt acceptance ot of the challenge seriously cazalet you adkus ask us to bellevo believe that you did all this to screen a man you have hav e time to recognize ive told you the facts well I 1 guess better tell them to to the police toye took his hat bat and stick scruton was struggling from his chair blanche blanch e stood petri fled a dove tinder under a serpents spell aa toye made her a sardonic bow from the landing door you broke your side elde of the contract miss blanchel blanche I 1 guess its up to me ma to complete Wal till it was ns raven croak he had tottered to his bla feet sure said toye it if youve anything you want vant to say as aai an interested party only this hes he told the truth hill I 1 well can he prove it 1 I dont know said scruton but 11 I 1 can you blanche chimed in n there yes id like that drink first isyou it you dont mind cazalet it was bla blanche che who got it for him in an instant thank youl you id say more it if my blessing was worth having havling but heres h s something that Is listen to this you american gentleman I 1 Nya was ethe the man who wrote to him in naples leave it at that a minute tt it was my second letter to him the first wasa as to australia in answer to one from him him it was the full history of my downfall I 1 got a warder to smuggle it out that letter was my one chance 1 I know it by by heart said cazalet it was that and nothing else that made we me leave before the shearing 11 1 to meet me when I came out scruton explained in a hoarse whisper to to keep me from going straight to that man as id told him I 1 should d in my first letter but you cant hit these things off to the day or ar the week hed told me where to write to him on his voyage and I 1 wrote to naples but that letter did riot ot get L 11 1 I you broke your side of th the contract miss blanche smuggled out my warder friend had got the sack back I 1 had to put what id got to say so that you could could re read ad it two ways so I 1 told you cazalet I 1 was going straight up the river for a row and you can pronounce that two ways and I 1 said I 1 hoped I 1 break a scull but theres another way of spelling that and it was the other way I 1 he chuckled grimly 1 I wanted you to lie ile low arid let me lie ile low it if that happened I 1 wanted just one man in the world to know id done it but how we came to miss each other for you timed it to a tick it if you misread me about the river ho he drank again stood straighter straight or and found a fuller voice yet I 1 never meant to do it unless he made me and at the back of my brain I 1 never thought he be would I 1 thought hed do something tor for me after all hed done before shall I 1 tell you what he be did got out his revolver cried cazalet in fit a voice that was his own justitz justification as well pretending it was going to be his checkbook check book said scruton through his teeth but I 1 heard him trying to cock coel tit it inside his drawer there was his constables truncheon hanging on OB the wall sliver silver mounted borall for all the world to know how hed stood up for law and order in the sight c of f benl men I 1 tell you it was a joy to feel the weight of that truncheon and to see bee the hero of trafalgar square tumbling fumbling with a thing he un der stand I 1 hit him as hard as god would let me and the rest you know except that I 1 fi nearly early did trip over tte man who swore it was broad daylight light lightal tat at the time aimel he tottered to the folding doors and stood there a moment pointing to cazalet with a hand hana that twitched its as terribly as his dreadful face no the afie rest you did the rest you did to save what worth saving but I 1 think ill hold hola out long enough to thanh you juica just a lit ilet he wash was gone with a gibbering smile cazalet turned straight to toye at 4 tho the other door well arent yo you going too you were werd near enough you seel aee I 1 im ni an accessory all right he dropped his bis voice butic bu tId tild be principal it ifould instead 0 of friml halml but toye had fiad come back idao in to the room twinkling with triumph even rubbing his hands you see you see I 1 never meant to go at all it was h a bit of bluff tomake to make him 0 own wn up and it did to too bul bully lyt I 1 the couple gasped you mean to tell me cried cazalet that you believed roy my st story all the time why I 1 have a moments doubt about itt it cazalet drew away from the chuckling creature creatura and his crafty glee but blanche came forward and held outlier out her hand band will you forgive me mr toye sure if I 1 had anything to forgive its the other way around 1 I guess and about time I 1 did something to help he edged up to the folding door this isa two man job cazalet themay I 1 make it out guess its my watch on deck I 1 the others the way to the police st station ailon said cazalet densely T toye oye turned solemn on t the word its the way to io hell bell if miss bliss blanch will forgive e met this Is more moie like ilka the other place thanks to you folrn folk atess guess ill leave the angels in charbel ch cb argel angelic or not the pair were alone at jast last and through the doors they heard beard a qu quavering croak of welcome to the rather human god from the american americ a n machine im afraid hell never go back with you to the bush whispered blanche scruton ay yes es 11 im afraid aoge too but 1 I w wanted an ted to take somebody else out too I 1 was trying to say so over a week ago when we were talking about old venus potts blaechle Blanch le will you come 11 1 i THE END youngsters WILL NOT DISPLACE SCHULTE SCHULT V V the general impression seems to be that ball players have outlived their usefulness when they pass the age of thirty this of course la Is disproved by the baseball hans wagner has haa been playing for the pirates this thia year and for the past 12 years prank frank schulte of the cubs also denies that a players ability begins to deteriorate when he passes the age of thirty and Is proving it by the game he has been playing this year there are others others of the same opinion galvy cravath of the tilles says a man should play satisfactorily until he Is forty if he takes care of himself last season and the year before schulte did not play the brand of ball cub fans liked to see he appeared more indifferent than ever and the impression circulated that he was sliding writes oscar C in chicago dally daily news it was doubtful whether he would be one of the regulars on manager tinkers team the tans fans when they formed this opinion did not know that schulte was dissatisfied with his bis managers and the environ environment men and that he did not care a great deal whether school kept or not still he played as well as the average outfielder and closed the season of 1915 with 12 bome home runs runis to his credit manager tinker was somewhat disturbed over schulte when president took over the cubs and made inquiries in various quarters to learn whether the veteran outfielder still retained any of his skill or ability to hit tinker had his doubts and was inclined to favor the younger players besides he was not certain whether frank would have the proper spirit to make a winning combination at M the opening of the season leslie mann was favored but schulte soon showed tinker his mistake and now Is playing better than he ha has done for years cub fans were not slow in observing that he had not gone back any and that he hd really was playing better ball for tinker than he did for chance evers oday or bresnahan remarks have been frequent this spring aprin g concerning his hustling the form he showed at the plate and the manner in which he covered the out outfield if ea d scientifically with cy williams the fans have cheered and encouraged him to drive out the long hits that made him popular on the west side for more than ten years he has haa responded nobly schulte Is surpassing all hla his former early averages and it he continues his present gait he will finish the season with the highest average ho he has ever made in the national league la last a t year his batting figures fugures tor for the first 26 games were only the year before and in 1913 this and his present mark of are conclusive proof that although more than 30 years old he be Is still good enough to be a regular and deserves to be on the cub team cub fans are predicting that schulte will have an excellent year in home run making this season they believe the right field wall at the cub park will be of assistance to hinl him also they contend that he is pulling the ball as strongly as he did in 1911 when he led the national league with 21 home run swats to his credit they are hoping that he be surpasses that and the worlds record of 25 held by buck freeman of washington |