Adventure Magazine Cover, October 1911 — page 101: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Detective for the Defense some little distance from the path. Just as she passed she saw Geoffrey break out in anger and shake his fist in the old man’s face; while the latter appeared to be trying to soothe him. That was the last seen of the old man alive. “Three hours later one of the mzid- servants on her way to the village saw the body of a man lying in the grove, and gave the alarm. It proved to be that of Almaric Variole. There was a bullet-hole in the center of the forehead, which was blackened with powder and scorched, showing that the pistol had been held almost against the head. In his hand was a short hunting- knife, the edge of which had been ground to a razor-like keenness. It was evident that he had drawn the weapon in offense or defense but had not had time to use it. “‘And now comes the most damning evi- dence against poor Geoffrey. A hundred and fifty feet away, in the mud of the marsh, was found the pistol with which the crime had been committed, evidently thrown there by the murderer in his flight. It was a heavy army revolver, and engraved on the silver plate on the butt were Geoffrey’s own initials. TF rested. He protested his innocence, saying that he and his uncle had stood for some time conversing most ami- cably, when suddenly, and without any pre- monition, the old man uttered a most un- forgivable insult against the young wife. He admits that he spoke fiercely in reply and in his anger shook his fist at the other, but denies that he used the slightest vio- Ience. His uncle apologized most profusely and the young man allowed himself to be placated. They talked for about ten min- utes longer, when Variole walked over to the pathway, looked up and down it and, returning, said, ‘Now that there is no chance of eavesdropping I am going to talk petty. He broke out in a violent tirade against Mrs. Variole, and Geoffrey, fearing that he might be tempted to strike the old man, turned on his heel, walked along the path in the opposite direction from that by which they had come, and went straight home. : “This was about three o’clock, according to Geoffrey, and the story of the girl con- firms this, as she distinctly remembers hear- ing the church clock strike a few minutes “GEOFFREY was at once ar- 1047 after she saw the two men. A laborer, ditching in a near-by field, heard a shot about this time, but can not specify the exact hour. “That is practically the whole story. As the inquest will be resumed to-morrow night, and considering the evidence, there is no doubt as to what the verdict will be. Know- ing Geoffrey as I do, lam convinced that he is innocent of the crime, but I can not but admit that it looks very black against him.” “Thank you,” said Vokes when the re- cital was concluded; “‘you have stated the case very Clearly. There are two points which are strongly in Mr. Variole’s favor. In the first place, men in this country do not go about armed. It is clear, therefore, that whoever killed the old man went to the ‘Grove’ prepared to do so. Mr. Variole was aware that a witness had seen his burst of anger and, had he gone to the rendez- vous with murderous intent, common sense would have told him that it would be wiser to postpone it. In the second place, there was no occasion to throw away the weapon, which would surely be identified. The finding of the pistol near the scene of the crime looks very much like a blind to fasten the murder on the owner of the weapon. What has young Mr. Variole to say regard- ing the revolver?” “That is one of the perplexing points in the problem,” replied the General. ‘‘The pistol formed a rather inconspicuous item among a large number of trophies in Geof- frey’s study. He has not the slightest idea when it was removed, or who could have done so. None of his servants can throw any light on the subject, and all deny hav- ing touched it;.- moreover, none of them noticed its absence.” “‘And the hunting-knife?”’ queried Vokes. “It had been in Almaric Variole’s pos- session for many years. Why he should have taken it with him, unless he himself contemplated murder, is another mystery. He had more than one pistol in the house which would have been a better protection if he anticipated any possible violence from his nephew. It is an extraordinary case, Mr. Vokes. Now that you have heard the details, what do you think of it?” “It is an interesting one,” replied Vokes. “There are some very remarkable points about it, but it is too early to form an opinion. I should like first to visit the spot where the body was found. May I ask you C© Gbooks CO