Adventure Magazine Cover, October 1911 — page 108: what you’re looking at

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

1054 the pistol, to a less distance. Do I make mysclf clear?”’ ‘It’s as clear as noonday!”’ said the Gen- eral. ‘All he had to do after setting his hideous contrivance was to place his fore- head against the muzzle and make one sweep with his knife! I warrant the vil- lain’s hand was steady enough. Then ten seconds later there would be nothing but his own body, a couple of little trees, stand- ing as they stood before, the pistol a hun- dred and fifty feet away, and—all the evi- dence prepared to send Geoffrey to the gallows! No doubt that scene when Geof- frey threatened the old man was specially prepared for the benefit of the one witness. That girl was in the habit of following the path from the village every day about the same hour, and Variole was, no doubt, aware of the fact and counted on it. But how did he get hold of Geoffrey’s revolver?”’ ‘“‘The fact that he did was one of the points which from the first strengthened my theory,” replied Vokes. ‘‘You will re- member that he paid a visit to his nephew’s house the morning before the tragedy, and, not finding him in, waited for some time. There was nothing to prevent his taking the pistol then. Possibly he went for that very purpose. Everything points to the most carefully and deliberately prepared Adventure scheme. His very remark to Masten here, the night before the murder: ‘I am going to leave him something to remember me by,’ shows how determined was his purpose.” “Thank God, it has been foiled!” cried the General heartily. ‘They say one should speak nothing but good about the dead, but if ever ”” He threw his hands up with a sort of despairing gesture. ‘‘Come,”’ he said, ‘let us carry the good news to Geof- frey.”’ OF THE subsequent events there is little need to speak. That night we slept at Croftwith Hall and Vokes, to a late hour, went over, with manifest delight, the huge stock of fishing flies which the General had accumulated, and discours- ing learnedly on his favorite hobby with our host, who was almost as great an enthusiast as my friend. At the inquest the following night, Vokes appeared, greatly to the dis- comfiture of the local police, and his evi- dence, briefly given, resulted in the only verdict possivle under the circumstance. There is a mile of well-preserved trout stream, which runs through the lands of Croftwith Hall, and next week, if all goes well, Vokes and I are going to enjoy the hospitality of General Warbury and Geof- frey Variole. cComicloooks 5}