Argosy and Railroad Man's Magazine — page 83: what you’re looking at

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

GREEN out of his room that night jist before eight bells with the spider-box in his hand—” “How do you know Letcher came out of his room just before eight bells that night?” asked Falkens. “How do I know? How do I knowd Ain’t I to believe my own eyes?” “You saw him, then?” 6 Sure.” “Where were your” “IT was a goin’ to the engine-room down the starb’d alleyway. Jist as I turned into the shaft I see some one comin’ from near Letcher’s room to go out on the ’tween- decks.” “Did you see his face?” “How kin you see a face through the back of the dome? He was stoopin’ over; that’s why he didn’t look as tall as Letcher, an’ was a wearin a long kimony or dressin’- gown; carried somethin’ in his hand. What could be plainer ’n that? Letcher, a bug- catcher with a room full 0’ spiders. Poison —hbite—spiders—an’ the skipper croaked. Letcher—that’s the answer to that ques- tion.” “Ts that your only reason for thinking Mr. Letcher caused Jessup’s death?” Mankus, who had settled back in his chair with a self-satisfied look, now leaned forward again and planked-his huge hands upon the table. “ That’s as ye might think; but I ain’t a tellin’ all I know. Ain’t this reason enough?” “No!” rejoined Falkens emphatically. “You didn’t see:the man’s face; you didn’t see exactly which room he left; you can’t even swear the object in his hands was a spider-case. Do you still persist in accus- ing Mr. Letcher?” : “ Strikes me, Mr. Falkens, all this here polly-vooz is foolish. It ain’t a goin’ to change me an’ leave him git aboard. He’s out there on the rocks a starvin’ to death— an’ thet’s a jedgment on him fer croakin’ the skipper.” : “ Very well, Mr. Mankus,” said Falkens, rising swiftly and taking a step toward him. “Then I accuse you—here before two com- petent witnesses—of foully murdering Cap- tain Jessup!” Mankus cringed as if he had received a: SPIDERS. 425 physical blow, gulped, and moistened his parching lips with his tongue. “ Wha—what?” he stuttered, blinking his red-lidded eyes very rapidly for a few moments and flushing apoplectically. “The piece of string which was tied to the lid of the spider-box came from a ball of twine in your cabin. You, by your own confession, were in the vicinity of Jessup’s cabin at the time the crime must have been committed. No one aboard had more rea- son to hate and fear Captain Jessup than yourself. He had threatened to complain to the owners of your carelessness and ignorance and obtain your discharge. Your conduct the day following the murder was decidedly suspicious. Every one of us can testify to these things. The question of your guilt is not only a possibility in our minds—it is a decided probability.” In the course of this terrible arraignment Mankus continued to gulp and change color, and once he clawed at his throat as if struggling for breath. But now, by what seemed for him an unusual effort he partly mastered his terror, and at the conclusion broke into a hoarse laugh. “He! He!” he tittered. ‘‘ That there’s what I call *umor. Better feed that up to -a jury, then I’ll git damages fer deforma- tion er libel. But how’d ye know the string come from a ball in my cabin? How’d ye know that?” he demanded. “I compared it; it was freshly cut with a knife and tied with sailor’s knots.” “O-ho!” cried Mankus with an ugly sneer. “ The sock-foot agin! The gum- shoe sock-foot that sneaked out on the *tween-decks that night. So ye sneaked into my cabin, too, to find something ye could hold up ag’in’ me—like a weasel! I thought ye was white. Now I find ye’re a—” “Take care!” cautioned Falkens, a sharp, commanding note in his voice. “Your eagerness to sidestep a regular in- vestigation was the cause of my actions— for which I make no apology. And now you’ve brought all this upon yourself by your cold-blooded accusation of Mr. Letcher.” Mankus shifted uneasily, and gained time by lighting a cigarette. His great hands were-actually trembling as he did so. Conmiclooolks.conn