Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 142: what you’re looking at

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

612 clap. “By cracky!” he thundered. “Think of that for deviltry! The thing is now as plain as the nose on your face.” “So,” resumed Nancy, “on the trial night he ascertained just how much force was necessary te swing him high enough for what he purposed. In full range of the window he also glimpsed the knife with the opal eye shining forth from its silver salver across the room. “Then on the fatal night, with the du- plicate dagger in his hand, he swings high opposite the sill of the open window. Miss Loring is unconsciously seated between it and the pitiful casket, head and shoulders above the sill. ‘The man is well trained in the art of throwing daggers. So his expert fingers fling the knife out with deadly precision just as he swings in range of the seated fig- ure. The blade strikes home. Felicia Loring has paid the penalty. 2 “ Penalty?” I echoed. you mean now?” “There is one race in n the world, skilled above all others in the use of muscles and in the ability te throw daggers—the Hin- dus, particularly those of a certain province of India. That was why this man knew beyond peradventure that flinging the knife from his improvised rope swing on the great branch opposite the window would not fail. It was as easy as play with him.” “ & Hindu!” exclaimed Stebbins. ‘“‘ Of - course they can do all sorts of knife throw- ing tricks. But why should this man plan such a thing?” “ Revenge!” asserted Nancy. * But what could he have against poor Miss Loring?” he persisted. At last I began to understand the ex- planation of the strange light in the man’s deep-set and brilliant eyes. It was not the light of insanity, but that of a kindred evil —fanaticism. “ Whatever do “ He was actuated by no personal ani- mus against Miss Loring,” admitted Nancy. “For, if I mistake not, the Hindu before us is a priest of the Piuchis, a peculiar sect buried in the recesses of a little known cor- ner of India. “‘ Miss Loring kept in n her eesceinn the sacred dagger of the Piuchis, stolen from ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. - their temple by the sacrilegious hands of unbelievers. And though the thing was done some years ago, the memories of the priests of that sacred order are long, and. their search to avenge the infamous sacrilege has been inexorable and untiring. “TI confess that at first, after sucl a lapse of years, the portent of the sacred knife quite escaped me. It is difficult to believe that fanaticism is so long and wide reaching in the tentacles it stretches out to mark down the place of a sacred relic. It has taken even all this time. Nor has expense been spared. “The priest chosen for the final expia- tion of the sacrilege—for the killing of the hapless infidel who now possessed their sacred knife—has come thousands of miles, In accordance with their customs, which are not unknown to me through my research work, this emissary would lose his life if he returned either empty handed or without — killing the woman in possess of their sacred emblem, “So he planned pe santo. and with dreadful success. He was only the instrument of an implacable and incompre- hensible religious cult. “The moment I found the scratches on the dagger blade and knew it to be a dupli- cate, I began to sense that, with pitiful fatalism, the superstitions of a fanatic Hindu sect had at last taken the life of the woman who had spent her years in col- | lecting ill omens that she might show her scorn of them, A strange reaction certain- ly, and pitifully ironic in the penalty it exacted! “Se with Miss Loring’s knife regained from the pawnbroker, I next announced a fake auction for the sale of the knife with the opal eye. While I had no intention nor any right to dispose of the returned dagger, I knew that such an opportunity to regain the second knife would not be lost on the Hindu. “He had already killed his victim and recovered his own knife. Yet his life would still be forfeit should he not obtain the stolen relic and refurn it to the priests. I was correct in my theory. _ | “And what had the man to fear? He had no knowledge that Solomon Isaacs had —comicbooks