The Argosy, March 1907 — page 98: what you’re looking at

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

Ss SSS ~~ #= ao 3 ae ees eee see i mae mouth shut, the very facts themselves which now furnished his accusation would speedily demonstrate his inno- cence; for the police must very soon find out that the box he had shipped away to Riverhead contained a disinte- grated piano-player instead of the dead body of his friend, and a chemical ex- amination of the fluid on the sheets would quickly indicate its harmless character. At any rate, he determined that he would make no attempt to justify him- self until he had a chance to consult his attorney ; and since he was informed that this privilege could not be accorded him before morning, he resigned himself, with the best grace he could, to the prosper of a night behind the bars. Before he went back, though, he thought it no more than his duty to ‘ expostulate with the police captain who had been interrogating him, and to urge that some more intelligent effort be made to find out what had become of Hal. For, despite the utter imbecility of Ted Green’s conclusions, there was one fact the latter had unearthed which was caus- ing Dave a good deal of disquietude. Why was it that Hal had failed to show up at the hotel to which he had sent his trunk, and what had befallen him after he had stalked angrily out of the apart- ment the evening before? “As I understand it,” Dave said earnestly to the captain, ‘‘ your hypothe- sis is that I murdered my chum during, er subsequent to, a quarrel which we are alleged to have had in our rooms last night; that I then concealed the body in the bed, and, in order to prevent the chambermaid from finding it, shook out the mattress and spread the sheets my- self; and finally that I removed the corpse late this afternoon, packed it in a box, and shipped it off to Riverhead, Massachusetts ? ”’ The captain removed his thick black cigar from his lips and blew a shaft of smoke up into the air as he nodded assent. “ Correct,” he commented, “all except the shipping of the box to Riverhead. We haven’t been able to inform ourselves definitely in regard to that point yet. But the rest we have figured out exactly as you state it; and,” he added, with a shake of his head, “I am bound to tell > Sa tp PL ye PE oe ies = THE ARGOSY. you, young man, that it makes a pretty serious chain of evidence against you.” ‘“ Pooh,” rejoined Dave, snapping his fingers, “I could pick a hundred flaws in it this minute, if I only cared to. But,” he went on, his face growing anx- lous and worried again, “that is not the phase of the case which I wanted to speak to you about. I am not so concerned over my own vindication at present as [ am in regard to what really may have happened to Francis. “T tell you, captain,” he averred force- fully, “you are wasting precious time, and doing something you will regret later, when you conclude that the mys- tery of his disappearance is disclosed by my arrest. As a matter of fact, it has only become deeper, and more inexpli- cable than ever. “True, I am reserving my defense,” he admitted, “and I grant that, as you see the circumstances, I may well be deemed guilty; but I promise you, when I do speak, this case will not hold water for a single second. “And if I am innocent,” he went on, ‘what then in regard to Mr. Francis? He has been missing for a solid day and night; and Heaven alone knows what has happened to him or what may be happening to him now. I tell you, cap- tain, you will be derelict in your duty if you don’t cause a general alarm to be sent out and every power of your de- partment invoked to the end of tracing him.” He made his little plea so vigorously, and with such apparent sincerity, that for a moment the official wavered, con- vinced of Dave’s guilt though he was. Then the recollection came to him of equally glittering bluffs which had been put up to him by other clever criminals, and he steeled his resolution. - “Oh, I guess there isn’t much doubt about what has happened to Francis,” he scoffed, with a shrug of his shoulders. “Or if there is I am ready to assume all responsibility for not looking any further into the case. 2 So if that is all you have to say to me,”’ relighting his cigar and turning once more to his desk, “you may as well go back to your cell. You will have to stay with us to-night, you know,” he explained ; “ but to-morrow morning you ~ Gomilebooks:co m