The Argosy, Christmas 1912 — page 194: what you’re looking at

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

180 positive that no other person rode on top of the bus that night. I have dis- cussed the matter with him over and over again and he sticks resolutely to that statement.” “Well, that certainly is a poser,” admitted Meador. “I can’t see how anybody could have stabbed the old man in the back without being on the bus. If the colonel had been shot in- stead of stabbed, we might assume that the crime was committed at long range -—but that theory won’t do, of course, in the present case.” ““Couldn’t the assassin have been on top of another bus?” suggested his wife. “ Wouldn’t it have been pos- sible for him to lean over and plunge his knife into his victim as the two ve- hicles were passing each other? ” “By Jove!’ exclaimed Meador, looking at her admiringly. ‘‘ That’s a clever idea. Sounds plausible, too; doesn’t it, Frank? ”’ Edwards shook his head. “No, I’m sorry to say that it won’t do. It is clever of Mrs. Meador to have thought of it; but it isn’t the solu- tion to the problem. ) “T investigated that theory thor- oughly—it occurred to me early in the case—and I found that the position in which the body was discovered and the nature of the wound proved conclu- sively that the murder could not have been committed by a person on a pass- ing vehicle. The man who plunged the knife between the colonel’s shoulder- blades must have been standing direct- ly behind his victim when he did it.” ‘““Maybe he swooped down on his victim in an air-ship,” suggested Mea- dor, with a grim laugh. ' “That’s exactly what that fellow Selling said when I was discussing the case with him a few minutes ago,’ re- marked Edwards. “Were you discussing the murder with him?” inquired the other lawyer with an inflection of surprise. “Yes. When he informed me that he was the grandson of the late Colo- nel Reynolds, we naturally fell to talk- eagerly. THE ARGOSY. ing about the poor old gentleman’s sad fate.” ‘“ And what was his behavior during the conversation?” inquired Meador “Did his words or actions indicate that he might be guilty? ” “ Well, he was cool enough, I must admit; but when I told him that my client was innocent, and that I was de- termined to unearth the real murderer, he replied with a sneering laugh that was almost a challenge. There was something about that laugh of his which makes me suspect that he either committed the crime himself, or knows who did it and how it was done.” Mildred: Sudbury now inquired ab- ruptly: ‘“ Can anybody tell me if there is an arch of any sort along the route of those Bayside Drive omnibuses ? ” “An arch!” repeated Meador and Edwards together. “Yes,” said the girl. “It had just occurred to me that that might be the solution of the mystery. I recollect that there is a street in London with a railroad arch across it under which om- nibuses pass. “Now, if there is an arch of that sort in your town, it might be the ex- planation of how that murder was com-. mitted. The assassin standing on a bridge may have stabbed Colonel Rey- nolds as the bus passed underneath.” The two lawyers exchanged a glance of amazement mingled with jubilation. “The elevated railroad structure at Carboy Street!” gasped Meador. “Yes, the Bayside Drive omnibuses pass underneath it!” exclaimed Ed- wards breathlessly. “ And it’s so low that a man stand- ing on it could easily have reached over and plunged a knife into Colonel Reynolds’s back without getting into the omnibus at all!” cried Meador joy- ously. “ That’s the right answer sure enough, Frank.” “What a blithering idiot I’ve been never to have thought of that myself,” exclaimed Edwards disgustedly, and he impulsively seized his _ stenog- rapher’s hand. CoOMmicbook CO