The Argosy, October 1906 — page 200: what you’re looking at

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

570 : and saw the whole tragedy. How could I have been mistaken!” — “And you plainly saw the deed?” --“T would take an oath that I saw it as clearly as I see you now.” “There’s no other thicket on this hill- side, is there?” g ‘None whatever,” Pee around. “This simply must be the thicket in question. You can see for yourself that this is the little hollow directly south of the hill on which I was standing.” “Your glass is a good one?” | “First-class. None better made. I would vouch that it wouldn’t play me a trick. Even a poor glass could not make a man see what I saw. It’s utterly in- explicable.” - Well, we'll go over the whole ground. ~ again.’ They did, but it was of no avail; there was not a scintilla of evidence that even a blade of grass had been un- naturally displaced in the entire copse. It was mystifying beyond measure. Mandell simply went hot and cold when he reflected on it. Could he have been the victim of an eptical illusion? Or was it mental hal- lucination? He could accept neither al- ternative. It was impossible that his‘optic nerve could have conjured such a scene as - the one he had witnessed through his glass. vagaries. But what was the meaning of the mys- tery? his good judgment and even his sanity suspected by the officers, who, he fan-_ cied, looked at him curiously. — They went back to the house and questioned and Harding and his wife: Ww hat were you doing between nine and ten o'clock, Mr. Harding?” the sheriff asked. “T was plowing the shoulder of the hill,” the man re- sponded promptly. “How long were you there?” ‘A forenoon—from breakfast till dinner.” the forenoon?’’ Mandell put in.- ‘No, sir; I stayed in the field from ‘about half past six this morning till my It was humiliating, too, to have -_ could have been sande here without ~ : your seeing them?” —~ i was cae eise my dining-room and kitchen all fore- eross-questioned Mr. - - windows open toward ‘this side of the house.” F; THE ARGOSY. SS wife rang the dinner-bell- at - twelve o’clock.”’ “Have you had your dinner yet?” z “Yes, sir; just finished eating as you drove up to the house.” ‘Could you have seen the house from any point where you were plowing?” ‘No, sir; the field is on the other side of the little ridge yonder.” Then the sheriff turned his battery of questions upen Mrs. Harding. “Were you_here at the house all ee : forenean madam: pie a a = a Did ee cS occur r during the foreneon?” — = ‘N Nowe at _all—at_ least, _noth- 32 I didn’ t <o5 ae reasons, =. [wouldn't be troubling you “with these questions.” ae Did- -you_ he ve. any Visitors SS “ None ee” 2 “ Are you sure?” _ “CAs sure as i am of my own ‘exist-— ence.” “Mrs. ‘Harding, ‘Took= me diccady in the eyes, and answer me this gu - Mandell said, e question,” eying her keenly: “ Didn’t you see a man and woman standing here ‘in your yard a little before ten 0’ ‘clock — this forenoon?” _ Nor was = subject to mental _ “most positive tones, looking her ques- ““T did not, sir,” the woman “replied in- tioner unflinchingly- in the eyes. — “Do you think a man_and woman “T think not, sir. noon, and, as you see, the doors and “What were you doing between nine : —and ten 0’ clock?” in the field just over — “iT owas baking, sir. Tvs” my- baking day. At that. ee IT must have =D ) oven a few “minutes after ten 0 aioe You see, I always look at the clock when i put my ee = the oven, SO as to- “Were you at the house at all during — ies know— | “Yes, of course, “MS. Harding. While you were making your pies, in what direction. were you facing 2 2: — == comicboo S.CO — OA a