Argosy All-Story Weekly, October 6, 1923 — page 141: what you’re looking at

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

DUST TO DUST. {’d hidden it and hurried as quickly as the nearest subway would take me to Zorn’s apartment.” “Why?” demanded Rowe, ‘“ What were — you going to do there and why on earth didn’t you get a message to me first?” “‘T hadn’t time. I was afraid Zorn might be identified by some papers found on him and I wanted to get there before the police did. The landlady knew I’d had a long talk with him yesterday and I had an idea - she would let me into his room, presumably to wait for him. I was thinking of pos- sible evidence connected with Hamersley which Zorn might have been holding to try to sell later. “The woman was out, but another lodger admitted me; an excitable old fellow, and the first words he spoke were to ask whether _T-came from the police! It seems when he was going down town last night Zorn gave him a letter with a special delivery stamp, and was so particular about its being mailed only at the end of the trip that the old chap took a look at the address. It was police headquarters, and he’s been all agog ever since. . then, of course, but it’s easy to see that out of sheer malice or personal enmity against you, Claudia, that scoundrel offered to ap- pear in court this afternoon as the State’s witness to tell what he knew of Hamersley after getting your twenty-five thousand. We could have proved nothing, and he must have had a safe place arranged to stow that money away for months to come!” “Tt shows, though, that he had no let- ters nor other evidence against Hamersley to hold over our heads,” Rowe observed. -* He’d shot his bolt and knew it. I very much doubt his story that the dead girl’s fiancé has turned up again. You are free from Zorn at last, my dear! We have an even chance now to win and, please God, we will!” “On a—a lie, though! ” Claudia clasped her hands. “ if only somehow the real truth could be known! ‘To think that that old revolver of father’s should have been the cause of all this tragedy now! Do you remember that time we took it to play with __- years ago, Stephen? We little thought then =< we the satire was to » bring—” I got away as fast as I could 993 s “Claudia!” Stephen sprang from his chair. “It is the same revolver? You are sure of it?” “ Why, of course—” she began, wonder- — ingly, but he had already turned to the = attorneys. “It’s the prosecution’s star exhibit, isn’t it?” : “Yes.” Dreyer was eying i keenly. ‘They will probably put it in evidence the first thing to-morrow. The jury is being shown over the scene of the accident this afternoon. What’s on your mind?” | “You can arrange to see that revolver now, though, can’t you? I only want a elimpse of it, not to touch it!” Stephen was growing more and more excited, and Rowe interposed: “Tt is possible, but what is the use, my boy? We know, unfortunately, that it fired that fatal shot— ** Never mindt We've got to Work fast!” Stephen turned to Claudia once more and — seized both her hands. ‘“ Perhaps we won’t win on a lie, after all! There'll be a new witness to-morrow—for ie defense! ‘= few steps its narrow space permitted until long after darkness fell. She could not im- agine what sudden inspiration had come to Stephen nor who the witness of whom he — had spoken might be, but just as that — haunting foreboding had possessed her throughout the morning so now faith andan —_— abiding hope glowed within her like a steady _ flame. Stephen had not failed her, and he © would not fail now, but a force, greater, irresistible, held her in its power, and Stephen, too! The wretched Zorn had been a mere atom — in its grasp and so had Niles Hamersley, their puny potentiality for evil given a little sway and then crushed! That same force was at work now at this moment—it had — sent to Stephen’s mind an impulse beyond — her divination there in the counsel room and to-morrow its will should be made manifest! | The morning brought no cessation of ae rain which beat down in a steady fore upon the world outside and a humid, acrid — odor as of steam permeated the court room — as Claudia entered ‘and wee her place once.