The Secret of Lonesome Cove

ck beheld, in the glare of the afternoon sun, a spare figure rise alertly upon the wall, descend to the road, and rise again. He stepped to the

ace stepping upon the wall; stepping, Sedgwick duly noted, not

e wholly incapable of duplicating the stranger's gracefully accomplished feat without violen

o, th

d the stranger, in a

ling me what you ar

an, rising buoyantly into full view, and

at are yo

little e

s left. Sedgwick hurried down-stairs and out into the roadway. The stranger continued his performance silently. At closer i

t often?" he a

on the high coping. "Yes," said he. "Other

! Has it any particular uti

pursuance of a theo

as wall-hopping to d

by the unusual method of letting himself down on one leg while holding t

y li

e Japanese system is highly effective here, not so effec

t perceive

ective in proportion to its

wall and diving into obscurity on the farther

to defense, but not always so practicable. No; the wall m

ng for

r y

," said Sedgwick, with a frown; for he w

"My wall exercise serves to keep limber and active certain muscles that

methods of obfuscatio

istics. However, I shall demonstrate." He rose on one foot with an ease that made the artist stare

of your hand," said he, "a

ted. As his hand took position, there was a twist of the bearded man's lithe body, a sharp click

do that?" cri

ight foot slowly and steadily up behind his left knee, and let it lapse into position again. "At

h distaste, "but to kick an opponen

. Kicking sidewise, either to the front or to the rear, I can disarm a man, break his leg, or lay him senseless. It is the special development of such muscles as the sartorius and plantaris," he ran his long fingers down from the outside of his thigh

led at the name. "Nobody's c

go that you gradu

n college. You must hav

ded. "Senior to you

ster Kent!" said he softly. "What on

ained. "Patent, impenetrable mosquito screen. I've been

et reacquainted," declared Sedgwick. "Just

ate line of interest. It is a fortunate circumstan

r with heartiness. "Come in on the

-

surviving relative had died, willing to him a considerable fortune, the income of which he used in furtherance of a hitherto suppressed ambition to study art. Paris, his Mecca, was first a task-mistress, then a temptress, finally a vampire. Before succumbing he had gone far, in a few years, toward the development of a curious technique of his own.

Will awake to

sailed by, and

re to search thr

their incomm

esultory fee

ed Kent. "But is it too late in your case? Su

een beauty and, one must suppose, innocence. Probably she thought me too much absinthe-soaked to hear or understand, as I sat half asleep at my table. At all events she answered, full-voiced, her companion's question, 'Who is the drunken foreigner?' by saying, 'He was an artist. The studios talked of him fi

observation: "That formula about the inability to lift one's sel

rward comes the long hillside. Life has seemed all tilted on edge

ggested Ke

nd your screen. Wo

the only thing. W

judgment. Meantime, suppos

n be transmitted by wire for twenty-five cents. The short and simple annals of the poor in my case can be recorded within that limit. 'Postgra

is friend. "Can't you expand a bit? I suppo

sighed the other. "The new

sease, or formulated a new theory of life, or become a golf champion, or a senator, or a freak aviator, or invented perpetual motion? Do

ert in the service of th

scientif

. I like to flatter myself t

What do yo

nd mot

rful new American expert in criminology, who knows all there is to know, and takes only the most abstruse cases. I recall n

ch journalist whom Wiley brought to my table at

enchman made you out a most superior species of highfal

tective can work along successfully are the l

dmitted the artist. "Come now, Kent, open

t in the sewer system. It nearly cost me my diploma; but it helped me too, later, for a scientist in the Department of Agriculture at Washington learned of it, and sent for me after graduation. He talked to me about the work that a man with the true investigation instinct-which he thought I had-could do, by employing his abilities along strictly scientific lines; and he mapped

the uninfested cotton area, and checked that. Soon afterward I was put on the 'deodorized meat' enterprise, and succeeded in discovering the scheme whereby it was hoped to sell spoiled meat for good. You might have heard of those cases; but you would hardly have learned of the success in which I really take a pride, the cultivation of a running wild grape to destroy Rhus Toxicodendron, the common poison ivy. What spare

about your forty-horse-power kick? You don't prac

riend, Doctor Lucius Carter the botanist, drew me into the criminal line, and since then, that phase of investigation has seemed fairly to obtrude itself on me, officially an

here'. I recollect your saying that you were waiting for me

little while," pleaded his

," he said, and led the way to

ivered an opinion, after one approv

Where do you s

pperies or fopperies of art here. The ba

in, a number of pictures, all of a size, and turned half a dozen of them over, ranging them and stepping back for examination. Standing before

el

subtle way the commonplace words conveyed to their

re is in me, at le

ginings, nature studies; a wonderful picture of wild geese settling from a flight; a no less striking sketch of a mink, startled as he crept to drink among the sedges; a gr

o; don't tell me." He touched one of the surfaces delicately. "It's not paint, and it's not pastel. Oh, I see!

n copper, make one impress, and then-phut!-a spon

ly obtain yo

moonlight on white water, a thing I've never been able

el. Kent whistled again, casual fragments of light and heav

en a name to," said Sedgwick

In the foreground a corpse, the face bent far up and back from the spar to which it was lashed, rode with wild abando

red Kent; then, with a c

artist. "Fact is, I like tha

five hundred

hundred is the most I've eve

ffer s

afford it? Government salaries

old you I'd made inventions. And I can certainly afford

asked the pai

emphasis. "Do you understand what I mean?" h

uggestion of mystery. Do you alw

't understand so much the better.

terd

any one el

working on it yesterday, when he was doing some repa

perstition in all these New Englanders. He'd be sure to interpret it as a confession before the fa

n for all I care," stated Sedgwick with

with some more of your pictures." He turned to the wall border again, and faced another

inary face," said S

ely face, and the most wistful I've ever seen. A fairy, prisoned on earth by c

ery! Kent, you grow and

aginary! Um-hum!" continued Kent dryly, as he stooped to

edgwick quickly, when

going to commit the bêti

word of honor I couldn't te

oment; then the painter broke out with

u're a sort of dete

een cal

y picture of Th

red dollar

dio, except this one," he indicated the canvas wit

ee. But frankly, Sedgwick, ther

, man! There's nothing so

t as bad

n's voice, intermingled with boyish accents demanding Sed

arrived; but not before Kent had quietly remo

lage," announced youn

and the signer had read his message with kni

bout the body

dgwick's face. It was interest

re was i

d swell. Washed up on a grati

ere, isn't it?" said the artist to K

boy. "Sheriff's on the case. Bo

, my son," said Kent. "And I'll bet you this quarter, payable in

k the coin. "I got yer,

to help you, suppose you tell me all that you kno

girl of the picture. It's an interm

ur picture, and since then your visitor o

know that a woman c

ommon g

ave you seen

ch, at Lone

k mechanically. Then with a start

four heart-beats-one very slow, and three very q

ow the wisdom

l be accused of havin

suspected,

hat b

person known to ha

hat isn't

re's a bruise back

edgwick's hand

t to you?"

re in my life, Kent-I give you my word of honor! She came and went, but who she is or why

I'm depending on you

ow could her being found drowned

she was found dro

messenger boy. But you said that h

ite a diffe

sn't dr

prised if the autopsy show

lashed to a grating, and that ther

to a grating,

chin in meditation. "If she wasn't drowned, then she wa

do the questioning a while. You can give no clue wh

ible hesitation before the a

e villagers think of it when Elder Dennett returns fr

ett know t

t. He did his best in the interviewing lin

way to my place,"

with the true home-bred delicacy of our fine old Ne

rhear our c

on the beach not far from here. The last person, as far as is known, to have seen her alive is yourself. She called on you, and there was a colloquy, a

r," said Sedgwic

hat pu

out who

idn't succee

w of the rock had made me giddy, a

ett, you say, saw your picture, The Rough Rider.

t of

he subject, and the apparent

r a model, I suppose," said the artist bitterly; "particularly as D

red both picture and murder in your mind. Why, the very fact of your being an artist would be prima facie evidence

e is mixing up in my affairs. Wh

truth, and nothing but the t

uestion is whether

ouldn't have opened the case to you as I've done. I'l

, and her absurd elegance of dress, expensive and ill fitting, attracted my closer attention. She was carrying a bundle,

ke to he

spoke simu

k to her, if she was

o let me tell this in my own w

o tell it. What d

ed me th

sua

a pretext to open a conversati

t

ous to know. In fact, I think she used the

s on her way to an

relieved; I might even say relaxed. As if

. And

ick. I answered that I was, and suggested that

oman of your ow

de her a sight. Yet, I don't know: her voice was that of a cultivated person. Her manner was awkward and her dress weird for that time of day, and, for all that, she carried herself like a person accust

" questi

but it might have been drugs.

bility.

depends on what you wish to see.'-'My ship coming in.' said she.-'It will be a far view, then,' I told her. 'Th

oul sail leagues a

nd those leagues, t

. "Casual female wayfarers aren't g

ever, there was no ship. I looked for myself, when I was

'm sorry I

e a few paces, but turn

anet that shone low over the sea. 'Therein lies

ot many people into trouble a

r deep tones. 'Perhaps under that star y

comfortable. If you've got something to tell,

e future I may send for you and recall to-day to your mind by what I have just said. In that day you will know the hid

of his ear. "Is it possible that s

s happened, wouldn't it? Yet there was an

announced Kent. "

derstand it. What Chester Kent does

, rubbing his bruised head reminiscently, "she had a very practical bent, for a romantic person. After her mys

to w

r actions, her-her apparel, the

nothing abo

Well, when

ry that you were going to speak

s very valuable, I judge. W

N

he was, and she burst out on me with laughter that was, somehow, more insulting than her speech. But when I told her that I'd find out about her if I had to follow her into the sea, she stopped laughing fast enough. Before I

tive positions whe

nd moved off five paces.

ow overhand

But I should say a short overh

it at all," s

on with a cot-lounge in the corner, spread with cushions. These he heaped up, threw his coat over th

inquired

etorted h

me more

speaker opened one eye. "At the end of th

wh

ant part of your experience, which h

Kent opened both eyes, his friend

ound on the body. Was there an

heriff got away with

then, that the dead

there is the plain impress of a jewel setting. Now, come, Sedgwick! If I'm to

ply, given with o

he

of the girl o

the lobe until that unoffending pendant str

were matched rose-topazes; you mightn't f

, "I'm very much afraid that you'll have to tell me the whole story o

r. "It isn't a thing that I can tell, man to man. Don't you

y are shameful, but because they are sacred. Yet I've got to know about her. Here! I have it. When I'm gone, sit down

decided Sedgwick, af

grisly thing for a time, and talk of the old days. Wh

s no further mention of the