Page:The trail of the golden horn.djvu/67

Rh The girl looked anxiously toward the door and then at the nurse.

“Bend your head so I can whisper in your ear,” she ordered. “There, that’s better. I don’t want anybody to hear. Bill might be listening at the door. It was partly for revenge and partly for fear that he shot Tim.”

“Fear of what?”

“He was afraid that Tim knew too much, so he wanted to get him out of the way. Bill picked a quarrel with him, so Tim got mad and hit him. Oh, I found out all about it.”

“But what was it about which Tim knew too much?” Marion questioned.

“Can’t you guess?” the girl asked. “I don’t like to tell you because I am afraid even to speak of it.”

“I have no idea what it can be,” Marion replied. “You see, I know very little about what goes on here.”

“But it wasn’t here, Miss, that it happened. It was far away, near the C. D. Cut-Off.”

“Oh!” It was all that Marion said, for a new light was beginning to dawn upon her mind. The C. D. Cut-Off! It was near there that the terrible murder had been committed, of which her father was suspected. Was it possible that this girl knew something about that affair? It did seem likely, and the thought filled her with a new hope. “Was it Bill who did that?” she asked in a very low voice.

Zell started, and again glanced toward the door.

“I didn’t say that, Miss,” she whispered in reply. “I don’t dare to. He would kill me if I did.”

“You needn’t be afraid,” Marion soothed. “The Police will not let any one harm you. Sergeant North must know about this.”