Show 1 THE FATAL U A T 0 R REQUEST K OT 10 OR R FOUND F 0 U N D 0 U T dv A L harrl harris author of mine awn own f familiar friend etc C 1 f f 1 by ca publishing u A n y bompa company ny e co 0 py r t ig g A ht 11 1 9 0 9 6 y V fl 8 1 r s e I 1 it A S 3 M 4 t g A CHAPTER IX continued it was waa rather strange but the moment he put this question the little doctor shifted his glance and merely answered humpal while he seemed to be looking at nothing in particular you know what I 1 mean was the somewhat ome what impatient response did my father meet his death through the shock ot of the collision or by the your father was not killed in the railway accident at all was as the paralyzing reply as the giver ot at it still avoided the eye of the questioner what shouted the latter leaping to bis big feet what do you mean for heavens heaven a sake explain lour and do not talk in riddles what I 1 mean Is this was the an given with great confidence and decision as he once more allowed him self to meet the other mans man s eye your father was mas not burnt to death as you feared and ho be did not perish through the shook shock of the collision which you hoped might be the case as being the tha more merciful death of the two your father was m as shot shod had the young man received a bul let wound himself he could not have started more violently than he did on hearing these words shot he be cried shot I 1 then passing his hand across his forehead 1 I im in not dreaming am I 1 dr cartwright shook his head no my boy you re not dreaming except inasmuch as aa life itself Is a dream your father I 1 repeat met his death by foul play that Is putting aside the question of sul suicide cried the young an snatching at the word vord as it were suicide idol my aly father oh you must be mad the doctor shook hook his head again I 1 discovered on examining the body after you had left the church that death had resulted from a bullet wound in the right temple which had traversed the head completely and have caused instantaneous death I 1 cant realize it groaned the oth er who could have done M it unless ho be was m as robbed dr cartwright shook his head ills his watch A atch and chain and valuables wore were taken charge of like those ot of the other passengers and a consider able amount of money was found upon him whatever vei the object it was not mot that the thing will be to discover it if he had a tr traveling armeling companion and who ho that traveling companion ted burrett brought down his hand the table m with ith a force that made hat at article of furniture shiver 1 I know the man lie be cried or if I 1 do not know now I 1 will never rest until I 1 have found out phew I 1 whistled the doctor I 1 then ou know something about the affair you have your suspicions I 1 suspicions Suspicion sl cried the young man more than suspicions I 1 see eee it all it I 1 only knew the mart man a name I 1 what man a name asked the doe doc tor what man was aas the impatient reply I 1 why the murderer to be sure I 1 wish you would just begin at the beginning and tell me all aou ou know about it I 1 I will tell 3 QU oil all I 1 know RS BS well as what I 1 only guess two days ago my father received a letter which ap feared to have a peculiar effect upon him it la Is evident to me that he was expecting the letter and that it was that which made him nervous and fidgety and unlike himself at break fast the next morning to our sur bur prise he be announced his intention of taking a short journey giving no oth er explanation than that he be was go ing as far as do dover er partly on bul ness though we had reason to belleve believe that the business mas atas only an appointment with a friend and the friends friend a name of course he told you youa no was waa the answer that was lust just what he did not do humph I 1 said th doctor that was rather well never mind go on an I 1 the night after my father left hami lit mp I 1 was am awakened wakened suddenly in the middle of the night by his voice call trig ing me and I 1 answered him back the next net morning my sister may came to me in trouble about s a dream she d had ohp same night she dream that something dreadful had hep petted or was about to happen to her father of course I 1 made gime vt of of 0 course you did interrupted dr cartwright and quite right of you too always male make game of this sort of thing whenever you come across it I 1 always do myself on principle it if I 1 didat I 1 should have halt the parish sending ending for me ube whenever liever they had the nightmare at the same time he ha added in a tone ot of concession conce salon I 1 admit that it certainly was mas a coin cadence anything more I 1 cant can t ae ac knowledge my reputation won wont t al low loa it yesterday morning resumed the young man we received a telegram it said here it Is you can see for yourself dr cartright drought brought his epee tables to bear upon the document humph ila ha I 1 am returning today to day by the 4 30 train shall be homo home to dinner briend accompanies me lie he read it through twice talce before re turn turning ing it and you say 3 iou ou lim ine e no idea what the name of this friend your father went to meet was wag to my knowledge i have never heard it mentioned I 1 thought I 1 koew all my father a friends but this one must have been an entire stranger to me and my father must have had sonic reason tor for lie he stopped abruptly respect for hla his dead parent held back the words upon hla his tongue but dr cartwright apparently ly guessed the remainder of the sentence you mean dour conr father must have had bad some reason for concealing the fact of his previous acquaintance with the man he went vi ent to meet at dover the young mans face flushed I 1 I tell you no I 1 I 1 wont won t believe it I 1 won t even listen to such euch a supposal tion for a moment I 1 tell you but there sou never knew himl him and he be turned his head bead away to return to our subject said the doctor you yon insist on connecting this same unknown personage with the V 1 1 I knew the man he cried mysterious circumstances of your fath or era a death who else could it be exclaimed ted you yourself have put the mo me tive of robbery out of the question ont certainly was the reply but having disposed of that motive only makes it the more necessary necea aary to pro vide another and there again you supply it 3 our self burst out the other 1 I ou on hint ed of the possibility of my father hav ing something discreditable in connect tion with his past life not discreditable interrupted the doctor only indiscreet now proceeded the other re verse your implication apply what you have said of the one to the other r and ud there you have your solution of the mystery your motive and nhat hat ever else 3 ou require ile he paused breathless with the vehemence mith ft ath which he had pronounced these last words well said the doctor wagging his hh head sagely I 1 don dont t deny it there you have a motive of a sort not a very strong a one but before you can proceed further it you have to establish the important fact as to that other occupant of the carriage and when you consider that the individual in question even it if lie he did aid travel by that same train and in that same car ariage was actually the recipient of an invitation to your dmn ov n house there seems cents to be something so BO improbable go BO cold blooded about the whole con corn cern that and is not that exactly what it Is A cold blooded dastardly outrage upon one who mho never injured a soul and who was one of the kindest and best beat of men oh lord I 1 I 1 cant stand the of it now ive I 1 ve started him off again murmured the doctor remorsefully why coulden couldn t I 1 have left well alone anyhow I 1 must be going now so drawing himself up and squar ing hist his shoulders in his most style he remarked ked falling back into hla his ejaculatory manner must blust be off now found the wound in your fath ath era er s head today to day tomorrow to morrow look for the bullet that mad badt it good bye cant can t slop aop another moment and h was gone CHAPTER X the fourth carriage from the en gin alne the next morning being sunday everyone from tar far and near re pairee rei to the church which contained its alls the materials for such a 0 irvint ral sermon as aa in all its ancient his hia tory it had never before sew seen gath ered together there the remains now all decently in closed in coffins calling still lay within the 1 precincts of the chancel where they must remain until after the inquest on the following day the church which was of no great size was waa filled to overflowing over floming for not only were mere there many mourners present who aho had come posthaste from nil all parts of the kingdom but strangers for miles round attracted by the morbid curiosity alach draws crom crowds do as with a cart rope wherever there Is a prevalence of the ghastly t lement blocked the aisles filled the porch and even occupied the pulpit stairs I 1 people who aho came to gape and gaze gae and then going home to the tha sunday dinner exchanged experiences over the shoulder of mutton an I 1 baked po remaining king as they wiped their mouths that it was aas a sad sight but on one a they would rit t have missed tor for anthina ail an thing you could have offered them at the same time they were compelled to own that there were not so BO many bodies as aa they had bad confidently ex pecked but then nothing ever did come up tip to your expectations in this v world arid ted burritt had a seat assigned him in one of the front pews A glance at ills his face ace on the part of the functionary who mho discharged the office of ushering the people into their places seemed to be sufficient to show to portion of the congregation he be belonged ted burritt knew that his fathers father s body now lay there within the chan col cel rails in one of those hastily con strutted ted coffins which had been roughly put together to meet the sud den and unprecedented demand it was evident that a certain num her ber of seats had bad been reserved for those who ho it was felt had the great est claim to them for he observed afar a short time that the same pew into which he had been ushered also contained contal nd two of his fellow gers on that ever memorable lourney journey a poor widow and another woman oman the former it was impossible to doubt had found her worst fears fear ra realized lazed tor for she still cried silently B and ceaselessly behind the shelter of her veil the other woman whom he be now guessed to be about fat doity ty years of aged age and who was as good look ing in a sort of hard featured way was mas also in deep black gar meats dents but there was a suppressed glitter in her eye and that same rest less movement of the fingers as she perpetually rustled the leaves of her prayer book which betrayed the ex istance of some strong but suppressed feeling which seemed to be more mor elike like than grief dut but then than we are all at liberty tc show our grief in our own peculiar way may in the other pews round him be rec other faces those of fellow travelers or others whom he had bad seen at the station or in the church in thie the early morning of the day before among these there were of course happy exceptions to the general rule there were those who had found the living where they had looked for the dead and who after a few hours ol of torturing suspense had discovered discover edthe the one they sought either cither in the village or in some of the neighboring ham lets and were present on that morn ing rig with a chastened chasteney chast ened joy and gratl tude unspeakable to be continued |