Show DORA tty RB FIEL by charts 1 S roused by a loud knocking at I 1 door stumbling for aard I 1 sprung back the catch of te lock the man without had turned the knob and was pressing upon it so that be seemed to all into the room lie w aa uncle a buelt r and w as ob lous ly arith alarm my farst a that ny uncle health waa very feeble might bave died in the night mr hameau Is worse 1 began the butler ebrok his head with a sort 0 convulsion that swept down to hia toes its mr john he replied lies dead the news struck to heart jact halstead was my cousin and a fine fel HE low in every way great grief that he had had of late had brought us clos together and I 1 held him to be my best friend deada I 1 exclaimed an accident was the reply I 1 flaa conscious of surprise la the midst of my contusion for this servant had hated jack with the unforgiving persistence of an indian since a day long ago when my cousin had exposed him in a trifling I 1 dressed with all haste and hurried across to my uncle s house bled by the trembling ervan fc when we entered I 1 siw a group at the head ot the broad stairway mr was upon the topmost stair and tow ered above the others upon a lower stair stood arthur morrow son of the late sirs halstead by a former marriage A step or two higher and ascending was dr borton carr the old physician of the family As I 1 approached abe ay my uncle extended his long right arm oer the heads of the others and shook his fin ger at me this is no better than murder 1 he cried lou are responsible for this ft hat do you mean I 1 demanded come here and III show you he replied in a choking voice W e entered jack s bedroom the poor fellow lay there in bis bed mortal part reposing in the final sleep mr halstead paused by the bead of the bed end tapped with his finger up oa a small table I 1 came forward and looked down there lay little vial white tablets and beside it a email tube there was a label on the vial and I 1 knew what was marked upon it morphine one half grain dr halstead Hale tead he got things of you said uncle I 1 call it murder W hat pos ebble excuse lou knew that he was heartbroken for dora she la going away he has lost her you have seen how he has been of late 1 I did not give him thia said I 1 how can you imagine that I 1 would do euch a thing took them out of my office and you knew iff thundered mr II alstead you knew it and you t tell met lou made no effort to save him why did you suppose he wanted this poison had he any prop er need of this drug I 1 shook my head 1 I loved him said my uncle laying bis hand upon the dead man s breast he should have bad the bulk of fortune and you knew it you ruined his life you are mad to say I 1 exclaimed sneered at me hy Is that girl going away he demanded do you think I 1 dont know because a penniless rascal has won her away from my boy here she coulta t marry you because you haan hadn t the money to buy her a root and her bread but you would have bad a lit tie at my death and ere content to watt As long us I 1 have known dora eald I 1 with all the earnestness at xay command 1 I have never spoken one word of love to her do you suppose I 1 would step la end rob jack why you yourself have praised me or my loyalty to him 1 I wag deceived he cried you were too deep tn me lou have dauwd bis death look at this he picked up from the table a card upon which was ritten lu jack s hand the simplest possible message good by dora the ettare sprang to my eyes but tt was necessary to control emotion in thia chiala I 1 turned to dr carr there can be no doubt ae to the cause of death I 1 asked he did not reply in words but bent ard and tapped tl e vial w ath hie finger tell me how it happened I 1 asked who saw him last t it was thomas the butler who replied he to have risen through the floor at my elbow he was out lauritg luri tg the evening air he eald we dont know be was it near midnight when I 1 let him in mr morrow was writing in the library and mr john went in there I 1 brought them a glass of wine it seem d to me if I 1 may make bold to say that mr john wa in better spirits than usual I 1 thought so too said morrow W e talked awhile of ordinary topics X dian didn t notice that jack was deplaa ed he seemed quite like bis old self we at together tor halt an hour and then be us here to bed does an body know I 1 asked why he bened tills I 1 i to an ebony lac containing come pipers it w as open an I 1 n dinall bunch of keys hung in the ink Is hire any indication that be destroyed an tiling I 1 continued not that I 1 know of answered row there was a moment s silence it may be sir that the poison was in there suggested thomas lie wouldn t have kei t it lying round the room sir and where else should he been likely to put it that Is probably the explanation said I 1 I 1 wish I 1 d thought of it before M hen be confessed to that he bad taken this bottle from my office I 1 tried to find it lou will readily understand why mr halstead I 1 understand that you have been criminally negligent he retorted nd let me tell you now that I 1 am done w ath you lie turned to arthur and in his characteristic act impulsive headlong ay w ent on lou were never a favorite with me arthur but you re all le got now lou n the only one bound to by any tie dora mclvin ahall leave something with a condition lie fiercely at me and you 11 hae the balance arthur much good may it do you 0 o money will do any one good that comes in this way replied morrow with a shudder thomas said I 1 addressing the but ler you let mr john balstead Ual stead in last night did 1 e have anything in his band 0 o pir he replied not this for instance all I 1 lay ing my han 1 upon a small package that was on the mantelpiece 0 o sir said thomas he brought that in day before yesterday lou remember it mr morrow he continued lie took it into the library where you were writing I 1 had forgotten it answered row are you sure thomas this la a serious matter said I 1 lay ing mi hand on the butler s shoulder do not commit the tolly of beginning the affair alth a falsehood 1 I don t know why I 1 should lie about it sir he replied doggedly w saw him take thia parcel the library I 1 continued by the way does anybody know what s in it my uncle interrupted to ask angrily what all this a about grant me minutes said I 1 then I 1 bated my question there n as no reply thomas said I 1 what did do with this parcel he took it into the library 1 I aaa 11 untie the string he an elered then he took up a pen from the table but I 1 dian didn t see him write anything did he write anything in the library last evening I 1 asked turning to row who anett ered me in the negative are sure I 1 insisted lou were there all the time that he was present es was the answer he dian didn t write anything while I 1 was there chy do you ask because this message on the card 1 written with the ink that Is used in the library and not with jacks stylo graphic pen there 1 no ink in this room that I 1 can see ahat 1 the purpose of these questions demanded mr II alstead without answering him I 1 took up the parcel and removed the wrapper there was a dainty box within and upon opening that I 1 discovered a small plaque beautifully painted the design was in lilies 0 the valley which were dora s favorite flower unless I 1 am greatly in error said I 1 this farewell message on the card was intended to be put into this box it w as a parting gift to dora its purpose Is obvious said mr it lay upon this table and this bottle of was on top of it it was his last word poor fellow but why did he buy the plaque I 1 insisted as it for you for me for arthur for her of course said hal blead then why did not the gift and the message go together said I 1 io one ventured a reply 1 I will tell you why I 1 continued this card was put into the parcel and was taken out again but not by jack by whom then asked my uncle by one who knew of its exist ence and perceived that it would an ewer quite well the purposes of a eul cide s last mr II alstead caught me by the choul fler do you mean to chadee actual mur I 1 SPEAK took air he cried nil ou tri to shirt your own guilt upon mi ther I 1 charge a aid deliberate I 1 lied uy whom he U t us gee I 1 despou led he must have swallowed alu poison lust before retiring if t ill 1 not take in tills room he i ui it have don eo ele where in tl 1 h uw he drank 1 of wine lit 11 e ani you I 1 it to him cried air 1 turning upon w sir said ie servant calmly I 1 served and mr morrow and you hat 1 I 1 did not tike him air but I 1 am not a murderer the answer at this point or carr ut in hi word but alie pattii from these tab let he eill tiley were locked in thi private box and be had the key alomas eadd I 1 do you know of any other bey to abie box the man was pal paper but he did not falter 1 sir said be I 1 happen to have seen mr john unlock this box and lock it again ond put the ley in this draw y lie mend t nn 1 a small drawer in a ask from which he took a ati I 1 know wl en ion him do that said I 1 it ie 1 eaven s mercy to you tint you fuw him and I 1 saw him too I 1 counted upon you ering and upon our honesty I 1 try to speak the truth sir said he servant nd now mr II alstead said I 1 let me state tl ie case as you see it or RS you saw it at first jack came up here ho opened this bos in which he had hidden the vial taken from ruy of flee he dissolved of the tablet la this tube and drank the fluid Is there any other possible way to pie ture it aso certainly not was the answer let me picture it tor you said I 1 to this room in better eair its than usual lie went to bed in the full confidence of akiua on the mor row but instead he sank into a stu por from which he never aroused 1 en a time had elapsed a man stole into tah room he took a bunch of leys from jack pocket tor he was one who did not know of the other key la that drawer be known of it obviously be would have aed it and would not have searched through this bunch for the right one time was precious with him having secured the lal and this aa with the farewell he put them on fails table 1 en be stole out again but interrupted dr carr who knew the ilal was there I 1 pointed to thomas and then to morrow one of the men must have known it said I 1 for no one else could have had a motive for this crime one hated him tl e other knowing tl at my uncle must soon die saw a chance of a great inheritance aich of them la guilty the one who frankly said I 1 the vial was in that bos or the one w ho dared not say w hat was sufficient li obvious ho saw jack write upon that card the other day in the library this la lunacy exclaimed morrow the man la a suicide ou killed him said I 1 and now you defile bla memory arthur row when I 1 say that this was murder I 1 speak by the book there Is no pol eon in that vial I 1 found it days ago I 1 knew why he was saving it I 1 changed the tablets tor others precisely similar in appearance but contain ing a harmless substance flavored with quinine to make it bitter I 1 said to myself if jack takee thie desperate step he shall have a chance to repent of it I 1 did not remote the tablets for then he would simply have bought oth era on aon t bellegie 7 I 1 seized the vial and emptied the contents into my crushing the tablets n ath my teeth if those were what you thought them morrow said I 1 life not be orth much oh you double villain I 1 misa you could have got into this bos that you might have used the e 1 armless things in your deeper ate i lot but jack had the only key vou knew of and you were forced to bev our drug arthur morrow I 1 chang you with this crime lie tried to answer me but his voice not articulate it rose gradually into a scream of terror then sudden ly be fell forward across tn little ta crushing it to the floor |