Show DEPUTY OF F THE DEVIL 1 zI BEN U w TAMES AMES WI WILLIAMS LLIAMS 11 e SYNOPSIS reeding a wealthy and talented aged surgeon Is I. possessed of ol ly supernatural powers lie He U 11 Ui i anticipate what people say bey be be- y utter a word ord occasionally he heh ih h for or something extraordinary n and have the wish fulfilled g meets Ira Jerrell a wealthy friend of his hi own age who tells teU loves love his bis daughter Nancy and tee ike to marry her Dr Greed Creed leased and ten tells Jerrell he has hae field Geld Nancy however is II In Inh Inh h th Dan Carlisle a professor at al vanity who has little means news cuss marriage but decide to to her father about It who has hn been playing tennis with I at it afternoon tells her father been playing with a girl friend I knows know thus this Is II untrue and U is enraged Stepping into his hi wife's Is ls eye falls on a marble statu statu- atch he dislikes lIe He picks pick it up he could couleS smash mash It to bits bite Budis Sudy Sud Bud y is snatched from his grasp crasp as asa a invisible force and burst buret asunder ceding Is I. greatly disturbed over terio destruction of ol the stane stan statu- he e doctor makes make light 1 of It lIe He that Ira Jerrell wants wante to marryOn marry marryOn On the way to a dinner party a aIn ain In front of s. s He no angrl- angrl esses cases the wish that the driver reak his neck An instant later dent occurs occur in which this very At the dinner the Greed Creed tet et Prof Carlisle Dans Dan's father daughter Mary Ann Dr Greed Greed- by Mary Ann who is a nurse Mrs tells teUs rUsle about the destruction of uette and be he Indicates It might en caused by a poltergeist a ang ang ang ng mischievous spirit Greed Greed- tends to Nancy that he has no non noto n to Dan More interested In nn nn Dr Induces Induce her to position in his office orrice APTER III Continued Ill Continued 5 Irs rs was silenced re was not long any doubt tor mind that nn nn was competent She was second pair of hands At table rating she anticipated ires sires before they took shape mind She watched his fins find fin fin- s ad d the progress of the operand opera opera- nd d when he was ready for scissors snaps retractors nd d the desired implement In nd lid awaiting his grasp He lie Hethe liethe the mornings morning's work left him and free from fatigue he his own technique Inland tin and told her so Rimes was excellent he But I shall be tempted to tock tork tork rk ck you even after her re- re You must protect yourself my impositions smiled and said I never whose work was at ats I s unhurried and as swift as And he was by her ber approve pleased I progressed by degrees from I tance to friendship Doctor ng committed to her attene atten atten- e matter of that man whose he and Mrs had sed saw aw the ac accident ident he exIt ex ex- d. d touched It It touched me For no Jular alar reason I am Inclined to netting ething for his family if they elp of any kindas kind vas as not blind to the approval eyes as she promised to in in- late ate Mary Ann report report- t the man was an automobile nic e and he had been on that ular evening In haste to come hospital where his wife was to be delivered t the accident has its Us s a she confessed He Heap ap to have been a worthless sorted sort sorL cd ed to be a chauffeur In a nice and the daughter of the eloped with him J f went to er cr er last night She told me mefter fter they were married when k realized that her father not support them he be was wasIs wass Is s and since then he has mis mis- Id d her abominably Now that cad ead she's going home for happier than she could everen ever been en as long as her ber husband tor found In this disa dis f a surprising satisfaction lie He Heince flee ince the tragedy moved warle warte warl- warl e a stranger in a great pow pow- nt who avoids contact with the fiery mery about him lest he loose beyond his understanding and L But Cut now assured that this for tor whose death he felt feltre re re- re ible ble was better out of the world In to it it a treacherous feeling took lodgment In his outwardly there was no noe f e m tn the routine of Ws his days daYI t that he saw more and mot j jary ary ry Ann He lIe no longer dis dis- d himself so much about Nand Nan Nan- pl d Dan Nancy had agreed rum nun w as to the wisdom of defor defor der de- de for r a while any formal an an an- ement of her engagement and ad always banked on hl his luck d so o now Jerrell was seeing of Nancy for Dan had gone to fish for salmon salmen ancy'S time was free tOr and Mrs kept Rouse house every Sunday afternoon and evening and an any number of people were apt to drop In casually casual casual- ly 1 without forewarning Jerrell took advantage of one of these occasions and after supper he and Nanc Nancy disappeared together When later they returned Jerrell joined Doctor Doc Doe tor in the library They spoke at first of casual things Jerrell said laid presently By the way Nanc Nancy tells me she knows Dan Carlisle Doctor was instantly on guard You know him he asked Only through his book Jerrell said That Is an able piece of work A textbook not only for college college col col- lege classes but for business men and investors too The Doctor smiled I haven't read it it he confessed and turned the conversation Into safer channels I suppose youre you're as busy as usual al aU Just now yes Jerrell assented assent assent- ed and after a moments moment's hesitation hesitation tion he explained Im taking an Interest In a new outfit Associated Cottons Were We're proposing to cover cover cov cov- er the field from to re- re taller taUer In one wa way or another Of course Im I'm not personally connected connect connect- ed with the technical end only with the financing We issued the stock privately at ten and then had bad It listed Its It's around eighteen noHe now no He looked at the ash on the end of his cigar Its UI apt to sell seU off a abit abit abit bit this month and next he said But we expect It V to hit fifty by bythe bythe bythe the first of October Your profession has always interested Interested In in- me the assented Inan in inan inan an indifferent tone but he was not Indifferent If Jerrell said Cottons would hit fifty It was likely to do so lie He filed the Information in his mind I never speculate myself he added unnecessarily But despite his disclaimer he telephoned next day an order to Paul Master who handled his Investments investments In in- vestments to buy a block of Cottons Cot tons Jerrell Terrell continued to see Nancy frequently and Doctor watching his daughter without seeming so to do thought that she was faintly ill at ease in the older mans man's company When Dan came back from Newfoundland and brought a pound fourteen salmon to Nancy Doctor proposed to Mrs Why not invite the Carlisles over for dinner Well We'll have the salmon Mrs said sensibly I expect Dan would rather have bave steak After all he must have eaten eaten eat eat- en salmon in Newfoundland till Ull he feels like one himself The he Doctor chuckled He wont won't care what he eats as long as he can be with Nancy he pointed out Mrs suggested Mr Jerrell h has s been here so much while white Dan was away I think Nancy has enjoyed seeing him Give Dan a chance to repair his fences then Doctor re re- re- re He lIe saw her surprise and said with a chuckle Im not takIng taking taking tak tak- ing sides Myra Im I'm for a fair fight and let the best man win Dans Dan's probably all right If hes he's anything like his sister hes he's an able young man Mary Ann has done very well with me She's much the best nurse I ever had You mean that we should invite Mary Ann too she asked doubt doubt- fully Of course he assured herAnd herAnd herAnd her And Professor Carlisle Make Ita it ita ita a family party 1 Mrs In the end although although although al al- though with a clear reluctance agreed Professor Carlisle and Dan and Mary Ann would come to dinner dinner din din- ner tier on Tuesday night Doctor had heretofore save on the occasion of their first meeting seen Mary Ann only in street clothes or in her nurses nurse's uniform uniform uni form but tonight he thought he saw her for the first time Her gown itself it itself it it- self he could not have described knew only that it was a harmonious part of her Yet she teemed seemed to him so radiant that it required a conscious effort on his part to control con trot his tones and make them no DO nomore nomore more than casual When he lifted his cocktail his eyes met hers and the drink was flame in his veins He lie took refuge in Jocosity Dan he announced weve a special treat for you tonight A friend of ours sent Nancy Nanc a salmon and were we're having it for dinner It requires not much encouragement encouragement encouragement encourage encourage- ment to lead a fisherman to talk about fishing and Dan was full of reminiscences of his trip The be din table nor conversation was almost a monologue When Mrs rose at last she said Ned I expect Professor Carlisle and Dan would lik like a liqueur and to smoke their cigars here She and Mary Ann and Nancy went Into the other room but Doctor Doctor Doctor Doc Doc- tor saw Dans Dan's eyes yes follow them and be said amiably No need of your our staying with us Dan I think Nanc Nancy has some ome design de de- sign on you ou Go Co alon along and see lee So Dan grinned and he be too loo disappeared dis dl appeared Doctor sat lit atone at atone atone one end of 01 the table the Professor at the other for Professor Carlisle CarUs e had filled the pipe which be bt pre pree preferred preferred to a cigar For a little blUe nothing was wal said Then Iben Doctor remembered certain matters matten almost for forgotten otten and be he said makin making his tone casual casual casu casu- al Professor Mrs tells me that you gave her ber that evening evenin at the Jordans' Jordans quite a lecture on poltergeists She had bad so much to say about It that I cams came home and read up on the subject myself Do you ou seriously think there is Ia any truth in these thele tales Professor Carlisle smiled faintly I should hardly expect you to accept accept ac ac- them he confessed Doctor chuckled But I Im I'm not completely incredulous he protested I had a friend once orce who confessed to some personal experiences expert expert- of the sort sort Professor Carlisle looked at him faun with a new Interest lIe He said at hazard It has often otten seemed to tome tome tome me that an open-minded open physician must observe In his hi practice many things not easily explained b by any medical formula Doctor nodded That i It h true true he said I do remember occasions when things seemed to go 10 unusually wen well in the course of an operation when m my fingers were successful without m my mind being fully conscious of the sources of that success For an example there was aman aman a aman man with a crushed and lacerated arm necessitating amputation It was during my days at the City on relief work An artery tore loose and retracted Into the upper arm atm Ordinarily this means a swift and extensive dissection in order to catch the end of the vessel and check the hemorrhage I did it Ina ina in ina a matter of seconds and even now I dont don't know Just how it was done The artery seemed almost to thrust Itself Into my reach reach- He continued But I wasn't referring referring re re- ferring to an any experience of my my own This friend of mine mine- mine mine- one He lie hesitated guardedly Well yo you u KU 1 I l la a LL 1 l She Smiled and Said I 1 Never SAW Anyone Whose Work Wasat Was Wasat Wasat at Once So Unhurried and aDd as al Swift as Yours know the old belief Professor that thatto to be born under a caul was lucky This chap was born under a caul and I think he was always secretly a little proud of the fact feeling that he was waa set apart from other men by that circumstance The Professor smiled lIe He wasn't also by any chance the seventh son of a seventh son sonT he suggested In ironic amusement Doctor chuckled NoAn NoAn NoAn No An only child chUd he be admitted and he went on We grew up on adjoining farms and if there are poltergeists I suspect sus that he was one I remember that when he was a boy If U he was left alone in a room something was apt to fall and break Of course he was always blamed and punished His Ills father used to say he h whipped this youngster not for breaking the thing in question but for lying about it afterward Professor Carlisle commented Boys have lied before and will again agan I know Doctor admitted admitted ad ad- matted stubbornly But this bo boy always always always al al- ways denied even to me that he had done the things for which he be was blamed I remember once we were haying on a hot da day in July and they put us in the mow to stow tow the hay and the bay hay caught fire The barn in fact burned to the ground Fortunately it was a small barn hay across the road from the house used only for storage and the loss was not serious But there again he was blamed They h insisted insist ed el that he be had bad lighted a match or done some other folly lIe He chuckled chuckled chuck chuck- led lie He bore the welts of that at af fair for days he said and he be asked this the stuff poltergeists poltergeists are made of oU The subject is pretty extensive Professor Carlisle explained Fires are a common manifestation appearing appearing appearing ap ap- in many of the tales He added There was a nan named Charles Fort Fort h h e c dead now who now who made a of such things Probably Probably ably with witt his tongue in his cheek In one on of his hi books he said these fire phenomena look to him like the survival of a power that may mayonce mayonce once have been common when primitive men needed fires firel and didn't know how to make them lie He talks about vestigial functions In the human body just as you OU surgeons talk about vestigial organs Of course coune this thil Is I. all U in the highest de do decree cree gree fancifuL But Its It's an amusing subject for speculation Doctor in slated Your man Fort I gather thought these thesa functions were originally finally of some lome use usa to their possess possess- ors But what possible good can It do to project a plate across the room and allow It to break against the wall wan The professor answered goor goo hu hu hu Well Weil Fort ug es' es 4 that these thee poltergeist disturbances s may emans emanate Ie from some r mind mud If U your friend I ht the haymow haymow haymow hay hay- mow wished the hay to burn bum up for Instance so that he would not have to work so 10 hard on a hot day day day- Doctor laughed suddenly sudden sudden- ly expansive Like Mrs Greed Greed- ings ing's statuette he suggested She told you ou about that the tho other night As AI a matter of fact I 1 had the statuette statuette stat tat uette in m my hands when It fell- fell though I Z haven't dared confess as II much to her Shed She'd blame me for dropping It but I didn't I was thinking that it was rather hideous when the thing simply flew out of m my hands bands and crashed to bits lIe He saw the others other's curious glance added quickly If u this chap had been in the house Id I'd suspect him himl What was his name asked Professor Carlisle Tompkins said Doctor Greed Greed- Ing big readily But hes he's dead now The older man was for a moment silent he be lighted his pipe afresh looking intently at the bowL But at length he be asked curiously Did you you notice notice anything unusual unusual al about the way the statuette fell You said laid It flew out of your hands Doctor nodded forgetting forgetting forgetting forget forget- ting caution Exactly ba he assured as as- aired the other man It was as though some one snatched it away and I remember it seemed to hang bang hangIn In hi the air for a moment before It fell I Professor Carlisle smoothed his I pipe bowl in his hands He lIe said after a moment Well that hesitating hesi heal |