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Show Mm&A I Jj KCniARINE GREEN C Alfe Z&WA AUTHOR OP "TT IE LEAVENWORTH CASE" C1 m4 -XL A 2hlCnUmi? XtMMZffl ?r Ik "THE FILIGKE fiAlTTlIEHOlISIl CFTlIirVVfflJPERIfla plNT bOAl 1 ? tA ? ft) ILLUSTOATIONS DY J-7N 3 " r-if i CHAPTER I. Polnssttlss. "A remarkable man!" 1 pointed to a man hurrying around the corner Just ahead of us. "Yea, he's remarkably well built I noticed him when ha cam out of the Clermont." Thla wu a hotel we had Juat passed. "Hut It's not only that. It'a his height, hla very striking f nature, hla expression" I stopped suddenly, gripping George's arm convulsively In a surpriso ho appeared to ahare. We had turned thn corner Immediately behind thn man of whom we were speaking and ao had blm (till In full view. "Whnt'a he doing?" I asked In a low whin per. Thn mn ahead of us, presenting In every reaped the ap)earaiice of a gentleman, had audiletily stooped to the kerb and wua wimlilng hla hands In the snow, furtively, but with a vigor and purpose, which could not full to arouse tho strangest eonjec-turea eonjec-turea la any chance onlooker. "I'llate!" escaped my llpa, In a sort of nervous chuckle. Hut George shook hla head at me. "I don't like It." he muttered, with unusual gravity. 'Dld you sen hla face?" Then aa the man rose and hurried away from us down the street, "I should like to follow hi in. I do believe" be-lieve" Hut here we became aware of a quick rush and sudden clamor around the corner we had Just left, and turning turn-ing quickly, saw that something had occurred on llroadway which was fast causing a tumult. "What's the tnatter?" I cried. "What can have happened? tat' go see. George.. I'erhaps It has something to do with our man." My husband, with a final glance down the street at the fast disappearing disappear-ing figure, yielded to my Importunity, and poaslbly to some new curiosity of his own. "I'd like to stop that man first," said he. "I!ut what excuse have IT lie may be nothing but a crank, with some crack-brained Idea In his hosd. We'll soon know; for there's certainly something wrong there on llroadway." "He came out of the Clermont," I suggested. "1 know. If the excitement Isn't there, what we've Just seen Is simply a coincidence." It was the las. word he had time , to speak before we found ourselves In the midst of a crowd of men and women. Jostling one another In curiosity curi-osity or In the consternation following follow-ing a quick alarm. All were looking one way, and, as this was towards the entrance of the Clermont. It was evident evi-dent enough to us that the alarm had Indeed had its origin In the very place we had anticipated. I felt my bus-band's bus-band's arm press me closer to bis side as we worked our way towards the entrance, and presently caught a warning sound from his lips aa the oaths and confused cries everywhere surrounding us were broken here and there by articulate words and we beard: t "Is It murder?" "The besutiful Miss Challoner!" i "A millionairess In her own right!" I -Killed, they say." I "No, no! suddenly desd; that's all." "George, what shall we do?" I managed man-aged to cry Into my husband's ear. "I ll tell you what I'll, do," whispered whis-pered George, who was as curious as myself. "Ve will try the rear door where there are fewer persons. Possibly Possi-bly we can make our wsy In there, and If we can, Slater will tall us all we want to know." Slater was the assistant manager of the Clermont, and one of George's old-eat old-eat friends. "Then hurry," said I. "1 am being crushed here." George did hurry, and In a few mln-tes mln-tes we were before the resr entrance of the great hotel. There was a mob gathered here also, but It was neither so large nor so rough as the one on Hroadway. Yet I doubt If we should have been able to work our way through It If Slater had not. at that very Instant, shown himself In the doorway, la company with an officer to whom he was giving some final in atmctions. "Let us In. Slater." George berged "My wife feels a little faint; she ha ben knocked about so by the crow d " I no sooner saw the wsy cleared for our entrance than I marie, good my husbands words by fainting away In earnest. When I came to. It was suddenly and with perfect recognition of my rurroundlnrs. The small reception room to which I hsd been taken was one 1 had often visited, and Its fa-miliar fa-miliar features did not hold my attention at-tention for a moment. What I did see and welcome waa my husband s fare bending close over me. and to him I spoke first. My words must have sounded oddly to those about. ' ' Have they told you anything about Itr I asked. "Did he " A quick pressure on my arm si-kneed si-kneed me, and then f noticed that we were not alone. Two or three ladles stood near, watching tne, and one had evidently been using some restorative, restora-tive, for she held a small vinaigrette In her hand. To this lady, George made haste to Introduce me, and from her I presently learned the cause of the dlaturhunce In the hotel. Kdlth, the well known daughter of Moses Challoner, had fallen suddenly dead on the floor of the mezzanine. She was not known to have been In poor health, still lens In danger of a fatal attack, and tho shock was consequently conse-quently great to her friends, several of whom wero In the building. . "Was she alone when she fell?" 1 asked. "Vlrtuully alone. Some persons sat on the other side of the room, reading at the big round table. They did not j even hear her full. They say thot the bund was playing unusually loud In the musicians' gallery." "Are you feeling quite well, now?" "Quite myself," I gratefully replied as I rose slowly from the sofa. In tho hall we encountered Mr. Slater, whom I have before mentioned. Ho was trying to maintain order while himself In a state of great agitation. Seeing us, he could not refrain from whispering a few words Into my husband's hus-band's ear. "The doctor has Just gone up her doctor, I mean. He's simply dumbfounded. dumb-founded. Saya that she was the healthiest woman In New York yesterday. yester-day. I think don't mention It, that he suspects something quite different differ-ent from heart failure." "What do you mean?" asked George, following the assistant manager down the broad flight of steps leading to the ofllctt. Then, aa I pressed up close to Mr. Slater! other side, "She waa by herself, wasn't she. In the half floor above?" "Yes, and had been writing a lot-ter. lot-ter. She fell with It still In her hand." "Have they carried her to her room?" I eagerly Inquired, glancing fearfully up at the large semi circular openings overlooking ua from the place where she bad fallen. I "Not yet Mr. Hammond Insists upon waiting for the coroner." (Mr. Hammond waa the proprietor of the hotel.) "She Is lying on one of the big couches near which she fell. If you like, 1 can give you a glimpse of her. She looks beautiful. It's terrible terri-ble to think that she Is dead." "I don't know why we consented. We were under a spell, I think. At all events, we accepted his offer and followed him up a narrow staircase open to very few that night. At the top, he turned upon us with a warning gesture which I hardly think we needed, need-ed, and led na down a narrow hall flanked by openings corresponding to those we had Rioted from below. At the furthest one he paused and, beckoning us to his side, pointed across the lobby Into the large writing writ-ing room which occupied the better part of the mexzanlue floor. We saw people standing In various vari-ous attitudes of grief and dismay about a couch, one end of which only was visible to us at the moment. The doctor had Just Joined them, and every head was turned towards him and every body bent forward In ft mm She Fell With the Lettsr Still In Her Hand. anxious expectation. I remember the fare of one gray haired old man. I shall never forget It. He was probably prob-ably her father. I-ater. I knew him to be so. Vtlss Challoner was stretched stretch-ed out upon the couch. She wss dressed as he came from dinner, In a gown of Ivory-tinted satin, relieved re-lieved at the breaat by a large bouquet bou-quet of scsrlet polnswttiaa. The doc-ter doc-ter was pointing at these polnsettlas in horror and with awful meaning, and though we could not hear his words, we knew almost Instinctively, both from his attitude and the cries which burst from the Hps of those about him. that something more thsn broken petals and disordered leaves had met his eyes; that blood was there slowly ooilog drops from the heart which for some reason bad escaped all eyes till now. Miss Challoner was dead, not from unsuspected disease, but from the violent attack of some murderous weapon. As the realization of this brought fresh panic and bowed the old father's head with emotions even more bitter than those of grief, I ( turned a questioning look up at George's face. It was fixed with a purpose I bad no trouble In understanding. CHAPTER II. "I Know the Man." Yet he made no effort to detain Mr. Slater, .when that gentleman, under un-der this renewed excitement, hastily has-tily left us. "1 want to feel sure of myself," he explained. "Can you bear the strain of waiting around a little longer, Laura?" "Yes, I can bear It Don't you think the man we saw had something to do with this? Don't you believe" "Hush! What are they saying over there? Can you hear?" I "No. And I cannot bear to look. Yet I don't want to go away. It'a all so dreadful." "It's devilish. Such a beautiful girl! Laura. I must leave you for a moment Do you mind?" "No, no; yet " I did mind; but he was gone before be-fore I could take back my word. Alone, I felt the tragedy much more than when he was with me. I drew back against the wall and hid my eyes, waiting feverishly for George's return. He came, when he did come, In some haste and with certain marks of Increased agitation. "Laura," said be, "Slater says that we may possibly be wanted and proposes pro-poses that we atay here all night. I have telephoned and made It all right at home. Will you come to your room? Thla Is no place for you." Nothing could have pleased me better. bet-ter. Hut I could not go without cast-lug cast-lug another glance at the traglu senTi I was leaving. A stir was perceptible there, and I was Just In time to see Its causo. A tall, angular gentleman waa approaching from the direction of the musicians' gallery, and from the manner of all present, as well as from the whispered comment of my husband, I recognized In him the special spe-cial official for whom all had been waiting. "Are you going to tell him?" was my question to George aa we made our way down to the lobby. "That depends. First, I am going to aee you aettled In a room quite remote from this business." "I shall not like that" "I know, my dear, but It Is best" I could not gainsay this. Nevertheless, after the first few minutes of relief, I found It very lonesome upstairs. I was still struggling with this feeling feel-ing w hen the door opened, and George came In. There waa news In bis face as I rushed to meet him. ' "Tell me tell." I begged. He tried to smile at my eagerness, but the attempt was ghastly. "I've been listening and looking," said he, "and this Is all I have learned. learn-ed. Miss Challoner died, not from a stroke or from disease of any kind, but from a wound reaching the heart. No one saw the attack, or even the approach or departure of the person Inflicting this wound. If she was killed by a pistol shot, It w as at a distance, and almost over the heads of the persons per-sons sitting at the table we saw there. Hut the doctors shske their heads at the word pistol shot, though they refuse to explain themselves or to express any opinion till the wound has been probed. This they are going to do at once, and when that question Is decided. I may feel It my duty to speak and may ask you to support my story." "We rsn never make tbem under stand bow be looked." "No. I don't expect to." "Or his manner as he fled." "Nor that either." "We can only describe what we saw him do." "That's all "Oh, what an adventure for quiet people like us! George, I don't believe be-lieve he shot her." "He must have." "Hut they would have seen have heard the feople around, I mean." "So they say; but I hsve a theory but no matter about that now. I'm going down again to see how things have progressed. I'll be" back for you later. Only be ready." In a half hour or an hour I never kr.ew which George reappeared, only to tell me that no conclusions had as yet been reached; an element of great mystery Involved the whole affair, and the most astute detectives on the force hsd been sent for. Her father, who had been ber constsnt companion compan-ion all winter, had not the least sug section to offer In way of lu solution. solu-tion. To no living being,, man or woman, could he point aa possessing any motive for such a deed. She had been the victim of some mistake, bis lovely and ever kindly disposed daughter, and while the loss was Irreparable Irre-parable he would never make It unendurable unen-durable by thinking otherwise. Such was the father's way of looking look-ing at the matter, and I own that It made our duty a trifle hard. Hut George's mind, when once made up, was persistent to the point of obstinacy, ob-stinacy, and while he was yet talking talk-ing be led me out of the room and down the hall to the elevator. "Mr. Slater knows we have some-tling some-tling to suy, and will manage the Interview before us In tho very best manner," he confided to me now with an encouraging air. "We are to go to the M no reception room on the parlor floor." Mr. Slater was there according to his promise, and after Introducing us, brietly stated that we had some evidence evi-dence to give regarding tho terrible occurrence which had Just taken place In the house. George bowed, and the chief spokesman I am sure he waa a po-lico-offlcer of some kind asked him to tell what It was. Then my husband spoke up, and related re-lated our little experience. If It did not create a sensation. It was be-cuuse be-cuuse these men were well accustomed accus-tomed to. surprises of all kinds. "Washed his hands a gentleman-out gentleman-out there In the snow Just after the alsrm was raised here?" repeated one. "And you saw him come out -of this bouse?" another put In. "Yes, air; we noticed him particularly." particu-larly." "Can you describe him?' It was Mr. Salter who put this question; ques-tion; he had less control over himself, him-self, and considerable eagernesa could be heard in hla voice. "He waa a very fine looking man; unusually tall and unusually striking strik-ing both In his dress and appearance. What I could see of his face was bare of beard, and very expressive. He walked with the awing of an athlete, Gjnly looked mean and email Jie was stooping and dabbling i snow." "His clothes. Describe his clothes." There waa an odd aound In Mr. Slater's voice. "He wore a silk hat and there was fur on his overcoat I think the fur was black." Mr. Slater stepped back, then moved mov-ed forward again with a determined air. "I know the man." said ha. CHAPTER III. The Man. "You know the man?" "I do; or rather, I know a man who answers to this description. He comes here once in a while. "His name." 'Hrotherson. A very uncommon person per-son In many respects; quite capable of such an eccentricity, but Incapable, I should say, of crime. He's a gifted talker and so well read that he can hold one's attention for hours. Of his tastes, I can only ssy that they appear to be mainly scientific. Hut be Is not averse to society, and la always very well dressed." Meanwhile, George had advanced to speak to a man who bad beckoned to him from the other side of the room, and with whom In another moment I aaw him step out Thus deserted, I sank Into a chair near one of the windows. Where was he? , The man who had carried him off was the youngest In the group. What had be wanted of George? Those who remained showed no Interest In the matter. They had enough to say among themselves. Hut I was Interested naturally so, and. In my uneasiness, glanced restlessly from the Window, the shade of which waa up. The outlook was a very l-eaceful one., This room fsced a side street, and. as my eyes fell upon the whitened pavements, I received an answer to one, and that the most anxious, of my queries. This was the street Into which we had turned. In the wake of the handsome stranger they were trying at this very moment to Identtfy with Hrotherson. George had evidently been asked to point out the exact apot where the man had stopped, for I could see from my vantage point two figures bending nesr the curb, and even pawing at the snow which lay there. It gave me a slight turn when one of them I do not think It was George begnn to nib his bands together In much the way the unknown gentleman had done, and. In my excitement I probably prob-ably uttered some sort of sn ejaculation, ejacula-tion, for I was suddenly conscious of a silence In the room, and when 1 turned saw all the men about me locking my way. "They are Imitating the man." I cried; "my husband and and the person he went out with It looked dieadful to me; thst is all." Meanwhile. Mr. Slater had exchanged ex-changed some words with the two officials, of-ficials, and now approached me with aa expression of extreme consider ation. They were about to excuse me from further participation In this Informal In-formal Inquiry. Thla I saw before he spoke. Of course they were right. Hut I should greatly have preferred to stay where I waa till George came back. I was greatly Interested, of course, and had plenty to think of till I saw George again and learned the result of the luteal Investigations. Miss Challoner had been shot, not sttbhed. No other deduction was possible pos-sible from such facta as were now known, though the physicians had not yet handed In their report, or even Intimated what that report would be. No assailant could have approached or left her, without attracting the notice no-tice of some one, If not all of the persons seated at a table In the same room. She could only have been reached by a bullet sent from a point near the head of a small winding staircase connecting the mezzanine floor with a coat room adjacent to the front door. This has already been Insisted In-sisted on, as you will remember, and If you will glance at the diagram which George hastily scrawled for me, you will see why. A. I)., as well as C. D. are half circular openings Into the office lobby. K. F. are windows giving upon llroadway, llroad-way, and G. and party wall, necessarily necessari-ly unbroken by window, door or any other opening. It follows then that the only possible means of approach to this room lies through the archway H., or from the elevator door. Hut the elevator made no stop at the mezzanine mez-zanine on or near the time of the attack at-tack upon Miss Challoner; nor did any one leave the table or pass by It In either direction till after the alarm given by her fall. Hut a bullet calls for no approach. A man at X. might raise and fire his pistol without attracting any attention to himself. The music, which all acknowledge was at its full climax at this moment, would drown the noise of the explosion, and the stair case, out of view of all but the victim, afford af-ford the same means of Immediate escape, es-cape, which It must have given of secret and unseen approach. The coat-room coat-room Into which It descended communicated com-municated with the lobby very near the main entrance, and If Mr. Hrotherson Hrother-son were the man, his sudden appearance appear-ance there would thus be accounted for. It began to look bad for this man. If Indeed he were the one we had seen under the street lamp; and, as George and I reviewed the situation, we felt our position to be serious enough for us severally to set down our Impressions Impres-sions of this man before we lost our first vivid Idea. I do not know what George wrote, for he sealed his words up as soon as he had finished writing, but this Is what I put on paper while my memory was still fresh and my excitement ex-citement unabated; "He had the look of a man of powerful power-ful Intellect and determined will, who shudders while he triumphs; who outwardly washes his bands of a deed over which he Inwardly gloats. This was when he first rose from the snow. Afterwards he had a moment of fear; plain, human, everyday fear. Hut this was evanescent Hefore he had turned to ajo, he showed the self- 0. i VMtM"iwCI'Sa , a j use E3 JL H I f CmmO SOM-uvftnTMlM I possession of one who feels himself so secure, or Is so well-satisfied with himself, that he Is no longer coi-rcious coi-rcious of other emotions." "I'oor fellow," I commented aloud, as I folded up thea words; "he reckoned without you, George. Hy tomorrow he will be In the handa of the polio" And with this sentence ringing In my mind. I lay down and endeavored to sleep. Hut it was not till very late that rest came. At last I slept, but It was only to roune again with the same quick realisation real-isation of my surroundings, which I hsd experienced on my recovery from my fainting fit of hourr before. Some-ir.e Some-ir.e hsd stopped at our door before hurrying by down the hall. Who was thst someone? I rose on my elbow, and endeavored to peer through the dark Of course. I could see nothing. Hut when I woke a second time, there was enough light in the room, early as it undoubtedly waa, for me to detect de-tect a letter lying on the carpet Just Inside the door. Instantly I was on my feet. Catching Catch-ing the letter up, I carried It to the window. Our two names were on It Mr. and Mrs. George Anderson: the . writing, Mr. Slater's. I glanced over at George. He waa sleeping peacefully. It was too early to wake blm, but I could not lay that letter down unread; was not my name on It? Tearing It open, I devoured de-voured its contents, the exclamutlon I made on reading It, wuklug George. The writing was In Mr. Slater's hand, and the words were: "I must request, at the Instance of Coroner Heath and such of the police as listened to your adventure, that you uiuko no further mention of what you saw In the street under our windows last night. The doctors find no bullet In the wound. This clears Mr. Hrotherson." CHAPTER IV. Sweet Little Miss Clarke. When we took our seats at the breakfast table, It was with the feeling feel-ing of being no longer looked uion as connected In any way with this care. Yet our Interest In It was, If anything, Increased, and when I saw George canting furtive glances at certain table behind me, I leaned over and asked him the reason, being sure that the people whose faces I saw reflected la the mirror directly before us had something to do with the great matter then engrossing us. Ills answer conveyed the somewhat exciting Information that the four persons seated In my roar were the same four who had been reading at the round able la the mezzanine at the time of Miss Challoner's death. Instantly they absorbed all my attention, at-tention, though I dared not give them a direct look, and continued to observe ob-serve them only In the glass. "Is It one family?" I asked. "Yea, and a very respectable one. Transients, of course, but very well known In Denver. The lady is not the mother of the boys, but their aunt The boya belong to the gentleman, gen-tleman, who Is a widower." "Their word ought to be good." , George nodded. "The boys look wide-awake enough If the father does not. As for the aunt, she Is sweetness itself. Drj they still insist that Miss Challoner was the only person In the room with tbem at this time?" "They did last night. I don't know how they will meet this statement of the doctor's." "George?" He leaned nearer. "Have you ever thought that she might have been a suicide? That she stabbed herself?" "No, for In that case a weapon wculd have been found." "And are you sure that none was?" "Positive. Such a fact could not have been kept quiet If a weapon had been picked up there would be no mystery, and no necessity foi further police Investigation." "And the detectives are still here?" "I Just saw one." "George?" Again his head came nearer. "Have they searched the lobby? I believe she bad a weapon." "Laura!" "I know It sounds foolish, but the alternative Is so Improbable. A family fam-ily like that cannot be leagued together to-gether In a conspiracy to hide the truth concerning a matter so serious. To be sure, they may all be shortsighted, short-sighted, or so little given to observation observa-tion that they didn't see what passed before their eyes. The boys look wideawake wide-awake enough, but who can tell? 1 would sooner believe that " I stopped short so suddenly that George looked startled. My attention had been caught by something new I saw In the mirror upon which my attention waa fixed. A man was looking look-ing In from the corridor behind, at the four persona we were Just discussing. dis-cussing. He wss watching them Intently, In-tently, and I thought I knew bis face. (TO HE OONTINfEn.) Walked Out With It There came Into- the office of a western lawyer a man who was excited ex-cited because his wife had left him. and he feared she would run him Into debt all over the country. "In that rase," said the lawyer, "you had better post her." Ills client, not knowing what posting post-ing meant, said he did not know where she had gone, and beside, she was ' fully as strong ss be, and he did not believe he was able to post her. The attorney explained that he meant putting put-ting a notice In the newspapers saying: say-ing: "Whereas, my wife Helen has l-ft my bd and board without any Just" '"Hut that ain't true." Interrupted the client "She didn't lesve my bed. She took It with her" Sunday Magazine. |