Show 07 0 7 7 B 1 E WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE simon judd amateur detectible detec tc tile and william dart an undertaker visit john drane an eccentric lc ma man n of wealth at the diane place suddenly john drane is murdered and dr blessington after examining the body maks mako the he astounding revelation to amy aimy drane that her uncle 1 is a woman and not a man all the servants in the household are sickly and it is revealed that john drane never discharged a germant acir ill health dick brennan detective arrives at the house ind makes thorough simon judd tells him the story ot of the actual john drane with whom lie be judd was acquainted in riverbank judd proposes to brennan that lie he go partners with brennan in the solution of the orime crime brennan accepts then judi judd declares that amy Is not john dranes itce or any relative of drane mrs vincent housekeeper tells brennar brennan that drang drane picked his servants iron from among the chron chronic le patients at the dr blessington is aski asked if he had ever noticed any special change in drame NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY change the doctor queried As if up to some time lie he was the real john drane and from then on was this woman she was him explained simon judd why since it is brought to in it with this mystery in mind dr Di blessington essington said there was a time wh whan n I 1 noticed a change in john drane a shocking chandl is I 1 thought it the time is pretty well fixed lui in my mind too As a matter of tact fact there have been two distinct changes in this john drane one was when he returned from california I 1 hardly ha harf lly knew hlin the other the he most shocking one was some five months later As a physician coming to the house I 1 noticed it particularly just before he went to california fo nia this john drane man or woman was decidedly run down in health in bad shape I 1 1 thought although I 1 was not asked to advise him then hie bc went to california and he be returned he was like as we say another man ile he was brisker more cheerful and be had put on quite a little flesh for such a thin man ile he walked better belter and stood better at that timie time his hair was dark but be probably pio bably used a dye the man who went to california may not hae been the woman who le turned on the other hand the change may have been wrought by rest aej an 3 the warm climate and the other time five months later said Br sunan A more striking char change chairge rge ithe 1016 physician bald cromi the time drane returned aiom alom california looking booking so well he began to run down again I 1 did make so bold as to speak to him about it and hie sail said he knew he must do something he said he thought he would go south to hot springs and take a long iong rest A week later he went ind he was gone thres three months ile he came back with his hair absolutely geay as it is now his hia face eman his body nothing but bones it was a shocking change except tor for one thing I 1 might be willing to swier that in my opinion the person who came back from hot springs was not the man who went there that thing Is a sear scar orr on this womans comans abdomen the sear scar of an appendicitis operation my opinion now Is that she probably went thim tor for the operation ope ration if that was indeed where she went in order that anyone who knew her a possibility brennan admitted she coldi cold have changed chang edi into clothes at some stop owr en route ithe filhe doctor said changing back into male garments on tier her return it if that is the answer she must havi havia hal had a bad time of the operation oper atlon to wear down BO 60 tremendously but it is possible that the man who left here that times was not the woman m man n who ni turned here a little later brennan said nothing for a full minute im afraid I 1 dont see much in that bat idea doctor he finally said eaid theres too much of the impossible pos in it the person who returned r turn fromi from hot springs if that was where the person went was wa certainly very much like the person who left be here bere r e as john drone drane Is it not so enough so that thai you were not particularly suspicious then how could a substitute have been made who was wag this woman jhc was so much like john drane that she blue could come back here and take his place in the house and at his office and ini wall street going on with his speculations without creating comment the thing is rather assured ab such a woman must ha hare planned taking achin draneas aranas place for years she must have learned all about his business to the minutest details and all about his home affairs mere she must haw hae planned plan neil to murder him or mike make away with him somehow it is to improbable doctor you asked me you yon know said dr blessington a little offended anil and your answer is perfectly good said brennan now let jet UK me wk ask you another did you ever notice anything to anak you think t this his woman boman was insane I 1 mean the victim of a mania what do you think ot of heir idea of having ill servants and no others what about her friendship with this his undertaker der taker dr blessington turbid these questions in his mind before he answered YOU understand that I 1 am not an alienist he said then choosing his words with some care caire 1 I asi m only what is 13 caled a general practitioner As one of the hospital staff I 1 have sometimes recommended to aranie at his request chronic patients still able to do easy vork and ana it never occurred to me that there was insanity in his die sire to aid the unfortunates to tell you the truth brennan Bre ninan I 1 thought it was fine of bhim to glye these thesa people jobs in his house evien even when they fell ill he saw that they had the best attention medical and otherwise when they died A good many did die did asked brennan and dr blessington on colored you will remember that they iceie vei e mostly people doomed to die ha said stiffly ahby had many of f them most of them incurable diseases rut they did die drennan in aisted elsted what I 1 mean is this doctor this aaman known as john drane had great wealth it if she wanted to help these incurable she could have sent them to sanitarium and she could have never missed the money she seems to have liked to have the he sickly the dying and the undertaker clustered about tier her id call that morbid you yes I 1 might call it dr blessington admitted 11 but I 1 would tit say she was crazy well I 1 dont know that I 1 makes such a difference whether r she was crazy or not shie has been murd murdered eTed junt the same sane or In insane sarLe brennan said imi im just trying to set get a clear picture of her in my mind all now doctor I 1 can get in touch with you it if anything else turns up the doctor opened the door leading into the hall but simon judd held him with a question say doe doc he said how long have you known this john drone drane anyway dr blessington pulled at his chin trying to place an exact date he came here I 1 believe in 1893 he said it may have been 92 or 91 94 1 I met hj him first that same when I 1 calel on him for a gift to our hospital I 1 know that I 1 hoped he might make use of bay any it if he a physician but I 1 was no not called until cratil 2 years later laiter say ay in 1895 ive been the family physician since then and along back then in 93 ind 95 he was just about the same teller he looks as he lies up there on the bei bed simon judd asad yes said the doctor slowly Y yo ino increasing easIng age and illness taken into consideration you dont dodt liean to say simon juddi exclaimed black my cats and I 1 dare say it was along ibous when he called you in that tha he begun to gather these sickly hired helps around him huh yes I 1 think that is so dr blessington said that la Is so go andi and when doc simon jud judd d asked cheerfully was the time when he be murdered the first of those these sickly hired hands of Ls hs continued next week 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