The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-06-07
CHAPTER ".
fIiE LOCKED DOOR.

depression had so mysterious and init
mate connection with his powers of To-
comotion that when anything troubled
him very much he was apt to content
himself with the ordinary rate of prog
ross. This afternoon his footsteps Jagged
on every stair. He looked at his latch
koy abstractedly for several minutes be-
fore he placed it in the lock, and when
he did finally perform this operation it
was with savage thrust, as though he
wanted to stab the door. 1t was not
quite dark when the key turned and he
went in.
''Ahp' said DR.. Lamar from his chair
by the bedside in the windowless alcove
room, looking out between the looped
curtains as the artist entered. "You are
here at lastl am glad you have come
DIR. Bently has just been down from the
hospital. He is almost as much interest
ed in the case as your worthy sister, and
don't be surprised if you see Inc carried
away by the same craze. He says he
thinks there's slight change in the pa
tents mental condition.
Does that mean good?" asked the
artist.
His sister answered quickly:
"Of coursep'
"Oh, possibly" substituted the eau
tious physician. ''You must not let your
wishes dictate your conclusions SO large
ly, Miss MaXey. You will make very
probable disappointment much more
keen by so doing Now, don't always
say what l think, you know, but you are
my friends, and l canhot feel like pro-
fessional man in this house, and l must
tell you that this case is developing some
Of the most remarkable mental phenom-
ena l ever met with. Whether they
are symptoms of curious brain disease
or simply "reminiscences Of the normal
mental condition Of the patient, am
unable at present to decide. Dr. Bently
is as much in the dark as myself, and
when Dr.. Bently hesitates in a case of
this kind it is of little Sje to inquire
further. We have been making some in
tercsting experiments in your absence.
And that reminds me that Miss MaXey
said you went out for a specific purpose.
Have they learned anything? What about
the letter they found on the beach yes
terday?"
Learned" echoed Maxey inpatient
ly as his sister helped b m off with his
coat, after which it appeared that both
lis hair and his neclItie were in q terri
bic state. Learned! What could you
expect Of such an exasperating affair as
this? Is there anything about it like any
thing else you ever heard off Does any
body concerned in it do anything that a
rational being would expect him to do?
Not bit of it. Mark my word, now, if
tie thing ever does come out, it will be
just what nobody thought it was But
may 1 be shot if l believe we are ever 60
ing to know any more about it than we
do at present Our only hope is that the
girl will get well enough to tell us, and
she won't. know very well she won't. /"
DuG lLiC lCtOCLJ q JulltLlJ u1oCu lis
sister. Surely the letter.
''The letter." echoed the exasperated
MGxey. 'Dho letter is just like every
thing elso-a mystery. Tho letter leads
just where the footsteps in the snow did
Nowhere" "
'But even they gave us hint of the
direction the fiond WENT" said tho sis
ter. "Oh, think they are acting terri
bly, stupid in this affair! If could get
out now, l believe l could do some
thing"
II believe you could do wonders, of
course" returned Maxey little spite
fully, for he was still suffering the Keen
ness Of his disappointment. "But l
would like to be informed, for instance,
what you would do in this case?"
''Do? Iwould hunt up that Mrs. Hap
good who wrote that letter if l had to
question every man, woman and child
in the city to do SO"
"Of course you would, and so would
anybody. That is just what the police
did do. Only they were sane enough to
look in the directory instead Of attempt
ing the catechising. Why, they had a
gentleman in conversation with Mrs.
Hapgood before the letter had been in
their hands an hour"
'"Then there is such personp' cried
the doctor and Miss Maxey together.
"Oh, yes, there is, but she never
heard Of Or saw the letter before, and
what is more, she is not acquainted with
any Annette and has not single friend
Or foe to her knowledge missing or to
whom such letter could be written or
such an accident possible. And as this
Mrs, Hapgood is very worthy and re-
spectacle old lady indeed, it is no use
to say she would lie about such an af-
fair. You see, I couldn't believe it Sec
ondhand, and / have been to see her
myself, and that's the result"
Maxey flung his gloves moodily on
the center table and dropped himself
with disgusted expression into an easy
chair, which his sister had wheeled in
front Of the CRATE.
"How very strangep' cried Miss
Maxey.
"Well, ism It it in perfect keeping with
all the rest? l was so exasperated to
think it should turn out in that way
that I hardly spoke to the old lady civ
lily. know her, or rather know Of her,
too. She's sort Of an amateur artist,
and I've met her before She was quite
upset and distressed at the idea that
anybody should think Of connecting her
name with what she called that shocking
affair and cried out, oh, they won't
put my name in the papers, will theyP
/ showed her the letter, and she let me
see some specimens Of her handwriting.
There was no sort Of similarity between
them. She's a we'll meaning old soul as
ever lived, and I'm sorry disturbed her.
That's all. But it's terribly exasperat'
ing"
tIPut J,11ian dnar ~ T,laaded his ais.