Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-06-21
CHAPTER ".
THE LOCKED DOOR

comOtion that when anything troubled
him very much he was apt to content
himself with the ordinary rate of prog
ress This afternoon his footsteps Jagged
ON every stair. He looked at his latch
key 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.
"Ah!" said DR.. Lamar from his chair
by the bedside i'll the windowless alCove
room, looking out between the looped
curtains as the artist entered. You are
here at last l am glad you have come.
DR.. 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 sec me carrie
away by the same craze. He says II
thinks there's u slight change in the pa.
tient's S mental condition.
Does that mean good?" asked IL
artist.
His sister answered quickly:
"Of coursen'
"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, l don't always
say what think, you know, but you are
my friends, and cannot feel like q 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 a curious brain disease
or simply "reminiscences of the normal
mental condition Of the patient, l am
unable at present to decide DR.. Bently
is as much in the dark as myself, and
when DR.. Bently hesitates in case of
this kind it is Of little use to inquire
further. We have been making some in
teresting experiments i'll your absence.
And that reminds me that Miss Maxey
said you went ont for specific purpose
Have they learned anything? What about
the letter they found on the beach yes
terday?"
"Learned!" echoed Maxey impatient
ly as his sister helped him off with his
coat, after which it appeared that both
his hair and his necktio We're in a terri
BILE state Learned! What could you
expect of such an exasporating affair as
this? Is there anything about it like any
thing else you ever heard Of? Does any
body concerned in it do anything that a
rational being would expect him to do:
Not q bit of it. Mark my word, now, if
the thing ever does come out, it will be
just what nobody thought it was. But
may be shot if l believe we are ever CO.
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. ;"
But the letter, Julian" urged his
sister, Surely the letter"-
1.-THE letter!' echoed the exasperated
Maxey. "The letter is just like every
thing else-a mystery. The letter leads
Just where the footsteps in the snow did
nowhere.
"But even they gave us hint of the
direction the tiend went" said the sis
ter. "Oh, l think they are acting terri
bly, stupid in this AFFAIR." If l 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
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 I had to
question every man, woman and child
in tho 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 tc
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 il
their hands an hour"
''Then there is such personH' cried
the doctor and Miss Maxey together.
ooh, 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 tc
whom such letter could be written OF
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, l couldn't believe it sec
ondhand, and I have been to see hel
myself, and that's the result"
Maxey flung his gloves moodily or
the center table and dropped himself
with disgusted expression into an easy
chair, which his sister had wheeled il
front of the CRATE.
"How very strangep' cried Miss
Maxey.
"Well, ism t it in perfect keeping with
all the rest? 1 was so exasperated tt
think it should turn out i'll that way
that hardly spoke to the old lady civ
lily. I 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 tina
anybody should think of connecting hel
name with what she called that shocking
affair and cried out, oh, they Won
put my name in the papers, will they?
I showed her the letter, and she let mt
see some specimens Of her handwriting
There was no sort Of similarity between
them. She's we'll meaning old soul a.
ever lived, and I'm sorry disturbed her
That's all. But it's terribly exasperat
ing"
"But, Julian, DEAR" pleaded his sis
ter. "there must be some mistake. Their
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