The Irish standard., 1897-09-11
----------------------
OVER THE TELEPHONE.
The Doctor Rslatos tho Remarkable Story
Of \ Trneedy.


The Doctor Relates tho Remarkable Story
Of - Tragedy.
II heard n strange story to-day" said
tho doctor to me, rs we sat in his Office
late at night. (which, on your solemn
promise not to divulgs, I'll tell you, fot
just can't keep it to myself"
Rendily enough, / promised, and I
violate no confidence In this telling,
for no names are mentioned, correctly,
Mt least, and, In any event, the doctor
was not pledged to secrecy after tho
expiration OF n year, and it has been
two years since he told me.
You remember" no snid, 'when
Frank Brotcr was found In the hall OF
my Office with IL bullet through his
brnin nnd II pistol by his sidc?"
nodded in affirmation of my rcmcm,
brnnco.
You know" he continued, chat
everybody thought it was suicide, for
Frank WINS then under treatment with
mo for II nervous affection that made
him wild at times. thought he had
taken his own life us everyone else did,
and he was buried under that impress.
sion. Tho coroner's verdict was to tho
same effect also. VOL, to-day his sis.
ter died, and before she crossed tho
dnrlt river she asked to see me alone,
about poor Frank.
"Thers was another brother, If you
remember, named George, and no was
the black sheep OF tho flock. A bad
boy from tho beginning. he grew worse
when his widowed mothor died, and for
Ave years before Franks denth he and
his sister, who worked, you know, in
tho central ofiioo Of tho telephone CONF
pany, supported him. They boarded
him In tho Same house with themselves
and as far us appearances went he had
quito MS much OF the worlds goods al
eithor Of them. He drank and gnmbled,
and was In trouble oil tho time and
often Threatened them if they did not
give him more money. This they did,
but tho more he received Of them tho
more no asked, and finally he made such
demnnd upon Frank that he refused
to do anything for him except to board
and clothe him. Tho sister Joined
with Frank In this resolve, and George
Threatened to kill them both. No one
knew OF this except tho brothers and
sister, for the girl was sensitive and
shrnnle from telling her troubles to her
friends On the day of his death Frnnlr
came to my office To see me, and there
was no one about. l had been chilled
away suddenly, and had taken my as;
sistnnt and my door-boy with me, as T
expected to return shortly. did como
back, and when did found Frank
lying in tho hall with tho pistol bp
his sido. 1t was his own pistol,
and you know the rest--up to to-
day. To-day the sister told me thut'
George hnd killed Frank AS for as
she could determine, George had fol-
lowed him there and had quarreled
with him in the hall. To satisfy him
self that George wna telling him the
truth, he hnd gone to my telephone
and called up his sister at tho central
office Evidently, the two brothers
were near the instrument, for us Frank,
called she heard the voice Of George
ordering him away from tho 'phone.t
He refused and then she hoard George
curse him and drag him away. She
could hear the struggle, MS it contin-
ued In tho hall, and then suddenly
came the crack of pistol, and Frank
screamed: oh, George, George, brother,
you have killed mc!' That was nll she
could remember, except the slamming
OF n door as George hurried out of tho
hall, for she tainted. When she was
restored to consciousness, the sister as
serted itself first, and she felt that be-
fore she told her dreadful story she
must first know what had happened,
She was not strong girl, and the
fninting spell excited little or no alarm,
80 that no one thought Of connecting
the fainting with the tragedy. In fact,
/ had never heard OF it until she told
me herself. When She learned that
Frank had committed suicide and she
alone could bear testimony to the con-
trnry, she closed her lips for the sake
OF her brother. and she has never
spoken Of it until to-day, and only now,
because George is dead, and she told;
me that she owed 1t to Franks men,
DRY to let some one know he had not
taken his own life"
THAT'S what killed her." said, hor.
rifled at the story.
''I'm sure of it," replied tho doctor.
'Shc has gradually declined since
Frnnk's death, and nothing l could do
Cor her appeared to have any effect.
"And yet" he concluded, "if George
had been living slo would have taken
her secret to the grave with her. "-De-
troit trcc Press.
TIE opinions Of men who think are
always growing and changing, like liv.,
ing children. -IIamerton.