The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-07-07

hands cfutchcd the air as he TELL paeE
in stupor ard forgetfulness.
"In-the-name-of - all-that's-
reasonable-what-d oes-this-mean?'
gasped DR.. Gardner when he sat up In
bed on the following morning and look
ed with establishment round the apart
ment. Upon the carpeted floor lay a
portmanteau, ripped open and cut in
fantastic curves, the leather hanging
from it in strips. In moment he had
bounded from bed and was kneeling up
on the floor, gazing in bewilderment at
the wreck of his property. Then he
hastily stepped across the room to ex-
anime the lock of his door. Both it and
the window bar were intact. Surely he
was dreaming, he thought, as he sat
upon the edge of the bed to collect his
faculties. And then his eyes rested up
on the pillow.
"Mercy on me! What has happened
to this?" he exclaimed
Also slashed and cut as if by the
knife of frenzied maniac. The whole
thing was lneXpllcable.
Yonder the door of a press cupboard
showed lines of wildwood through the
paint. 1t had been repeatedly stabbed
Even the soap had not escaped. There
it lay upon the washstand in heap of
thin shavings What absurd fit could
have induced any one to commit such
senseless acts as these? Had the room
been entered while he slept? To believe
that and explain the locked door and
barred window was impossible. Some
body must have experienced gloating
sort of pleasure in cutting the portman-
teau. That was evident from the way
in which it was done. 1t was not sim.
pie act Of destruction. The curved in.
,cisions showed how carefully and DELHI
erately it had been carved, as if the
knife had dwelt with lingering joy
over each sweep of its blade.
For some minutes he sat upon the
bed staring in perplexity and bewilder-
ment at the evidences Of madness before
him, and then there passed feeting ex-
preston across his eyes, and his face
was suffused with deathly pallor.
A light was thrown across his under.
standing, for he instantly started to his
feet and the next moment his nervous
fingers were busily playing over the
lock of an osken case whose contents
became subjected to an intent and eager
scrutiny. A long black handled operat-
ing knife appeared to engage his chief
attention, for he several times felt its
edge, breathed upon it, held it up to
the light of day and contrasted it's ap-
pearance with that of others in the box
Two hours afterward DR.. Gardner
stepped out of his room, lingering for
short space at the door to reassure him
self that every trace Of disorder had
been concealed, and in due time entered
the breakfast room, where DR.. Camp
bell and his daughter already sat.
'Oh, Ned, I'm very sorry that your
room was SO unprepared'' was the re-
mark with which he was greeted by the
young lady as she rose to receive him.
"Why need you be sorry at all, May!
I was quite as comfortable as I always
am, thanks to you
$50 I have told her," broke in the
old gentleman without raising MS cy.
from the letter which he held in b
hand, ''but like every other dear littl
housewife she is never satisfied unles
her department. rolls on with the I'll
swerving regularity Of the solar system
The maids forgot to give you pillow,
or something Of that sort, and May Is
done little else but worry over the omis
sion since she came 10 breakfast. fec.
she worries herself about other folk
far more than she does about her oil
father" he said, with sly look at Ii
daughter.
"Well, I assure you, May, that die
not notice the omission" said his as
sistant.
"Of course you didn't. Don't trou.
BILE about it just now,' interrupted the
old scientist impatiently, "Come and
help me with this correspondence.
BAH" he exclaimed, dropping letter
from his fingers as if it had burned
them. eff You find in that bundle any
more such atrocities as these, throw
them into the fire. -
Thus requested, DR.. Gardner drew the
pile Of letters near his plate and began
his examination Of them.
"Oh, sir, what a princely offer he
said suddenly in a tone Of establishment.
"What is it? Another of the same
sort?" asked Campbell, with his face
darkening, while his assistant devoured
the contents Of the letter.
eyes, suppose it is. An anonymous
correspondent, who will meet you by
appointment, offers Ell, 900 for one dose
Of the drug mentioned by you in your
evidence yesterday, and''-
"Tear it up. Stamp on it!'' cried the
old gentleman vehemently.
Evidently woman S handwriting"
proceeded Gardner meditatively.
Clear it upl Throw it into the fire.
man! Don't handle it! 1t comes from
perditionr' cried his friend, with in
creasing violence, and the young man,
slowly loosening his grasp, dropped the
letter upon the floor.
After sharp pause, during which
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