The Wilmington daily Republican., 1902-03-21
EjOt}AI. ! q
.~N~. ~ i
PARTNERS
.r BY noW..Rn FIELDING
copyigAi, 1901, BY Charles W. Hooke.

xultC tuV SOutIuIJ, TCpIISu Dldus
cit looked like large dimple."
"An ordinary man wouldn't have
Known what it was. ch?''
Probably not"
.''The knife couldn't have struck there
by accident said Eimendorf. ut
looks to me like one Of those freaks of
4 murderer who has brooded over the
crime In advance"
.'Curious point" said Blair.
$50 1t seemed to me-" said Elmcn.
dorf, land here's another. or course
the man who stabbed her meant TO kill
her"
"Ccrtainly."
"A thief would have struck her on
the head.'
II should think likely"
$50 this was murder case" said
Elmcndorf. "'rhere was the intention
to Kill. Now. why didn't the murderer
strike again!"
HE probably thought the wound
was fatal" responded Blair.
"That's the queer part Of It," said
the detective. II wouldn't have
thought It was fatal. Most murderers
20 on stabDin.; they strike half a
dozen times In a sort of frenzy. This
man was content with one blow, but
It was good one, and II the knife
blade hadn't been bent
"Was 1t bent" inquired Blair.
ayes" was the reply. And II the
Assassin was one who knew the loca-
fion Of the vital organs. but was ut
The time too much excited TO notice
khe defect In the instrument, why,
khen, that bend In the blade may have
saved her life"
.If It Is saved" added blair.
''lt was certainly saved for a time"
said tile detective, though every doc.
tor who saw the wound Immediately
pronounced it fatal That's u point In
the casc."
"From which you conclude what"
said Blair, rising and taking IA seat at
ahe table opposite Eimcnhorf.
The detective did not Immediately
answer the question. lie seemed TO he
deep In thought.
"By the way" he said suddenly,
"thefe's another point while ] renlen-
ber 1t. | mean that letter"
"What letter." ....
''The one Alden wrote and Elsie new.
er got" replied Elmrn,orf. "Tl,c post.
man really delivered it, Of course
though he won't testify positively. 1t
WAS undoubtedly put by the servant
under the door of the vcs,ibuIc, that lit.
tie hall leading to Miss Millcr's room.
1t was put under that door. bu, not far
enough"
mot far enough"
"No. Somebody came along and
pulled 1t out. II it happened to hc a
man who was in love with Miss Miller,
the realing of 1t couldn't have been
pleasant. But how did the man get
theIp?''
~ don't Know" said Blair.
"As to the motive" continued the de-
sectIve, "that's pretty clear now. Miss
Miller las told about her marriage.
She lla!l't named the man, hut you
know him."
Eyes said Blair: Il know him."
He took up Il very little bottle from
Vhe table anil began TO turn 1t idly in
his hands.
"Now. then" said Elmendorf. lets
recaplIu'a,r. The murderer was man
who knew Of thai scar"
"Anylody might have seen that" re-
joined Blair.
''lIe knew what 1t was" continued
Elmcnuorf, "llc also was a man who
at the first glance believed that wound
which he had inflicted to he fatal. We
conclude that lie was Il doctor"
every pretty said Blair.
'"rhe individual subsequently tried 70
poison Miss Miller" said the detective,
land his way Of doing it also bears
out the theory that he was one who
had knowledge Of mcdrinr. lie
knew just what poison TO employ. and
he guessed that there would bc some
bot& vi ibD'' III INV IhO
whicl, til" pui%on could ba put. Now,
besides being Il doctor what was lc!'
"A scoun.lrel. should say" replied
Blair.
"He WAS Il man who ,uId 60 in and
out Of Mrs. Simmons house when he
pleased" said Elnend0rf. He was
not one who depended upon any i'm
perfect catch of Il door. Perhaps he
had lived in The house and had never
given up his key. ANYHOW 1t is certain
that he went TO sec Miss Miller at 0
O'Clock in the morning. an hour when
most men would not think they had 4
right TO call, hut onr who claimed to be
her husband might. He saw that letter
sticking out from under the door. He
stole II, and he said after reading it. If
not niinc, then 10 mans He was a
murderer in his heart, then"
you mean 10 imply" said Blair
THAT he had been accustomed to go In
md ont of TINT house without ringing
the bell; that he was her husband,
though she would not see him except
when b" presented himself at her door
10 ,HH~-i and to be sent away, with his
bca.l Oh fire. Well, | think that may
be true"
Undoubtedly" said Elmcndorf, but
who was the MANI"
There was IL rap at the door, and
Blair said Excuse me" quite conven-
lionally as lie crossed the room to open
It. He exchanged some words with O
seryant and for few seconds stood
outside, but his left hand was always
visible upon the door, as Elmcndorf
carefully noted. When he returned to
his seat, lie set down the very small
bottle upon the table.
: Il had reasoned SO far early In the
ease," continued Elmendorf, land had
Even made an experiment with a per-
son whom ! had suspected. cut my
hand and let him bandage 1t, though
That proved not TO be necessary, for the
man acquitted himself instantly by
saying that had cut an artery when
there was plainly no arterial bleeding,
to say nothing of the location Of the in.
Jury. So he surely wasn't DOCTOR"
"You seem to be quite an educated