Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-04-25
The Hand Of Ice
TRANSCRIBED BY FLORENCE WARDEN,
House The Inn
by the Shore, Of Darkness
copyrighted. ,,oa, b, T,orsno. warden,
swell, what if he has2"
cor ~ axl.:O

"Oh, oh, nothing"
He turned away without another
word, but with the same furtive anx-
iety in his manner. I was sitting down
again beside the doctor, with the in
tention of unburdening my mind on
the subject of my suspicious of his
nephew, when Dick returned again to
us, and, with some excuse so f1imsy
that it was almost insulting to me,
carried off the old doctor and. left me
by myself.
1t may be imagined that was angry
at this deliberate step taken to pre-
vent my accusing him to his uncle;
and that was not in the most ami
able mood when the young man pres
emily came back, by himself, and in
formed me that he had made his uncle
go to bed, as he was tired.
with sitting up with you during
your bilious attack perhaps" I sug-
gested, not trying to conceal my con-
tempt at this subterfuge.
Perhaps" said Dick, steadily. And
he added, as il my tone had contained
no offense: 'He works too hard. Now
he's retired and getting old, he should
rest. Instead of that he trots about,
prescribing for half the steerage pas
sengers, and making up pills and po-
lions, not one OF which does anybody
any good"
I confess was Disguised at this
aspersion of his uncle's powers.
DO you mean to accuse DR.. Mullion
of incompetence in his profession?" I
asked, coldly.
"By no means. But he is old-fash-
Toned, very oldfashioned; and he
would do much better to leave the
people to modern methods" ~
Now, If anybody but young Mullion
had said this, should have been ready
to think it an honest expression of,
opinion. But coming from this quar-
ter, felt strongly inclined to think
it was clever pretext devised to keep
me from confding in his uncle. For I
had little doubt that, if could have
long serious talk with DR.. Mulhon,
could get him to believe my story OF
the nights adventure, and interesting
him to the point of persuading him to
make inquiries into 1t. Did he know
that his nephew had been shot by.
me? could scarcely doubt that he
did. But then thought it probable
that Dick had explained the matter
away, by saying that 1t had been an
accident, and was quite sure the old
doctor did not suspect his nephew to
have been guilty of an attack upon me.
made It my business, after this talk
with young Muuion, to inquire among
the poorer passengers about the re-
suits of old Mullion's doctoring. And
I found, not only that he was thor
oughly up-to-date in his methods and
remedies, but that his science was
looked upon with the greatest respect,
he was not only good doctor, they all
said, but an exceptionally good one,
and haG practiced among them with
remarkable success, besides earning
golden opinions for his generosity to
the poorest.
More than ever convinced that was
on the right track, then found an
opportunity for questioning the stew
ard, who had found me on the floor
of the passage, on the night of my ad-
venture.
"Are you sure" insisted I, athat you
saw nobody about on your way to me,
after you heard the pistol shot?"
Nobody, sir, I assure you, except
young Mr.. Mullion, who was going into
the old DOCTORS cabin, to call him out
to you"
"How do you know he was going to
send him to me9" I asked, as quietly as
I could.
"Oh, by his face, sir. He looked as
scared as ever I saw man look" said
the steward.
THANK you. That will do" said !.