The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-22
The Clock That Had Run Down.

The Clock That Had Run Down.
In The commotion which followed.
noted two things. First, that al. sight Of
this violence from one brother to the
other, Leighton drew back without Of
fering assistance to the one or rebuke to
the other. Secondly, that Alfred's show
of anger ceased as soon as it had thus Elk.
pended itself, and that his next thought
was for Hope.
But lie was not allowed to approach her.
The coroner now interfered with his au
thority, and all words were forbidden be-
tWaen these members of a disrupted
household, till the police had finished On
Investigation, which had now become as
serious as the crime which had called 1t
forth.
The search was for the little phial which
had held the acid, and when it was gen
orally understood that the Investigation
would not cease till this was found, Miss
Meredith, who had chung to me as her one
stay in this overturning of every other
natural support, asked ME in agitated
tones if 1 thought her cousins would be
subjected to personal search. AS no other
course was ocen to the police after the
direct accusation which had just been
made by the Infatuated Alfred, I answered
in the ALTERNATIVES; whereupon she at
tempted to flee the place, saying she could
not endure to see them subj ected to such
humiliation. ~
But here Alfred, as If divining her
with the remark: o.
II have nothing to conceal. Look
through my pockets if you wish. You will
find nothing to reward your pains. I am
not the villain ..
A growl of anger, bridled but concen-
trated, came from the other side of the
room, and I caught sudden glimpse of
George, quiyering under the, restraining
hands Of DR.. Bennett and SweetWater, in
mad attempt to reach his brother, whom
he seemed to curse between his teeth.
eff you search him, you must do the
same to me- were the words with which
he seasoned this struggle. you will find
nothing more discriminating on me than
on him; probably less, for my pockets
are always open--while his A gnash
of his teeth finished these almost inartic-
ulate phrases. He was not as easily
reused as his brother, but more tenacious
| in his passions, and less readily appeased
| peace, there! You shall both be salts
1ed" interposed businesslike voice. In
| face of these open accusations, the corO-
| ner felt himself relieved from the en-
lbarrassment which had hitherto re-
strained him, and made no further effor
to hide his suspicious.
Miss Meredith, who, unconsciously tt
herself, had drawn me as far as the
| drawing-room door in her efforts te
| escape the disquieting scene she had her
self precipitated, paused as these words
left the coroners lips, and, yielding tc
the terrible fascination of the moment
! caught my arm, and, clinging thus with
both hands, turned her eyes again upor
the men under whose roof she had eaten
] nv
the tension of her body, communicated te
me by the pressure of her hands.
! Suddenly that pressure was removed
| Her hands had flown to her eyes, shut
ting out the spectacle she could no longer
! confront. Nor was it easy for me to look
| on unmoved, or view with even an ap-
! pearance of equanimity the scene before
me.
! l have not mentioned Leighton. He
! had not come forward with the other two
! but he allowed his pockets to be searched
without protest when his turn came
| though it was very evident that the pro
ceeding caused him more suffering and {
keener sensation of disgrace than 1t die
the other tow. Was this OH account o.
1.-The superior constituencies of his nature
| or because he shrunk with proud man:
shame from the publicity entailed upoI
| the anomalous articles which We're drawn
| from his inner pockets? When some few
. minutes later my eyes fell on these OBJ
! iects lying piled on the library table,
marvelled over the character of a MAJ
who could gather and retain in one place
small prayer-book, lock Of woman
hair, the program of some common music
hall, and photograph which after .on'
glance instinctively turned face down
! wards, lest it should fall under the ey,
of his cousin whose delicacy could no
| fail to be hurt by it.
The phial had not been found on any o
the young gentlemen.
! When Miss Meredith became awar,
3 that the ordeal was over, she let he
hands drop, and stepped hastily into thu
1 drawing-room I did not follow
i her, but remained in the door
lway watching the detectives a