The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-08

at her aspect. Miss Meredith is not
able as yet to carry the child UPSTAIRS
spoke UP the doctor: but the child was
already nestled against her breast
II can carry her. she assured him,
drawing her head back as the father
stopped to kiss the child.
Are you sure?" asked Alfred
Quite" Her arms had closed spas
medically over the child.
Let me go with YOU" he prayed. But
catching the coroner's eye, he quickly add
ed, that is, If you feel the need of any
assistance"
Apparently she did not, for next minute
saw her faltering figure proceeding up
alone, while the scowl which had begun to
form On Georges forehead had smoothed
out, and only Alfred showed discontinue.
The next minute the coroner had con-
centrated the attention of us all by saying
gravely to the three young men before
him: ...
You, as sons Of Mr. Gillespie, will
surely see the justice Of my making an
immediate tempt to find out how and
when your father took the poison, which,
to all appearance, has ended his invalua-
BILE life Then, as no one replied, he
added quietly
"A bottle is missing; the bottle of sher-
ry from which he drank glass since sup
per. Will you grant me leave to search
the house till find it? So little time
has passed, it must assuredly be some
where within reach"
Il can tell you where it is rejoined
one Of the brothers.. Il wanted drink.
had friends upstairs, and l came down
and carried Off the first bottle saw. You
will find it in my room above. We all
drank our share, so there can have been
no harm in it,
1t was George who spoke, and I now saw
why his lips had moved when this bottle
was first mentioned.
The coroner showed relief, yet made
movement singularly like signal to-
wards the rear hall which I had supposed
vacant since the servant had been sent
out Of it. That he was speaking in the
meantime did not detract from the sug-
gestiveness Of the gesture.
"You and your friends drank Of it?'' he
repeated. Very good. That settles one
doubt" And he waited, or appeared to
wait for some event connected, as l felt
sure, with the step We all could now hear
moving in the hall. -..
Suddenly these steps grew louder, and
young man, evidently as much Of a
stranger to the occupants of the house
as to myself approached from the
servants staircase with bottle in his
hand. -..' - ~.
Quietly the coroner took it, quietly he
held it UP before the. last speakers With
out attempting to explain or to apologize
in any way for the presence of the man
of whom he had just made such dramatic
use. - 3" r. ~ ~. -. 2 M
rs this the bottle you mean?s ~.
That Young gentleman nodded.
The coroner held the bottle up to the
light Only a few drops remained in 1t.
These he both smelled and tasted.
You are right said he, the contents
Of this bottle seem pure And he hand
ed it back to the man, who Immediately
carried it out of sight.
Leighton looked as if he would like to
demand who this fellow was, but ne dlo
not Indeed, it seemed hardly necessary
His confident manner. his alert eye-Whlch
took us all in at q glance, saushed us
that the event we had all dreaded hau
transpired. and that a detective had
entered the house.
Noticing, but not needing, the effect
which this unwelcome intruder had pro-
duced upon the proud trio he held under
his eve. Dr. Frisbie proceeded with the
questions naturally called forth by the
acknowledgment made by George
you were on this floor, then, previous
to your fathers death possibly previous
to his taking the draught which mas so
unfortunately ended his life?' -
II was ON this floor an hour or SO ago;
yes, SIR = .sf E&%
/, Did you see your father OF anyone else
at that timer
NO. To tell you the truth, I was
little ashamed Of my .errand. It was
early in the evening for the social glass,
so l just took the bottle off the buffet and
went back
"Oh: ! always have enough of them in
my room
The coroner's hand went in characteris-
tic action to his chin. Evidently he
found his position difficult.
'.'s:No poison in this bottle" he declared.
''None in the one your old butler drained,
and. so far as we are able to judge, none
in the phial of choral found standing on
the study mantelpiece! Yet your father
died from taking prussic acid. Cannot
one of you assist me in saying how this
came about? 1t will save us unnecessary
trouble and the house some scandal ;
It was an appeal which the sons of Mr..
Gillespie could little afford to ignore. Yet
while each and all of them paled under
the searching gaze which accompanied It,,
none Of them spoke till the silence becom-
ing uncomfortable, Leighton made an extra
ordinary effort and remarked: ..-
My father was a proud man. II he
chose-I say. if he chose to end his
troubles in. this unfortunatet way, he
would plan to leave behind him no sign
of an act calculated to bring such oppro-
brium upon his household. He would
have acted under the hope that his death
would be taken as the result of his late
Sickness That is doubtless why you fail
to find the phial from which the poison
was poured
'.Hium. Yes! I see Your father had
troubles. them
The answer was unexpected.
MY father, had three sons, none Of
whom gave him unalloyed comfort. Is
1c tr,1 l.
fred?'' ~,
Startled by the sudden appeal which,
coming as it did from man of great per-
sonal pride, produced an effect thrilling
to the spectators as we'll as to the men
addressed, the brothers flushed deeply, but
Ventured upon no protest ~
"You and father have always been on
good enough terms growled George, with
an attempt at fairness which gained point
from the logged air with which it was
given.
This brought shadow over the face
which a moment before had shone with
something like lofty feeling.
Il cannot forget that we, quarreled an
hour before he died. mumured Leighton,
moving off with an air Of great depres-
sion. .M
Meantime l had taken atresolution. Adj
vancng from the. remote end of the hall
where I had been standing with their
young medical friend. I spoke UP firmly
calmly, but with4decsion:
Gentlemen. l have been waiting to see
what my duty was. L. have reason
to think, Notwithstanding my position
as a stranger among you, that the clue 60
your fathers strange act is tos be found in
my hands. VIII you allow me- before ex-
planning myself further, to request your
answer to a single question:
The ,sur-rse which this evoked, was
shared by. the coroner. who probably
thought he lad Exhausted my testimony
at our first interview.
ct is question which will strike you
as strange and out of place at a time so
serious. But l pray you to show your