The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-22
THRILLING DETECTIVE STORY
4
Author or" Case" Handa
Next Door"
By e Anna iahrne
A THRILLING DETECTIVE
Why had she not included Leighton?

I Why had she not included Leighton?
! | endeavored to right myself With some
| mechanical phrase or .other. but the attempt
was not very successful, and she was leav-
ing the room in great disturbance when l
! called her hurriedly back.
| Il want you to smile as usual" l grayely
enjoined. Georges extravagances and AL
fred's caprices are story you.
have been thinking about them, that is all;
but had rather they did not know it."
l could not mention Leightons name, either.
J Meantime she was standing there with the
poison bottle in her hand. I could not bear
| to look at it. and motioned her to restore it
to the cabinet. AS she did So I perceived
| her turn with half-open lips as if about to
ask some question. But she either lacked
| the courage or the will to do so, for she pro-
| ceeded to the cabinet with the bottle which
she placed quietly on the shelf But almost
| instantly she took it up again
why, uncle she cried. there is not as
much here as there ought to be! I am sure
| the bottle was half full last night"
| And then l remembered it was she who
| prepared my medicine for me-
| Ana left 1t on the Shelf" she went on
! uncle, now came it to be lying by the side
| OF your bed? Did you try to strengthen the
oose? You know you ought not to; DR.. Ben
| nett said that three drops in half glass Of
! water were all you could take with safety
had not word to say. My mind seemed
a bank and no excuse presented itself.
I Inc wish which had openly cherished
or seeing Hope married to one OF my sons
ciogsed my faculties. My protest confined it.
SELF to slow shake Of the head and dubious
smile she was far from understanding
! Il think l will stay with YOU" she gently
suggested ''Nellie will bring my breakfast
up with yours, and we can have a tete-a-tete
meal at your bedside" ~
But this did not chime in with nv plans.
NO. said I. Nellie can stay with me if
you wish, but I want you to go down Your
cousins will miss you if you are not there to
pour the coffee for them. Alfred shows an
astonishing punctuality of late, and George
quite emulates his younger brothers precision
and haste. Leighton was never late"
! Her cheek grew the color Of rose Never
before had l so much suggested to her the
| secret wish you have and all entertained
| since her beauty and affectonate nature
brought sunshine into this cold dwelling.
| I was glad to this color; at the same
time I was made poignantly wretched by what
! it suggested. If Hope loved one of my sons,
and he should be the who had--I felt
more than ever called upon to act warily.
Your mother is dead and in Paradise but
Hope is young and the crushing weight under
which I staggered could not we'll be borne
| by her. For her sake if not for my own, 7
must locate the plague spot that to my mind
| spread deflement over all my sons. I must
know which of you to trust and which to
| fear: and that mistake should follow my
attempt at this, made haste to insure that no
| warning should reach you through any change
| in Hope's manner. So l reiterated my old
| command.
Let me see you SMILE" said l. "or shall
think you regard me as being in worse condi
ton than l really am. Indeed. am almost
| we'll, Hope. My disease has yielded to DR..
Benefits treatment, and when I can rise
above these sickly fancies. which are the
| effect, no doubt, of the powerful remedies
| have taken, I shall be quite like my old self
After breakfast let me you here again.
| I may have some letters requiring an immedl-
| ate answer
| My natural tones treasured her. The force
Of my feelings had brought some color into
my cheeks, and probably looked less CHASTITY
| She turned away with smile. Alas! her
face renewed its brightness and shone with
sweet expectancy as she approached the door.
!. Nellie brought me my breakfast and I forced
myself to eat it. My mind was regainng its
| equilibrium and my will its power. Just as
| I was folding my napkin Hewson came in
: He had brought me an especial tidbit, pre-
! pared in the chahng dish by Hopes own
Ihands. But could not eat 1t. The thought
would rise that she had seen far enough into
my mind to imagine I would dread eating
anything she had not cooked for me herself.
AS Hewson was Withdrawing, l asked If you
| were all we'll His answer was an astonshed
! yes" At which 1 yentured to remark that
I had heard some one up in the night. THAT
was Miss Meredith he explained. II heard
her tell Mr.. George at the breakfast table
that she came down to your door about 1 In
the morning to listen If you were quiet She
said she found the gas blown out in the hall,
and that she lit it again. I had left the sky
light open: it don't do these windy nights,
sir
| I was disturbed by this discovery. That
she should have been at the door at a mo-
ment so fraught with danger and misery to
myself was a thrilling thought; besides, might
she not have been so happy or so unhappy
as to have caught glimpse of the man who
crept out Of my dressing closet a moment
later. Overcome by a possibility which
might settle the whole question for me, | let
Hewson go In silence; and when Hope came
back, drew her gently but resolutely down on
the bed at my side and said to her with a
smile:
Il have just learned how my dear girl
watches over her uncle's slumbers. You are
too careful of me: l had rather have you
Sleep Georges room IS on this floor: let
him come and see how l am in tue night. If
you are go uneasy
George would never wake up without as
sistance" said she II could not trust you
to his tender care, well meaning as he is
l Leighton, then. He's a light sleeper
have often heard you say that you have heard
him pacing the floor Of his room as late as
three in the morning
But he sleeps better now. Alfred might
stop on his way in; but Alfred does not
stay out as late as he used to. He comes in
quite regularly since you have been IN
Were her eyes quite true? Yes, they were
| as true the sky. they mirror. grasped
her hand and ventured upon vital question
"Who was up at the same time you were
last night? I am sure l heard mans step
| hail oho,,f hn tIpoo 1iobto
the gas"
did you know about the gas?' she asked.
II found 1t smelling dreadfully. But didn't
encounter anyone in the hall. I guess You
imagined that, uncle
| "Perhaps" my muttered reply as
wondered how l was to ask the next ques
ton. when did you go upstairs?' finally
inquired.
oh right away. I didn't walt a minute
| after l found you quiet. 1t cold in the
halls-Hewson had left the skylght open,
| and my trip after a match chilled me-.
Was your cousin Leighton's door open?'
instantly inquired COR did you hear any
door shut after you went up?"
She leaned over me and looked anxiously
into my face.
why do you ask so many questions. uncle,
and in so hard a voice? Would there have
been any harm in my cousins being up, or
in my running across one of them in the
half"
| mot ordinarily. But last might
Here my weakness found vent. I must
share my secret. if only ASA safeguard;
could not breathe under the dreadful weight
imposed upon me by this uncertainty. AND
she knew I had some dreadful tale to tell
this was assured of by the white line
| creeping into view about her lips, and by
the convulsive clasp with which she an.
swered my clutch. Forgetting her youth
{ ignoring all the resolves had made in the Sc
cret watches of the night, drew her ear dowr