The Indianapolis journal., 1903-07-26
Mr.. MiniverS Marriage


bIoodless lips there issued heavy. pc
culiar odor.
Dead. He is dead. am too late.' NUT
tered the lady, pressing her hand TO her
forehead. Then she looked around with a
sharp, inquisitive glance. A dispatch box
stood at little distance. and she guessed
that the money which MIR. Miniver was to
give her in lieu OF the legacy she had ex-
rected was in that box. Her instinct led
her to drawer in the looking glass. where
she found the key of the dispatch box. In
the box was roll of bank notes. The
signora pulled three or four off the roll and
thrust them back into the dispatch box.
which she locked. Then she. replaced the
key and stuffed the remainder of the notes
into her rocket.
Scarcely had she done this when the door
opened, ana Mr. Alfred Miniver's head was
thrust between door and doorpost. The
signora had wild desire to rush upon him
and try whether she could decapitate him
by swiftly closing the door. but she stood
perfectly still.
Madame. You here" exclaimed the
young man. in a stage whisper. ''I do not
wish to wake my uncle, who, / see, is
asleep. but really you must leave the roSm
to receive visitors"
The lady said nothing, but stood her
ground. She was thinking what she should
do. Mr.. Alfred Miniver saw that stroni,
measures would be necessary.
"Uncle Silas." he said, raising his voice
and advancing to the bed. lis it your wish
that this lady should retire or not?
There was no answer. and he repeated
ha SET ba
peered INTO his uncle's face and saw how
matters stood.
| "You have killed him. you-you muir
| deress!" he shrieked laying hold, in the
sudden horror of the moment, of the
signoras dress.
The lady began to move towards the door,
! saying at the same time: You are mad!
Leave hold of my dress!''
'I will not! 1 believe that you have
| frightened my poor uncle to DEATH At any
rate, you shall answer for your presence
here. You do not leave this room till the po-
| lice have arrived
| He turned and made for the door, but
the lady was too quick for him. She reached
the door first. locked it. and put the key
| in her pocket. Before Mr.. Miniver could get
| over his surprise the lady had reviewed the
| situation and had decided on her course Of
| action.
You are a clever man, Mr.. Alfred Mini
| ver-cleverer than / took you for, but this
| bravado will not do. You know that have
| nothing to do with your uncle's death. He
was dead when entered the room, few
seconds before you did. But know how he
| died. and so do your
~? give you my word cont know what
you meant
Indeed. Do you think don't know the
smell Of that drug? Do you think the doc
tor who will here in five minutes, won't
know 1t? Do you think don't know that
| it is one of the strongest poisons in ex-
| istence? AS she spoke the next words her
| voice sank and her swan-like neck stretched
out so that her face approached near to
that of the pallid man listening to her.
"was it that you were buying in the drug
gist's shop in the city this morning."
| In a moment the unhappy man had real
ized the truth. Whether by accident or by
design his uncle had died from the effects
| CT poison which he, Alfred Miniver, had
administered in the nurses absence and
without her knowledge. His knees shook.
The dock and the gallows seemed near at
| hand. But he resolved to fight the matter
out.
My uncle himself asked me to buy the
medicine" he said, loftily. II can bear
witness to the effect at the proper time
Meanwhile, it is my duty to call the atten-
ton of the hotel people to what has hap
pened. If you do not open that door i'm
mediately you will oblige me to throw open
the window and shout for the police.
For a moment the heart OF the adventur-
ess Quaked. If the police were summoned
while she was yet in the room she might
be arrested. She would then be searched
and how was she to explain the presence
of the bank-notes in her pocket? True, Mr.
Miniver had asked her to come and pay
him farewell visit, saying that he would
make her a present of money in lieu of a
legacy. But she had not thought of pre-
serving the note. How was she to prove
her story? Yet never for a moment did hel
nerve fail her. Her quick eyes roamed here
and there, as though seeking for way
out of the difficulty.
You can do as you please" she said
coldly. Il am going to my room, and my
evidence will be at the disposal Of the DO
lice when 1. is wanted"
She began to walk to the door, Mr.. Min
iver following her in some uncertainty a:
to what he should do next, when she sud
denely stopped, wheeled round and fixed
her flashing eyes on the unfortunate Mr.
Miniver.
What did you do with the phiaI? see 4
is not here" Then. seYng the look of hor
z ror breaking into his face, she realized tha
! she had won. You have 1t upstairs. If tn,
police were to search your room they would
find 1t there nowl"
He was silent.
!, You must acknowledge that whether vol
intended TO cause your uncle's death or not
YOU certainly have caused it," said tn
sianora. you must see that you are j.