The Minneapolis journal., 1904-12-24
i? ? :?
, The Darrow Enigma ,


the opposite side of which sat the man
who had answered my letter.
At one end of the table, poised upon
the back Of chair, sat /. small Capucin
monkey of the Weeper or Sal species.
He watched the man with that sober,
judicial air which is by no means con-
fined exclusively to supreme benches.
I, too, observed the man carefully, He
was tall and spare. He must have
measured nearly six feet in height and
could not, I think, have weighed over
one hundred and fifty pounds. His face
was pinched and careworn, but this ef-
feet was more than redeemed by a pair
of full black eyes having a depth OF
penetration I have never seen equalled,
albeit, there was, ever and anon, sug-
gestion of wildn,ess which somewhat
marred their deep, coontemplative
beauty. be! The 4. brows IA and II the car. car,
Fsags bespoke OF the the seholar nsad at Wits
thus | watched him, the young girl
came from corner Of the room could
not overlook and laid my letter beforas
him. She stood behind his chair as he
opened it, smoothing his hair .caress-
ingl ly and, every now and then, kissing
him gently. He paused with the open
drew her down to him, kissed her pas
sionately, sighed, and picked up the
letter again. I took pains that no act,
word or look should escape me. This
show of affection surprised me, and l
remember the thought fashed thru my
mind, "What inconsistent beings we
| all are! Here is a man apparently ca
pable Of a causelss and old-blooded
assassination OF a harmless old man.
You would say such a murderer must
be hopelessly selfish and brutal, amena-
bic to none of the better sentiments Of
mankind, and yet it needs but casual
glance to see how his whole life is
bound up in the young girl before
While this was passing thru my mind
the man had glanced thru my letter
and thrown it upon the table with an an
had the effrontery," he said petulantly,
"to send me what he calls a new mode
of treatment, and it is in every essen
more than quarter Of century. New,
indeed! shall never find a doctor who
has any scientific acumen. I may as
well abandon the search now. Mon
Dieul and they call medicine a science!
Bahl' and with a frown he dropped
The young girl passed her hand gently,
soothingly, over his fore head and did
not speak for nearly q minute.
"You are not feeling well tonight
father,' she said at length. '"M. Go.
din has been here during my absence, -
"M. Godin! " exclaimed half aloud
ffatch4ng at the stovepPss lest Shouid
hot upon the scent-probably even
ahead of us: How on earth--' But
y I did not finish the exclamation. My
seizure OF the pipe upon. my side OF
the partition had produced an audible
vibration of, that portion extending
over the heads Of my neighbors. The
young girls quick ear had detected
and fastened her eyds suspiciously upon
the aperture thru which I was gaz
ing. 1t seemed to me as If she must
see me, yet [ dared not move. After
; a little she seemed reassured and con
tinued: II knew he had been here .
) Why, Of late, does he always come whe1
I am away9" The question seemed in
/ nocent, enough, yet the man to whom il
was addressed turned crimson and the1
} as pale as ashes. When he spoke th'
. effort his self-control cost him wa
terribly apparent.
sa havs ha hestat
the wild look I had first noticed. q:
, am selling him something,' he con
, tinued, Every dear to meas dear a
my hearts blood, and I expect to ge
xhd for go it t. fSaa yGa hd srS@ %ouns %sn
: tticed tremor run thru his Frame, a
, drawing her face down to his, he said
: kissing her, "MeY Never mind me
Pusss; this cancer here will take care o
: me-
. She made no reply, but turned ava.
: to hide the tears that sprang to he
1 eyes. AS she did so she raised her fac
r toward me. I have never: been consid
cred particularly sympathetic-that il
9 no more than the average-.but ther
3 was something in the expression of he
t I felt as if I were about. to sob, wit
her. I do not know what it was that s
! aroused my. sympathies. We are,
! fancy, more apt to feel for those who's
: beauty is like to the ideals we hay
a learned to love, than we are to b
! looks rePel us-and this may have ha
!. something to do with my. condition
! for the young girl was ;radiantly bea,
y tifql-yet il. could hardly have been th
. !. real cause Of it. r..
:. SO rapt was ]: in the sympathetic, co1
! temptation of her that I, did not Sc
\ Maitland 9 entrance or realize I was ol
:, served till he plucked me by the coz
= and motioned me to get down. di
! ! SO and he told me he had rented tf
u rooms, and laid before me the plan h
\. meant to pursue. .
" As soon as he had ceased speaking
y said to him: "George, you are III
- doubtedly on the right track. The ma
3 in there is the one we are looking TO
f?st b;f teo enG}agh, Ugh but am afraid we are
q F'Too latel'' he exlaimed in tor
( that I feared might be overhear
= "What the mischief do you meant"
}. "I mean,n.I I replied, "that NJ. God:
y is already upon the scene. -
T. In the next ten seconds MattlaI
!" turned all colors and / edged nearer
- him, expecting him to fall, but he d
10 not.
I'm. Godinl"h he calculated at lengt
% elbow in the name of all the gods
f once-Doc, he's all they claim for hi
"a and as fascinating as he is clever"
"a which last remark a heavy cloud pass
10 10 over Maitland's face. "Come,'
y i continued listlessly, ",you may as W.
y u tell me all you know about it:
~. ,a I then confided to him what l h,
i, IL heard and ended by asking him VIII
= he proposed to do.
70 "Doa'' he replied. HThere Is b
20 20 one thing I can do, which, makes t
70 70 choice decidedly easy" and he set ]
lTT jaws together with determined 6
i preston, the meaning Of which knit
- - full well. - f..
%, ct shall camp right here,' he sa
20 20 "till I learn all I wish to know of Q
- neighbors yonder. have already p,