The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-10-29
CHAPTER II.

~~OS
her, great affliction we all stood silent,
and with bowed heads. I had thought
Darrow's attack the result Of an over
wrought mental condition which would
speedily readiust itself, and had so
e &C n o. upon his dapghte1r's influence
IN temporary cure. When, therefore,
found him dead without any apparent
cause, was, for the time being, too
qazed to think, much less to act, and
think the other gentlemen were quite
rs m4eh lneapaeitated as |. Ny first
could think. was of Gwen. I felt sure
her reason must give way under the
strain, and I thought of going nearer
to her in case she should fall, but re-
trained when I noticed that Maitland
had nolselessly glided within easy reach
OF her; 70 move, seemed impossible to
mo. Such sudden transition from
warm, vigorous life to cold, impassive
death seems to chill the dynamic rivers
of being into q horrible winter, static
and eternal. Tho death puts all things
IN the past tense, even we physicians
cannot but be- strangely moved when
the soul thus hastily deserts the body
without the usual farewell of an i'll
ness.
=. Contrary to my expectations Gwen
did not faint. For long time-it may
not have been moro than twenty min
utes, but it seemed, under the peculiar
circumstances, at least an hour-she re-
manned perfectly impassive, She neither
changed color nor exhibited any other
sign Of emotion. She stood gazing quiet
~. tenderly, at her fathers body as
# he was asleep and she were watching
for some indication Of his awakening.
Then a puzzled expression came over
of sorrow in it, only the look of per-
pleXitY. [ decided to break the grue-
some silence, but the thought of how
my Own voice you'd sound in that awe
Gwen herself was the first to
same impressive countenance, from which
now the perplexed look had fled, and
Be Her neiee Was "an rm is and ID
sane-,that it was pitched lower than
usual and had suggestion Of intensity
in it, was perfectly natural. I thought
he did not realize her loss and said;
we not send for an offcerqn An Of.
ficer" I exclaimed. els it possible
you entertain doubt that your father s
death resulted from natural causes7'
She looked at me a moment fixedly,
father Vas nurdered,'' I was so sur
grised and panied that, for moment,
I could not reply, and no one else
sought to break the silence.
Maitland, as if Ovens last remark
had given rise to sudden determine
ton, glided to the body. He examined
the throat, raised the right hand and
back q little and wrote something in
his notebook. This done, he tried the
folding doors and found them locked
on the inside; then the two windows
on the south side Of the room, which
he also found fastened. He opened the
creaked noisily, of all of which he
his pocket, he went to the east win
dow and measured the opening, and
then the distance between this window
and the chair in which the old gentle
man had sat, recording his results as
before. His next act astonished me
calling me to my senses. With his pen
around each leg Of l' the chair tH on WITCH WITCH
the body rested He continued his ex-
aminations with quiet thoroness, but ]
ceased now to follow him closely, since
I had begun to feel the necessity of
convincing Gwen of her error, and was
casting about for the best way to do So
"My dear Miss Darrow,' / said at
length; "you attach too much impor-
lance to the last words of your father
who, it is clear, was not in his right
mind. You must know that he has for
some months, had periods Of temporary
to think calmly I said, perceivina
from her expression that I had not
shaken her conviction in the least
"Your father said he had been stabbed
You must see that such thing is phys
ically impossible. Had all the door:
and windows been open, no object sc
large as q man could possibly have en-
tered OF left the room without our OBJ
serving him; but the windows were
closed and fastened with the exception
of the east window, which, as you may
see for yourself, is open some six inches
or so, in which position it is secured
doors are locked on the inside and the
only possible means Of entrance, there
fore, would have been by the hal
door. Directly in front Of that, between
1t and your father, sat Mr.. Maitland
and myself. You SEQ by my chair that
was less than two feet from the door
It is inconceivable that, in that half
light, anyone could have used that en-
trance and escaped observation. Dc
is? Had your father been stabbed he
would have bled, but I am as certain
as tho I had made thoro examination
that there is not SO much as a scratch
anywhere upon his body.' Gwen hearC
me thru in silence and then said wear
lily, in voice which had now neither
intensity nor elasticity, "I understand
fully the apparent absurdity Of my po
gition, yet | know my father was muir
dered The wound which caused his
death has escaped your notice, but
''My dear Miss Darrow," I interrupted
"there is no wound, you may be sure OF
thatl' For the first time since Oar
rows death Maitland spoke. eff yor
will look at the throat little more
closely, you will see what may be G
wound" he said, and went on quietly
with his examinations. He was right
there was a minute abrasion visible
The girl g quick observation had de
as was that there was nothing to bt
found by scrutiny, however close
Gwen now transferred her attention
to Maitland, and asked: E'Had not one
of us better 20 for an officer9' Matt
land, whose power Of concentration i
so remarkable as on some OCCASION
to render him utterly oblivious Of hi
surroundings, did not notice the CUES
ton and Browne replied to it for him
81 should be only too happy to fetel
an officer for you, if you WISH" h
said. Have you ever noticed how acut
the mind is for trifes and slight incon
gruities when under the severe tension
Of such shock as we had experienced
Such attacks, threatening to invade an
forever subjugate our happiness, seen
to have the effect Of so completely man
ming the ramparts of our intellect tina