Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1904-09-02
Uncle David hears of
his nieca .s death

Mldu6 more frequent use OF tue C0dlE
so conveniently placed for viewing the
opposite house, you might have been
In a position to correct this inference.
It would help the police materially to-
know positively that she had no COM
panion in her fatal visit
"Fatal? he repeated, running his
finger inside his neckband, which sud.
denly seemed to have grown too tight
for comfort "Can it be that my niece
has been frightened to death in that
old place? You alarm me-"
He did not look alarmed, but then he
was not of an impossible nature. Yet
he was OF the same human clay as the
rest Of us, and, If he knew no more of
this occurrence than he tried to make
out, could not be altogether impervious
to what I had to say next.
"You have right to be alarmed"
assented. ''She was not frightened to
death, vet is she lying dead on the
library floor" Then, with glance at
the windows about me, I added lightly,
81 take 1t that pistol shot delivered
over there could not be heard in this
room"
He sank rather melodramatically
into his seat, yet his face and form did
not lose that sudden assumption OF
dignity which had observed in him
ever since my entrance into the house.
t.I am overwhelmed by this news"
he remarked. "She has shot herself?
Why?"
IT did not say that she had shot her
SELF" I carefully repeated. yet the
facts point that way and Mr.. jeffrey
accepts the%ksuicide theory without
question"
"Ah, Mr.. Jeffrey is thereT'
"Most certainly; he was sent for at
Once.'
.And Miss Tuttic. she came with
him of courseT'
"She came, but not with him. She is
very fond Of her sister,
at must go over at once!" he cried,
leaping again to his feet and looking
about for his hat cit is my duty to
make them feel at home; in short, to
Ito put the house at their disposal /"
Here he found his hat and placed 1t on
his head. 1.-THE property is mine now,
you know" he politely explained, turn
ing, with keen light in his gray eye,
full upon me and Overwhelming me
i with the grand air of man who has
come unexpectedly into his own. "Mrs.
Jeffrey's father was my younger BROTH
er--the story is m old and long one
and the property, which in all Justice
should have been divided between us
went entirely to him. But he was q
| good fellow in the main and saw the
| injustice of his fathers will as clearly
| as I did, and years ago made one on
his own account bequeathing me the
/ whole estate in case he left no issue OF
/ that issue died. Veronica was his only
child; Veronica has died; therefore the
/ old house is mine and all that goes
with itall that goes with it,
There was the miser's gloating In
/ this repetition of phrase sufficiently
expressive in itself, or, rather, the
/ gloating of man who sees himself
suddenly rich after a life Of poverty
There was likewise a callousness as
regarded his niece's surprising death
which I considered myself to have
some excuse for noticing.
You accept her death very calmly, =
] remarked. Probably you knew heI
to be possessed of an erratic mind"
He was about to bestow an admoni
tory kick on his dog, who had been in.
discreet enough to rise at his masters
Entering the