Los Angeles herald., 1906-08-12
TElilS lNlTXIlNQf 96 9lllRNyER 00s

gain his normal heavy suavity, pardon me, but
this is most extraordinary-you reappearance,
you know"
"I don't know why it should be-" rejoined the
Younger man "It's natural enough to return af-
tel going away, isn't it?
Burnett cleared his throat with nervous little
cough.
"The unusual feature of your return, said he,
slowly 'fs that / attended your funeral about
two months ago"
my funeral? That's poor sort of joke"
"I am not given to iokes" said Burnett, stifly.
$50 far as | perceived at the time, it was CON
Quoted in due form, although from your presence
here I now Judge that some er--er-irregularity
must have crept into it,"
Apparently l wish you'd explain your
sclf'
"You--pardon me If | use the pronouu in
! this connection-you were struck by train on
the bridge and hurled into the river. Your body
was picked up a week later on sand-bar ten
miles below the city. The Coroner and jury
held an investigation, giving verdict in accor
dance with the facts, and your acquaintance
saw to It that you were laid to rest with fitting
| ceremonies"
"Oh. come" said Creigh, mpat;ently, "you
don't ask me to believe that such blunder was
perpetreted do you? Who identified the body?'
"A number of your friends"
"But how could they have made the mistake?
Surely they must have forgotten my features
very quickly"
"You don't understand the circumstances
When man is hit by locomotive and tossed
into q stream where he remains for so many
days, he isn't identified by his face Perhaps
you'd get a clearer idea from the newspaper ac'
counts have all the clippings"
Burnett took bundle of printed slips from
the desk and passed them to his companion.
"Hallool" said Creigh, looking up from the
first which met his eye, "they found my vase
in the river, did they?"
aI irnrO ant pvido
at the inquest"
CreiQh nodded, and read on Presently he
said, $50 there was rival claimant, was there?
She seems to have been looking for a missing
husband, to have been cocksure that she had
found him, and to have said very distinctly"
'It was terrible" said Burnett, with shud
der at the recollection. "The newspapers called
it scene. She was not lady.
"And she was at the funeral?"
EYES, and insisted upon having front pew
1t was must distressing"
"T believe you," said Creigh, dryly. Then, af
ter another interval devoted to scanning the
slips, my will is mentioned here so you opened
the envelope which / enclosed in another and
addressed to you?"
"I did, after mature deberation. The inner
envelope was inscribed Please hold for Roger
Golden When your fate appeared to be certain
I broke the seal, and found in the contents what
seemed to be the crowning evidence needed to
| END all u0uDC.
"Was there any talk of suicide?"
"Some; but I assure you l did my best to
refute the idea The whole case is generally re-
garded as an accident"
"I should think it would be- Persons con-
templating self-destruction don't, rule, pack
valises for the trip to another world
$50 pointed out The will, of course, gave
rise to gossip, but l tried to explain your max
ing it upon the ground of premonition of your
fate"
"What's this?' demanded the other, sharply
"Here's hint of Fblghted affections in this pa
per. What started that"
'Well, you know, the reporters always put in
something of the kind, if there's the least
cuse But stopped them right there, They're
not bad fellows at heart, and when fair state
ment of the facts was laid before them they
agreed for the sake of the young lady, to go
no further.
"Then her name not dragged in?"
mo; not in the papers
"But there was talk about her9'
"Only among those who you knew both It's very
painful, Pm sure, but how could it have been
avoided? People couldn't help noticing that
though she hasn't been in mourning, she doesn't
90 about at all. She's retired completely that
nobody has seen her for weeks ] happened to
hear the other day that she hasn't even gone
out of town, in spite of the terrible weather"
Creigh offered no response to this bit of in
formation, but evidently it gave him cause for
thought So long was he silently devoted to his
cogitations that Burnett, after many uneasy
shifts of position, was at last forced to say
something
''This whole matter is most extraordinary"
he declared '"The testimony of the cabman that
he saw you start over the bridge, the finding of
your valise and then Of the body in the river,
the discovery that you had hastily drawn up
will just previous to your departure, the state
ments of the people at your boarding house that
you had received telegram which seemed to
agtate you greatly and that you left the house
without telling them whittier you were bound
the case appeared to be clear enough"
$50 / should imagine from the results"
"Why didn't you write to us, to me, to any
|, body here?" qYeried Burnett. Even a postal
card would have prevented the chain of mis-
{ takes"
at didn't occur to me to write" Creigh con-
fessed. "I didn't suppose anybody would have
sufficient interest in me to care to hear unless
possibly Mrs. Mack might become anxious about
the rent of my But didn't send her any
word | heartily wish / had"
eyes," the other chimed in, cit would have