The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1908-04-18
BY MISADVENTURE
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count, ana all three nave employed me
only about month. l suppose it's po-
litl way of telling me that l am not want
ed any more"
That's it," said l, "and the reason is
| that you are accused of throwing me out
of a gig, and poisoning poor old Flex-
more"
WHAT he exclaimed, knitting his
brows in establishment.
"It's fact. The rumor is circulating.
You'll have none but your paupers to
| doctor at the end of the week."
I'm glad of it," said he, "if the rest
| will listen to such nonsense as that"
I'VE shall have to take measures to
disprove the charge, DOCTOR" said 1.
''Then don't lose any time about It,"
said he. poor Nurse Gertrude!" he add
ed tenderly, thinking doubtless of the af-
| front he had received being offered to
| her. Then in a tone of vexatiOn he ask
ed, "How long have you known this,
Keene?
"Well, 1 heard something about 1t more
than a week ago."
"Why didn't you tell me at once"
Because l thought it merely scheme
| to extort money. A man named Bax
| spoke about it. He tells me he is friend
of the Yeames family"
He went off at once to find Lynn. And
not long afterwards l caught sight Of the
| pair in the High street, Lynn with his
arm linked through the doctors, and
| look on his face that seemed to bid peo-
pie observe that he still believed in Aw-
drey's innocence. While l was looking
after them, colleague clapped me on the
shoulder, and said in a low voice, nod
| ding toward the two:
(Which is the Judas?''
''There can be no doubt about that"
I replied, unless Judas be too good
name for Lynn Yeames."
Il am not so sure about that, Keene.
I don't like Awdrey's quiet, long-suffering,
martyrish manner He's a clever man
ten times cleverer than Yeames-clever
enough to make big venture. If l had
| to judge without evidence, l should &C
quit Yeames and hang Audrey. And l
believe if you could only clear your mind
| of prejudice
l would not wait to hear more of such
| fustian. l had no patience. In due
course 1 made a formal application for
| the post-mortem examination of Flex-
| learned that the inquiry had been already
demanded and accorded the examination
was to be made at once.
Lynn assures me, and l believe him."
said DIR. Audrey when we next met, that
| he has been opposed to his mothers ac-
| ton from the very beginning. He could
not with any delcacy tell me of her pro-
ceedings. He himself insisted on Bax
quitting his mothers house."
CHAPTER XIX.
The examination resulted in this:
Whether accidentally or otherwise,
enough of a noxious substance had found
its way into Flexmore's body to have de-
cidedly accelerated his death. The news
spread like a plague; within twenty-four
| hours every one had it, man, woman and
child, without distinction of rank or sta
ton. Every one went about open-mouth-
ed to find someone to give the news to. A
dozen persons said to me:
Have you heard the result of the ex-
animation? DR.. Audrey did hasten Flex-
more's end"
''Then why is he at larger I asked.
| why has no warrant for his arrest been
issuedw
| They could only shrug their shoulders
but could explain the matter to them
Flexmore had not been affected by the
poison at all. The arsenic was found in
his mouth, it had not touched the diges-
| tive apparatus, and for this reason: It
/ ho1 Cd o;nsC ~ L.ll
left his body. This was the report made
| by the authorized doctors who made the
examination.
Upon this report no one could be &C
cused of any crime legally, nor at the
| present juncture could a charge be insti-
| tuted. That the poison had not been
given in the form of a potion, such as
Miss Dalrymple had been charged by DR..
Awdrey to administer, was clear from the
fact that 1t was found in the form of
powder, and must have been dropped in
] my old friends mouth when his jaw drop
| ped after death. Still, it had clearly been
given with view to prevent any posi-
bility of return to life and it was equal
" evident to the majority of people that
Awdrey, who knew the contents of the
will to be signed, alone was presumably
desirous of preventing q return to life,
for only a very small minority knew that
Lynn Yeames also had a strong reason for
making death sure at that time.
| Now, though there was no evidence to
commit Awdrey, circumstances were sufi-
GENTLY suspicious to enable the Yeames
party to contest the will. But had still
stronger reasons than that for getting at
the truth of the matter, and fixing the
guilt on the guilty. Even the paupers
would refuse to take medicine from the
hand Of man with such a reputation.
| / went to work at once, and determined
to take no rest until l had secured the
safety of poor Awdrey and Nurse Ger
trude. My clerk was sharp, dependa-
BILE young fellow.
"Now, Mr.. JONES'" said 1, 81 am going
to put you on your mettle''
| "Glad of it, Mr.. Keene," he replied,
eagerly. rs it this poisoning case, sir?"
Eyes, it is. Bax, Yeames' agent, says
| they can produce the man who threw me
out of the gig, and prove that he was
engaged to do If nv DIR A wdrav You