The sun., 1909-02-21


he thrust the key Of the room upstairs
into my hand and dashed into the bed
room.
/ followed, to pause horror stricken
on the Threshold Mrs Ladelle lay
dead on the bed, a red stain slowly widen
ing on her nightdress from knife thrust
through the heart. A night lamp. either
through design or accidentally, had been
upset from the stand and the smouldering
mating was just breaking into fame.
Where then was Genevievep
That trained activity which was the
secret Of his success now stood Mr.. Flew
comb In good stead. Absolutely. oblivious
of our watch Of the evening and our mis-
sion upstairs, In a jify he had the room
as alive as an ant hill with serv ants. doc
tors, detectiv es, porters. each OF them re-
sponsiye to his will. Thrust aside, l
pondered for a moment on the isolation
which Is 50 marked phase OF modern
hotel life,
What did he or or any of the Tawdrey
guests know Of the poor woman so cruelty
done to death or Of her daughter so mys-
teriously absent? Coming from nowhere.
they had stayed along paying their way
and meeting their fellows affably. living
their lives in such wise as not to offend
or to prov voke comment. Thus they had
become fixtures az familiar. as accepted
as the parlor furniture. and like II with
out a questio' ~ to intrinsic genuineness
and value.
SO meditating. I stood alone In the par
lor, resting against the side wall. Grad
uallv / grew conscious OF O. sound. faint
vet insistent. transmitted by the masonry.
1t was the tramp, tramp. pound. pound
from Mr.. Blauveits room on the story
above. and perhaps from its very indis-
tinotnees and persistenCy 1t seemed con-
sonant to my thoughts.
Was there not an appeal in it Of loneli-
ness. OF inability, Of passionate endeayorl
As the women had been in life. might
not this man be 10 death cut Oh from
human sympathy. bearing sorrows
troubles. crimes even. unaided, shut oi
by iron restraint from dearest hope?
The men kept passing TO and fro: but
no one needed the sound heard Was
yet. as II constrained to obey. i went
upstairs to that desolate room
Desolation described It's chill emptiness
as ] turned up the lights and stood 10 the
middle OF the floor. the abomination OF
desolation which surrounds an eviction
caused by sudden death. The silence was
profound save as my heart reverberated
very feet that sound came forth. tramp
tram p, pound. pound. with the breathless
pause between. leading with the certainty
OF blazed path to the corner by the
window.
I followed: / stood intent while the
sound came again as direct as the steps
OF one bearing tidings. Then. as seemed
10 feel such a one would do 10 he could.
I pushed out the stiff old fashioned LAM
brequin and thrusting my hand between
IL and the wall drew out from where IL
had been hanging hid a buckskin bag Z.
Then the steps retreated. tramp.
tramD. pound. pound. with the thrilling
skip between, across the floor TO the door
and out and away with the finality Of the
steps Of one whose duty is done.
III.
Guy Cosgrove. whom the hotel gossips
had sffianced to Gencvieve Ladelle. took
a large part in the general talk the next
morning The only son Of an indulgent
mother. and she a widow. he had thus
far distinguished himself only in the
ways OF ;dleness
must say had always disliked and
distrusted him and all his details, from
his smooth dark face with its plastered
down hair and Its pricked up ears, as
angular as fiattened prism. his impudent
air and indolent swsgger, 10 such essen
tias OF his exaggerated clothing as his
overhiRh collar and redundant cuffs.
II had been plain TO see that Mrs. Ladelle
favored the match; but Genevieve-well,
I doubted it.
Complaint and suspicion permeated
remarks in the Office. Where
was Genevieve? That was what he
wanted to know. The girl hadn't used
him right; he knew a thing or two that
might make people open their eyes.
Was he TO be picked up and thrown down
without letting out a peep? No; not by
a long shot
Mr.. Flewcomb. who since a short talk
I had with him before breakfast had
himself into the very type
Of omnipresent alertness, laid a heavy
hand on the young mans shoulder
You have said too much not to say
more he declared sternly. Speak up
and tell all you know. The Tawdrey
House has been disgraced by foul muir
der; and there is no time and place like
now and here to try to avenge itl"
-She has been meeting another man in
sulked Cosgrove. A chap whom
she used to know but Ia W HON her mother
objected. They went of together last
night. What he did before they went l
don't know, but could guess.
Then guess, ordered Mr.. Flewcomb.
Cosgrove worked his fingers and looked
down at his shoe tips uneasily.
Il don't see what license you have to
haze me in this way before all these
at length he blurted out, but
4 you must know then I'll swear, yes. I'll
swear, that ! saw this chap Ackroyd's
his name. believe sharpening his pencil
in the writing room with the very identical
white handled knife you found in Mrs.
Iade lie & room. Let up now, do you hear?
Where are you taking me?'
ITO swear. as you say you will before
he Coroner. who has just opened his
inquest in the ballroom answered the
Incompromising Flewcomb.
We all trooped behind the pair as they
on as IL to an execution.
Behold. then. young Cosgrove uneasily
punched up in the witness chair repeating
hese statements with more particularly.
Ienevieve Iadelle herself he declared,
1 week ago or more, had confessed TO him
her love for Ackroyd and had implored
nim to be generous and forgo his own
oft urged claims.
We'll. what course did you pursue in
asked the Coroner.
Il told her mother, and she took Gen.
svieve away"
Did Mrs. Ladelle give any reason
'or her opposition to Ackroydy"
-She said his father was a hideous vii
lain who had wronged her and robbed her
years before and that she would rather
see her daughter dead than the wife Of
mis- son.
Did you ever repeat this conversation
10 any one else?"
The Snug impudence which had begun
TO resume it's sway over Cosgrove's now