The newspaper., 1909-12-17
CHAPTER XVII.
A Hint Of Scandal.

cuSe-tO recall to the reader the
events of the night of Arnold Arm
strong's murder. Many things had
occurred which were not brought out
at the inquest and some things were
told there that were new to me- AL
together. it was a gloomy affair. and
the six men in the corner. who con-
stituted the coroner's jury. were evil
IDENTIFY the merest puppets in the
hands OF that all-powerful gentlemen,
the coroner.
Gertrude and l sat well back, with
our wells down. There were a num-
Der of people 1 knew: Barbara Fftz-
hugh. in extravagant mourning-she
always went into black on the slight
est provocation. because il was becom-
ing-and Mr.. Jarvis. the man who
had come over from the Greenwood
club the night of the murder. Mr..
Harton was there, too. looking i'm
patient as the inquest dragged. but
alive to every particle of evidence.
From a corner Mr.. Jameson was
watching the proceeding intently.
DR.. Stewart was called first. His
evidence was told briefly. and amount
ed to this: On the Sunday morning
previous, at a quarter before five. he
had been called to the telephone The
message was from a Mr. Jarvis, who
asked him to come at once to Sunny
side. as there had been an accident
there. and Mr.. Arnold Armstrong had
been shot He dressed hastily. gath
cred up some instruments. and drove
to Sunnyside.
He was met by Mr.. JARVIS. who took
him at once to the east wing. There,
Just as he had fallen. was the body of
Arnold Armstrong There was no
need OF the instruments. the man was
dead In answer to the coroner's
auestion-no. the body had not been
moved. save to turn II over Il lay
AT the foot OF the circular staircase
Yes. he believed death had been in
stantaneous. The body was still some
what warm and rigor mortis had not
set in. II occurred late in cases of
sudden death. No. he believed the
probability OF suicide might be elm
mated: the wounds could have been
self-infiicted. but with difculty. and
there had been no weaPoa found.
The doctors examination was over.
but he hesitated and cleared his
throat
MIR. Coroner" he said. at the risk
Of taking up valuable time. would
like to speak OF an incident that may
or may not throw some light on this
matter"
The audience was alert at once
Kindly proceed. DOCTOR the coro-
ner said.
My home is in Englewood. two
miles from Casanova" the doctor be-
gan. In the absence of DR.. Walker.
a number of Casanova people have
been consulting me. A month ago
hye weeks. to be eNact-a woman
whom ! had never seen came to my
oriice. She was in deep mourning and
kept her veil down. and she brought
for examination a child, a boy OF six.
The little fellow was III; II looked like
typhoid. and the mother was frantic.
She wanted a permit TO admit the
youngster to the Children's hosnital
in town here. where I am n memb n
Of the stan. and 7 gave her one. The
Incident would have escaped me. but
for curious thing Two DAYS before
MIR. Armstrong was shot. I was sent
for to go to the Co..ntry club: some
one had been struck with a golf.ball
that had gone wild. II was late when
left was on foot and about mile
from the club. on the Clayburg road
! met two people They were disput.
ing violently. and had no difficulty In
recognizing MIR. Armstrong The wom-
an. beyond doubt. was the one who
he'd consulted me about the child"
At this hint of scandal. Mrs. Ogden
Fftghugh sat up very straight. jamie
son was looking sugntiy skep,.ral.
ant th" coroner made a note,
csn.-~-'- hc-:t.=i, you .s-,
doctor:" he asked.
Yes. Hut the child. who was en-
tered As T.ucieu Wallace. w.s .akrn
away by his mother two weeks ago.
! have tried TO trace them and failed
All at once | remembered the tele-
gram sent to Louise by some one
signed F. L. W.-presumably DIR.
Walker. Could the veiled woman be
the Nina Darlington of the message
But II was only idle speculation. | had
no way of finding out. and the inquest
was proceeding.
The report of the coroner's physi-
clan came next. The post-mortem ex-
animation showed that the bullet had
entered the chest in the fourth left