The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-05-07

ly formal air to the cozy library.
 The body of Madeleine Van Nor man had been taken upstairs to her own room, and at the library table, where she had last sat, stood Coroner Benson.
 The women were seated in front. Mrs. Markham seemed to have set tied into sort of sad apathy, but Miss Morton was briskly alert and. though evidently nervous. seemed eager to hear what the coroner had to tell.
 Kitty French, too, was. full of anxious interest, and, taking the seat assigned to her, clasped her little hands in breathless suspense, while high color rose to her lovely cheeks.
 Molly Gardner was pale and wan looking. She dreaded the whole scene, and had but one desire, to get l away from Mapleton. She could have gone to her room, had she chosen, hut the idea of being all alone was even worse than the present condi- tions. So she sat, with over-wrought nerves, now and then clutching at Kitty's sleeves.
 Cicely Dupuy was very calm--so calm, indeed, that one might guess it was the composure of an all-com- polling determination, and by no means the quiet of indifference. Marie was there, and showed the l impassive face of the well-trained servant, though her volatile French ] nature was discernible in her quick darting glances and quivering, sensi- tive lips.
 The two doctors, MT. Carleton, Tom Willard, and young Fessenden occu- pied the next row of seats, and be- hind them were the house servants Unlike the women, the men show ed little or no emotions on their faces. All were grave and composed, and even Doctor Leonard seemed to have laid aside his brusque and aggressive ways.
 As he stood facing this group. the importance of his own position, and he quite consciously determined to conduct the proceedings in a way to throw credit upon himself in his official capacity.
 After an impressive pausel which he seemed to deem necessary to gain the attention of an already breath lessly listening audience, he began:
 While there is much evidence that seems to prove that Miss Van Nor l man took her own life, there is very grave reason to doubt this. Both of the eminent physicians here present are inclined to believe that the dagger 1 thrust which killed Miss Van Nor man was not inflicted by. her own | hand, though it may have been so. This conclusion they arrive at from their scientific Knowledge of the na- ture and direction of dagger strokes which, as may not be generally
 known. is science in itself. Indeed l were it not for the conclusive evi- dence of the written paper, these
 gentlemen would believe that the
 stroke was impossible of self-infiic- tion.
 "But. aside from this point, we are confronted by this startling fact Al
 though the dagger, which you may
 see still lying on the table, has sev-
 eral blood-stains on it's handle, there | is absolutely no trace of blood on the
 right hand of the body of Miss Var Norman. It is inconceivable that she could have removed such a trace, hai there been any, and it is highly inn l probably, if not indeed impossible | that she could have handled the dag.
 ger and left it in it's present condi.
 ton, without showing a correspond l ing stain on her hand"
 This speech of Coroner. Benson.
 produced a decided sensation on al his hearers, but it was manifested ir various ways. kitty French ex changed with Fessenden a satisfied
 nod, for this seemed in line with he, l own theory.
 Fessenden returned the nod, and
 even gave Kitty a faint smile, foi
 who could look at that lovely face
 without a pleasant recognition o.
 some sort? And he folded his arm.
 end began to think hard. Yet there was little food for coherent thought
 Granting the logical deduction from the absenceof any stain on Miss Var
 Norman's hands, there was, as yet not the slightest indication of any
 direction in which to look for thu dastard who had done the deed. Schuyler Carleton showed no emo ton, but his white face seemed ts take on one more degree of horro, and misery. Tom Willard looked blankly amazed, and Mrs. Markham began on new one of her successiv crying spells. Miss Morton sat -hol upright and placidly smoothed th' gray silk folds of her gown, whil' her face wore a decided 'I told yo,
 so,'' expression, though she hadn'