Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1910-05-20
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and her eyes nearly catapulted out Of
her head. She stumbled into the room
and over to the bed. She put out her
hand. startled, and impulsively felt
Of the coverlets and what lay upon
them. Her fingers had barely touched
the sheet when a noise from the far
ther corner made her turn. At sight Of
what was there Mrs. Desterle tossed
her apron over her head. and scream
ing. shrieking. bowling. ran into the
hall. tumbling down flight after fight
OF stairs. to fall in helpless, frothing
heap at the feet Of her husband. gasp
Ing incoherently:
Upstairs, upstairs; at once! My
Godl My God!"
Doherty, the block policeman, who
did extra watch duty on the Desterle
premises for the daily luncheon that
came from Annie's kitchen, had that
instant arrived for his diurnal nibble.
At sight Of the calm Mrs. Desterle
thus prostrated. Doherty made for the
telephone.
"'Tis a riot call should be sendln'
In with Annie knocked out like this"
unused Doherty. For it's never she
loses her head"
But he simply called the doctor and
helped the little Frenchman carry his
stricken wife to her bedroom.
Annie Desterle lay still till they
reached the second floor. At the land
Ing she commenced her writhing
again.
Upstairs, upstairs!" her blood -pur-
pied lips commanded. and she vainly
tried to motion towards the third story
front.
I'd better be seein' what's wrong in
the top Of the house." suggested
Doherty. as they lay Annie on the bed.
Who could be up there now?"
The policeman stepped blithely past
MISS Gentry's room, with but a casual
glance into its domestic depths,
straight to the wide opened portal of
the third story front and across the
threshold.
The perfume Of the room was the
first greeting. An odd penetrating odor
that savored Of things forgot, and
things undone fragrance belonging
to the mystic places Of shadows, and
not to one Of the clean, well-soaped,
and better busted apartments of An
ME Desterle's boarding house. On the
cheap oak table that had been drawn
close to the bed was great bowl of
dying violets. By the flowers still burn
ed drop light and beside this an
I opened fallen book as If the occupant
had baited sleep with story. A gold
| cigarette case half emptied was under
the table, and the stubs Of the re-
mainder Of Its contents sprinkled the
| floor.
On the bed, clad In & soft gown. Law
young and beautiful woman. Her
| lips were Goftly parted, the dark lashes
touched the curve Of her cheek SO
gently that In spite of her pallor Do
herty, who had looked on the dead
many times In his fifteen years of DO
lice duty, pinched the thin white arm
again and again and patiently held a
mirror to the cold white lips before he
could believe that 1t was the girls body
only, and not her body and soul that
were outstretched before him, and that
she was quite dead.
| He looked around the room and saw
no empty Walls, nor boxes, nor even a
tattling white paper that might have
held those silence bringing powders
women suicides affect.
| On the bureau was juggle of wom-
ans clutter-hairpins, a half dozen
long jeweled hatpins, and one thick
gold bracelet set with a very large
ruby. The combs and the brushes
were elaborate specimens Of the gold
smiths craft. and from an overturned
and broken bottle Of fragile glass,