The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1911-03-31

He thought he had heard q woman'a
voice-a voice hs knew. Perhaps that
was only . dream. He must have
been asleep some time. becauss the
lights were out and. seemingly. every
body had gone TO bed. He wondered
what the noise which started him
could have been. Suddenly he heard
a groan. He listened intently. but all
was still. The silence was uncanny.
Now thoroughly frightened. How
ard cautiously groped his way about,
trying TO find the electric button. He
had no idea what time II was. II
must be very late. What an ass he
was TO drink 80 much! He wondered
what Annie would say when he didn't
return. He was a hound TO let her
sit up and worry like that. Well. this
would be lesson 10 hint was the
last time he'd ever touch a drop. OF
course he had promised her the same
thing a hundred times before, but this
time he meant H. His drinking was
always getting him into some fool
scrape or other.
He was gradually working hts way
along the room, when suddenly he
stumbled over something on the floor.
II was a man lying PROSTATE. Stoop-
ing, he recognized the figure.
'Why-its Underwood" he ex-
claimed.
At first he believed his classmate
was asleep. yet considered II strange
that he should have selected SO un-
comfortable a place. Then 1t occurred
TO him that he might be Ill. shaking
him by the shoulder. he cried:
Hey. Underwood. what's the mat
teri"
No response came from the pros
trate figure. Howard stopped lower
TO see better, and accidentally touch
ing Underwood's face. found II clam
my and wet He held his hand up In
the moonlight and saw that II was
covered with blood Horror-stricken
he cried:
MY Godl He's bleeding-he's
hurt!"
What had happened7 An accident
or worse7 Quickly he felt the mans
pulse. 1t had ceased to beat Under
wood was dead.
For moment Howard was too
much overcome by his discovery to
know what to think or do. What
dreadful tragedy could have hap
pened' Carefully cropping along the
mantelpiece. he at last found the elec
trio button and turned on the light
There. stretched out on the floor, lay
Underwood. with a bullet hole in his
left temple, from which blood had
flowed freely down on his full-dress
shirt. II was ghastly sight The
mans white set face, covered with
a crimson stream, made a repulsive
spectacle. On the floor near the body
was a highly polished revolver. still
smoking.
Howard.s first supposition was that
burglars had entered the place and
that Underwood had been killed while
defending his property He remem.
bered now that in his drunken sleep
he had heard voices in angry alterca
tion. Yet why hadn't he called for
assistance? Perhaps he had and he
hadn't heard him.
He looked at the clock and was
surprised to find II was not yet mid
night. He believed It was at least
Ave o'clock in the morning. II was
evident that Underwood had never
gone 10 bed. The shooting had oc
Cured either while the angry dispute
was going on or after the unknown
visitor had departed The barrel oi
the revolver was still warm, showing
that II could only have been dis
charged a few moments before. Sud
denly II flashed upon him that Under
wood might have committed suicide
But IL was useless TO stand there
theorlzing. Something must be done
He must alarm the hotel people OF
call the police. He felt himself turn
the serious predicament In which he
himself was placed. II he aroused
the hotel people they would find him
here alone with dead man. Suspi
cion would at once be directed at him
and II might be very difficult for him
to establish his innocence. Who would
believe that he could have fallen
asleep In a bed while a man killed
himself in the same room? II sounded
preposterous. The wisest course fol
him would be to get away before any
body came.
Quickly he picked up his hat and
made for the door. Just as he wa,
about to lay hand OH the handle there
was the click OF n latchkey. Thus
headed of, and not knowing what e
do, he halted in painful suspense
The door opened and man entered
He looked as surprised to see How
ard as the latter was to see him. Ht
was clean-shaven and neatly dressed
yet did not look the gentleman HI.
appearance was rather that OF a serv
ant All these details flashed before
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