Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-12-28
ence and every rena,nll,. !,

Carmel was dead. M The News. rom
ing thus. would kill ,nr Sn asked
nothing and was lying in u sufficiently
feverish condition when the doctor
came in. saw my state and. thinking
to cheer me up. remarked blandly:
"You are we'll enough this morning
to hear good news. DO you recognize
the room you are in?"
I'm in The hospital. am | notT"
Hardly You are in one Of Mr..
OHagen's W rooms" (Mr. O'Hagen
was the head keeper.l You are de-
tanned now simply as a witness"
was struck to the heart. terrified
in an instant.
"What? Why? What has hap.
pened" questioned rapidly. half
starting up. then falling back on my
pillow under his astonished eye.
Nothing" he parted. seeing his mis-
take and resorting to the soothing
process.
"Send for Mr.. Clifton" l said. Hes
my friend: l can better bear
Here he is" said the doctor as the
door softly opened under the nurses
careful hand.
With a gesture to the nurse the doc
tor tiptoed out. muttering to Clifton
as he passed some word of warning
or casual instruction. The nurse fol-
lowed. and Clifton. coming forward.
took a seat at my side. He was cheer
full. but not too cheerful, and the air of
slight constraint which tinged his man
ner as much as 1t did mine did not
escape me.
Tell me why they have withdrawn
their suspicious. I've heard nothing.
read nothing. for days. I don't un.
derstand this move"
You're stanch." he began. you
have my regard, Elwood. Not many
men would have stood the racket and
sacrificed themselves as you have done.
The fact is recognized now, and your
motive''-
l must have turned very white, for
he stopped and sprang to his feet.
searching for some restorative.
perhaps | had better wait till to.
morrow before I satisfy your curl.
osity," said he.
And leave me to imagine all sorts
Of horrors? No! Tell me at once. Is
-is-has anything happened at the
Cumberlands'"
eyes. What you feared has hap
pened. No. no; Carmel is not dead. She
is holding her own-just holding it
but that is something in me so young
and naturally healthy"
l could see that I baf1ed him. 1t
could not be helped. I did not dare to
utter the question with which my
whole soul was full. l could only look
my e%ntreaty. He misunderstood it. as
was natural enough.
"She does not know yet what is in
store for her." were his words, and l
could only lie still and look at him
helplessly. when she comes to her.
self she will have to be told. but you
will be on your feet then and will be
allowed. no doubt, to soften the blow
for her by your comfort and counsel.
The fact that it must have been you.
if not he"-
"He! Did | shout it, or was the
shout simply in my own mind?
"Yes-Arthur. His guilt has not been
proved; he has not ever been remand
ed: the sisters case is too pitiful and
Coroner Perry o. soft hearted where
any of that family is involved. But
no n doubts his guilt. and he does
not deny it himself. You know-prob-
ably no one better-that be cannot
very consistently do this in face of the
evidence accumulated against him. ev-
1dence stronger in many regards than
that accumulated against yourself"
Arthur! A BOBBY and a boor. but GER
tainly not the slayer Of his sister. un-
less l had been woefully mistaken in all
that had taken place in that clubhouse
previous TO my entrance into it on that
fatal night. AS l caught Clifton's eye
fixed upon me I said: Don't speak of
me-. I'm not thinking of myself. You
speak of evidence, What evidence?
Give me details Don't you see hat l
am burning with curiosity? l shan't
be myself till / hear"
1T all came about through you" be
went Oh. ."You told me Of the fellow
you saw riding away from the Whis,
pering Pines at the time you entered
the grounds. l passed the story on to
the coroner and he to a New York de-
tective they had put on this case. He
and Arthur's own surly nature did the
rest"
l cringed where l lay. This was my
work. The person who drove out of
the clubhouse grounds while 1 stood
in the clubhouse hall was Carmel, and
the clew 1 had given. instead of BAT
fling and confusing them. had led di
rectly to Arthur.
Seeing nothing peculiar-or.- at all
events. giving no evidence of having
noted anything peculiar in my move
1ent-Clifton went evenly on. pouring
into my astonished ears the whole long
story Of the detectives investigations.
Instinctively / did not feel as GER
tain of Arthur's guilt as Clifton did.
I knew Arthur even better than [ did