Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-11-02
CHAPTER II.
'OPEN!"

HAVE mentioned poison as my
first thought. 1t was a natural
one. the result undoubtedly of
having noticed two small cordial
glasses standing on a little table over
against the fireplace. When | was
conscious again Of my own fears l
crossed to the table and peered into
these glasses. They were not club
glasses. and they both were empty.
However. they had not been so long.
In each I found traces of anisette
cordial. and, though no bottle stood
near, I was very confident that it
could readily be found somewhere in
the room. What had preceded and
followed the drinking Of this cordial?
Alas. there was but little more to
see! A pair Of curling irons lay on
the hearth. but I had no sooner lifted
them than l dropped them with a
shudder Of ~unspeakable loathing. only
to start at the noise they made in
striking the tiles, for it was the
selfsame noise I had heard when
listening from below. These tongs.
set up against the side of the fire
place, had been Jared down by the
forcible shutting of the large front
door, and no man other than myself
was In the house or had been in the
house-only the two women. A stick
or two still smoldered on the hearth
stone. In the ashes lay some scat
tered fragments Of paper which
crumbled at my touch. On the floor
in front l espied only a stray hairpin.
Everything else was in place through
out the room except the cushions and
that horror on the lounge, waiting the
second look I had so far refrained
from giving it.
That look I could no longer with
hold. l must know the depth Of the
gulf over which l hung. I must not
wrong with a thought one who 'ha,
smiled upon me like an angel of light
a young girl. too, with the dew Of in
nocence on her beauty to every eye but
mine and only not to mine within
shall / say ten awful minutes?
would look again and perhaps discover
that my own eyes had been at fault;
that there were no marks on Adelaide's
throat, or, if marks, not just the ones
my fancy had painted there.
Turning, l let my glance fall first on
the feet. I had not noted them before,
and I was startled to see that the arc.
tics in which they were clad were filled
all around with snow. She had walked
then as the other was walking now
she who detested every effort and
was of such delicate make that exer
ton of unusual kind could not readily
be associated with her. Had she come
alone or in Carmel's company, and. II
In Carmel's company, on what osten.
sible errand il not that Of death? Her
dress. which was of dark wool. showed
that she had changed her garments
for this trip. I had seen her at dinner
and this was not the gown she had
then-the gown in which she
had confronted me during those few
intolerable minutes when i could not
meet her eyes. Nothing spoke Of the
dinner party or Of her having been
dragged here unaware, but all Of pre-
vious intent and generalization. Surely
hope was getting uppermost. If I had
dreamed the marks
But, no! There they were, unmistak
able and damning. just where the
breath struggles up. I put my owl
thumbs or these two dark spots to SET
II, when What was TIA lightning
stroke or a call Of fate which one
must answer while sense remains?
felt my head pulled around by some
unseen force from behind and me-
staring into mine through the glass Of
the window a pair OF burning eyes
Or was It fantasy7 For In another mo
ment they were gone. But tho possi