Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-11-16

0NeA5 ooAN w Nv OOl1V
shock to her feelings-you may know
Its character and you may %not--drove
her from a state Of apparent health
into the widest delirium in a few
hours. 1t was not your ietter-if your
story is true about that letter-or she
would have shown its effect immedi-
ately upon receiving it-that is. in the
early evening. And she did not. Hell
en-. n OF the maids. declares that she
saw her some time after you left the
house and that she wore anything but
a troubled look: that. in fact, her coun-
enanc was beaming and beautiful"
Carmel. beaming and beautiful at an
hour l had supposed her suffering and
full of struggle. l could not reconcile
1t with the letter she had written me.
The lawyer proceeded with his pres
entation of my case as it looked to
unprejudiced eyes.
Miss Cumberland comes to the club.
house: so do you. You have not the
keys and so go searching about the
building till you find an unlocked win
dow. by which you both enter. There
are those who say you purposely left
this window unfastened when you
went about the house the day before;
that you dropped the keys in her house
where they would be sure to be found
and drove down to the station and
stood about there for a good half hour
in order to divert suspicion from your.
self afterward and create an alibi in
case it should be wanted. do not
believe any of this myself. but there
are those who do. Your passion for
Carmel. while not generally Known, has
not passed unsupported by your or
her intimates. and this in itself is
enough to give color to these suspi-
cions even if you had not gone so far
as to admit its power over you and
the extremes to which you were will,
ing to go to secure the wife you wish
ed. So much for the situation as it
appears to outsiders. OF the circum.
%stantial evidence which links o per
sonally to this crime we have already
spoken 1t is very strong and appar.
emily unassailable."
Charles" l asked, "how do they
account for the cordial that was drunk
the two emptied glasses and the
flask which were found in the adjacent
c~loset?"
tits n of the affairs conceded in
congruities. Miss Cumberland was a
well known temperance woman. Had
the flask and glasses not come from
her house you would get no one to be-
lieve that she had had anything to do
with them. Have you any hint to
give on this point? 1t would be a well
come addition to our case"
Coroner Perry speaks of a third
and unused glass which was found
with the flask" 1 ventured tentatively.
"He seemed to consider it an important
item"
"It is a curious circumstance. l will
make a note of it. You have no sug-
gestions to offer on the subject?"
None"
1.-The clew is a small one,' he smiled.
$50 is the one offered by the array
of bottles found on the kitchen table,
yet the latter may lead directly to the
truth. Adelaide lever dug those out
Of the cellar where they were locked
up, and I'm sure l did not. Yet l
suppose I'm given credit for doing
So"
Naturally. The key to the wine
vault was the only key which was
lacking from the bunch left at Miss
Cumberland's. That it was used to
open the wine vault door is evident
from the fact that it was found in
the lock-"
"You may add this coincidence to
the other" I conceded. II swear that
I had nothing to do with that key"
Neither could l believe that it had
been used or even carried there by
Adelaide or Carmel, though I knew
that the full ring of keys had been in
their hands and that they had entered
the building by means of n of them.
this regard that the idea which after
ward assumed such proportions in all
our minds had at this moment it's first
dawning in mine as we'll as its first
outward expression.
"Some other man than myself was
thirsty that night" I firmly declared.
"We are getting on, Charles"
Evidently he did not consider the
pace a very fast one; but. being a
cheerful fellow by nature. he simply
expressed his dissatisfaction by an
imperceptible shrug.
do you know exactly what the
clubhouse's wine vault contained?" he
asked.
can inventory was given me by the
steward the morning we closed. 1t
must be in my rooms"
your rooms have been examined.
You expected that. didn't you? Prob
ably this inventory has been found. |
don't suppose it will help any,"
II will see you tomorrow-any time
tomorrow" I said. Meantime I will
give you a commission which you are
at liberty to perform yourself or to in.
trust to some capable detective. The
letter, Of which a portion remains, was
written to Carmel. and she sent me a
reply. which was handed me on the sta.
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