Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1911-07-20

prominent eyes and spare grayish
goatee creaked up the aisle and
paused beside me.
Porter sick?" he inquired. taking in
with a professional eye the porter's
face. my own excite
ment and the slightly gaping curtains
of lower ten. He reached for the
darkys pulse and pulled out an old
fashioned gold watch.
"Hml Only fifty What's the mat
ter? Had shock?" he asked
shrewdly.
YES" l answered for the porter. |
We've both had one. If you are q
DOCTOR, l wish yeu would look at the
man in the berth across. lower ten.
I'm afraid it's too late. but I'm not ex-
perienced in such matters"
Together we opened the curtains.
and the doctor, bending down, gave a
comprehensive glance that took in the
rolling head, the relaxed jaw, the ugly
stain on the sheet The examination
needed only a moment Death was
written in the clear white of the nos
trils, the colorless lips, the smooth
ing away of the sinister lines of the
night before. With its new dignity
the face was not unhandsome; the
gray hair was still plentiful, the feat
ures strong and well cut.
The doctor Strengthened himself and
turned to me. Dead for some time"
he said, running a professional finger
over the stains. These are dry and
darkened, you see. and rigor mortis
is well established. A friend Of
yours?"
Il don't know him at ALL" I replied.
"Never saw him but once before"
Then you don't know if he is trav-
cling alone?"
mo. he was not-that is, don't
know anything about him." I correct
ed myself It was my first blunder;
the doctor glanced up at me quickly
and then turned his attention again to
the body. Like fash there had come
to me the vision of the woman with
the bronze hair and the tragic face,
whom / had surprised in the vesti-
bule between the cars, somewhere in
the small hours of the morning. I had
acted on my first impulse-the masco-
line one of shielding a woman.
The doctor had unfastened the coat
Of the striped pajamas and exposed
the dead mans chest On the left
side was a small punctured wound OF
insignificant size.
Very neatly DONE" the doctor said
with appreciation. Couldn't have
done it better myself. Right through
the intercostal space; no time even
to grunt"
isn't the heart around there some
where?v I asked. The medical man
turned toward me and smiled au
sterely.
That's where it belongs, just under
that puncture, when it isn't gaddine
around in mans throat or his boots
/ had a new respect for the doctor
for any one indeed who could crach
even a feeble joke under such circum
stances, or who could run an imper
sonal finger over that wound and
those stains. Odd how healthy, nor
NAL man holds the medical profession
, in half contemptuous regard until he
gets sick, or an emergency like thii
arises, and then turns meekly TO tho
man who knows the ms and outs o
J his mortal tenement, takes his pills
or his patronage, ties to him like 1
rudderless ship in gale.
/ Suicide, is It. doctor?" asked.
He stood erect, after drawing thu
bed-clothing over the face. and. ia
king off his glasses, he wiped then
slowly
mo. It is not suicide" he announces
decisively. 1T is murder"
OF course, / had expected that. bu
the word itself brought SILVER.
was just bit dizzy. Curious face
through the car we're turned towarl
us, and could hear the porter behinl
me breathing audibly. A stout won
an in negligee came down the aisl
and ENORMOUSLY confronted the POI
ter. She wore a pink dressing-jacke
and carried portions OF her clothing.
Porter" she began, IN the voice O
the lady who had "dangled." is Their
rule Of this company that viii a
low a woman to occupy the dressing
room for one hour and curl her hal
with an alcohol lamp while respect
able people haven't a place wher
they can hook their"
She stopped suddenly and stared IN
to lower ten. Her shining pink cheek
grew pasty. her jaw fell. remembe
trying to think Of something to sa,
and Of saying nothing at all The
she had buried her eyes in the nor
descript garments that hung from he
arm and tottered back the way sh
had come. slowly a little knot Of me
gathered around US, silent for the mos
part. The doctor was making
search Of the berth when the conduc
OF elbowed his way through. followe