Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-04-19
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The House of the
Whispering
Pines

Sweetwater now tried that thing. lie
knocked softly on the sickroom door.
This reached the ear oblivious to all
else. Young Cumberland started to
his feet. and for moment Sweetwa-
ter saw again the heavy features
which an hour before had produced
such a repulsive effect upon him in
the rooms below. Then the nerveless
figure sank again into place with the
same constraint in its lines and the
same detection.
Sweetwater's hand, lifted in repeu
ton Of his knock. hung suspended. He
had not expected quite such indiner-
ence as this. It upset his calculations
Just q trifle.
The door was opened to him this
time. AS it swung back he saw first
q burst Of rosy color as room pam
eled In exquisite pink burst upon his
sight, then the great picture Of his life
the bloodless features Of Carmel
Gained for the moment into sleep.
Sweetwater gazed at the winsome
brown head over the nurses shoulder
and felt that for him a new and i'm
portant factor had entered into this
case with his recognition Of this wo-
mans great beauty. How deep a fac
tor he was far from suspecting or he
would not have met the nurses eye
with quite so CHEEKY and self confident
q smile.
Excuse the intrusion" he said.
I'VE thought you might need these
things. Hexford signed for them"
"Tm obliged to you. Are you-one
Of them" she sharply asked.
would it disturb you If were? l
hope not. I've no wish to seem intru-
sive."
what do you want? Something. l
knew. Give it a name before there's
q change there"
She nodded toward the bed, and
Sweetwater took advantage Of the mo-
ment to scrutinize more closely the
nurse herself. She was a robust, fine
looking woman, producing an impress
sion of capabflity united to kindness.
Strength of mind and rigid attendance
to duty dominated the kindness. how
ever.
II want another good look Mt your
patient. and want your confidence
since you and may have to see much
of each other before this matter is
oudaI vD,, ocLoI mn %< C0noI r. pIofn.
~ and have done So"
you are from headquarters"
Coroner Perry sent me-" Throwing
back his coat, he showed his badge.
1.-The coroner has returned to his Of
fee. He was quite upset by the outcry
which came from this room at an I'M
happy moment during the funeral"
II know. It was my fault. opened
the door just for an instant, and in
that instant my patient broke through
her tOrpor and spoke"
She had drawn him In by this time
and. after another glance at her pa
tient, softly closed the door behind him.
Il have nothing to report" said she.
"but the one sentence everybody
heard"
7 Sweetwater took in the little memo
randum book and pencil which hung
at her side and understood her posi-.
ton and extraordinary amenability to
his wishes. Unconsciously a low ex-
clamation escaped him. He was young
and had not yet sunk the man entire
y In the detective.
His eye went wandering all over the
room as he spoke until 1t fell upon a
peculiar looking cabinet or closet let
into the wall directly opposite the bed.
''What's that" be asked.
II don't know. l can't make It out.
and ! don't like to ask"
Sweetwater examined 1t for q mo-
ment from where he stood. then cross
ed over and scrutinized it more par
ticularly. It was a unique specimen.
What It lacked in height-it could not
have measured more than foot from
the bottom to the top-it. made up In
length. which must have exceeded FIVE
feet. The doors. Of which 1t had two.
were both tightly locked. but as they
were made Of transparent glass the
objects behind them were quite visi-
BILE. It was the nature Of these OBJ
jects which made the mystery. The
longer Sweetwater examined them the
less he understood the reason for their
collection. much less for their preser-
walton In q room which In all other
respects expressed TIE quintessence Of
taste.
At one end he saw q stuffed canary.
not perched on a twig. but lying prone
on its side. Near 1t was a doll. with
Scorched face and limbs half consum-