The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1912-06-13

L WI ~ aHAilH ~ Nv y W. .
IF he Is found guiity-English JUS
tice is no respecter of persons" i. #.4
How AWFUL 5E "".'"
And tittle-tattle, senseless talk, i'm
sane remarks, we're waited on h
grimy wings OF the fog. They pene-
trated everywhere, In the Hobbies Of
the theaters, the boudoir OF madame
and the smoking room of my lord.
They penetrated to the magnificent re-
ception rooms of the Danish legation
and Louisa heard the remarks ever
before she knew the full details of the
story. Louisa had a well trained con-
tralto voice and had been asked to
sing, In the course OF the evening.
Just as she stood in an outer room Sc
lecting her music. she heard a group
of idlers-men n women-talkinE
over the mysterious murder In the tax
icab.
They had at first been unconscious
of her presence. She had her back
toward them, turning over the caves
OF her song. Suddenly there was a
hush In the conversations; n of the
chatterboxes must have pointed her out
to the others. ...Eg
Whereupon Louisa, serene and smiI-
ing, a roll OF music In her hand, Joined
the merry group. .
Please" she said. don't stop. L
have heard nothing yet. And of course
! want to know
One OF the men laughed and the la
dies murmured silly nothings.
Obi" said some one, 1T mayn't be
true. Such lots of wild rumors get
about" .e. ....E ..,'..
What" asked Louisa placidly,
"mayn't be true? Some one said just
now that Philip de Mountford has been
murdered"
WELL" murmured one of the ladies'
they say 1t was Mr.. de Mountford; but
they can't be sure, can they? ?"
The group was d~issolving; almost, II
seemed, as IL 1t hadfyanished into thiE'
air. When Louisa first heard their
talking thepe were about a dozen men
and women, a brilliant throng of gaily
plumaged birds; now the ladies remem-
bered that they wanted to hear the
latest infant prodigy who had been IN
gagged TO entertain the guests at the
post-dinner reception tonight, n the
men too, feeling uncomfortable and
awkward, made good their escape.
P~eople--the pleasure loving people OF
ltoday-have no use for latent tragedy.
Excitement, yes; and drama; but only
from the secure distance OF a private
seat an an Old Bailey trial The muir
der of Philip de Mountford could be
discussed with quite an amount Of en-
joyment between aydinner party n a
Ibal supper, hut mot ineI4ouisa Harris
presence. BY Cad! too much of a good
| thing you Know.
Within a very few minutes Louisa
found herself almost alone, just the n
or two near her to whom h a d.
rectly spoken and-fortunately-Colo-
mel Harris in the doorway, come TO look
| for his daughter. r#.
The infant with the VIOLIN" he said
as soon as he caught sight of Louisa,
rs Just finishing his piece, poor little
rat. o promised you would sing
next, Lou, What songs have you got"
IT was just making a selection when
you came, father. What would you like
me to sing?"
with an uneXpressed sigh of relief
the last two OF the original group Of
gossips dwindled away into the receP-
tion room beyond, congratulating them
selves on having successfully engi-
neered their exit. 3
"Dooced awkward, don't YOU know,
J Miss Harris asking questions"
Il suppose she doesn't realize-"
She will soon enough ="
She ought to have broken off her en-
gagement long ago"
Isn't 1t awful2 Poor thing"
Louisa, left alone with her father,
could allow her nerves to east their
fearful tension. She had no need to
hide from him the painful culver of her
lips, or the anxious frown across her
brow.
DO you know" she asked, "anythlne
about this awful business, father"
There's a lot of gossip" he replied;
his voice was not only gruff but hoarse.
which showed that he was strangely
moved.
But" she insisted, "some, truth in
the gossip" ~
been murdered"
who SAYS so?"
HGop,a mamie haua CoODe on from the
theaters, and men from the clubs. The
streets are full of it-and evening pa
pers have brought out midnight edi-
lions which are selling like hot cakes"
And do they say that Lux has
killed Philip de Mountford?"
"No"-with some hesitation-"they
don't say that"
But they hint at it."
Newspaper t~ittle-tattle."
How much is actual faCt?"
Il understand" he explained. that
at 8 O'clock or whereabouts, two men
in evening dress hailed a passing taxi
lcab Just outside the Lyric theater in
Shaftesbury avenue u told h chauf-
Efeur to drive to Hyde Park corner. just
by the ratings of the Green Park. The
driver drew up there and one OF the
two men got out. AS he reelosed the
door OF the cab he leaned toward the
interior and said cheerfully, "S'long old
man. See you tomorrow" Then he
told the chauffeur to drive on to /
Cromwell Road opposite the museum,
and turning On his heel disappeared in
the fog. When the chauffeur drew up
for the second time no one alighted
from the cab. So he got down from his
box and opened the door"
The other man murmured Louisa
vaguely. was in the cab-dead!"
That's about It,"
81 NEyWfth hts fhrOnt cIIt from cor tn on
by q sharp instrument which might
have been h skewer."
You have heard II all them" d
No, no." she said hurrledly.
The room was swaying around her:
the furniture started hopping and
dancing. Louisa. who had never faint
ed In her life, felt as IL the floor was
giving way under her feet. Memory
was unloading one OF her storchouses,
looking owe the contents OF a hidden
cell, wherein she had put away a
strange winter scene in Brussels, Il tax
icab, the ill-lighted boulevard, the
chauffeur getting down from his box
and finding 4 mar crouched in the
farther corner OF the cab-dead-with
his throat pierced from ear to ear by
an Instrument which might have been
q skewer. And memory was raking out
that cell, clearing 1t in every corner,
trying to find the recollection of a GER
tain morning in Battersea Park a year
ago, when Louisa ~recounted her inn
pressions OF that weird scene and told
the tale of this crime which she had