The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1913-07-31


has taken no pains to understand"
you saw Miss Challoner lift her
hand, you say. Which hand, and what
was in it? Anything?"
"She lifted her right hand, but 1t
would be impossible for me to tell you
whether there was anything in it or
not. | simply saw the movement be-
fore l turned away. It looked like one
of alarm to me. l felt that she had
some reason for this. She could not
know that it was in repentance l came
rather than in fulflment of my
threat"
A sigh from the adjoining room. Mr..
Brotherson rose, as he heard it, and In
doing so met the clear eye Of Sweet
water fixed upon his own. It's Ian
guage was, no doubt, peculiar and 1t
seemed to fascinate him for a mo-
ment, for he started as If to approach
the detective, but forsook this inten-
ton almost Immediately, and address
ing the coroner. gravely remarked:
Her death following so quickly up
on this abortive attempt of mine at an
interview startled me by its coinci-
dence as much as it does you. II in
the weakness Of her woman's nature,
1t was more than this-if the scorn
she had previously shown me was a
cloak she instinctively assumed to
hide what she was not ready to dis
close, my remorse will be as great as
any one here could wish. But the
proof of all this will have to be very
convincing before my present convic-
lions will yield to it. Some other and
more poignant source will have to be
found for that instant's impulsive act
than is supplied by this story of my
unfortunate attachment"
Doctor Heath was convinced, but he
was willing to coRcede something to
the secret demand made upon him by
| Sweetwater, who was bundling up his
papers with much clatter.
Looking up with a smile which had
elements in it he was hardly conscious
of perhaps himself, he asked in an Off
hand way:
Then why did you take such pains
to wash your hands OF the affair the
moment you had left the hotel?"
| 81 do not understand
'You passed around the corner into
- street, did you not?"
Very likely. could go that way
as we'll as another"
"And stopped at the first lamp
post?"
"Oh, see. Some one saw that child
ish action of mine"
What did you mean by it?"
Just what you have suggested. |
did go through the pantomime OF
washing my hands of an affair con-
sidered definitely ended. l had resist.
ed an irrepressible impulse to see and
talk with Miss Challoner again, and
was pleased with my firmness. I'm
aware OF the tragic blow which had
just fallen, was full of self-congratu.
lations at my escape from the charm
which had lured me back to this ho-
tel again and again in spite OF my bet.
ter Judgment, and l wished to symbol.
lie my relief by an act of which
was, in another moment, ashamed
Strange that there should have been a
witness to 1t. (Here he stole look
at Sweetwater.) Stranger still, that
circumstances, by the most extraordi
nary Of condolences, should have Civ
en- so unforeseen a point to it."
you are right, Mr.. Brotherson. The
whole occurrence is startling and
most strange. But life is made up oil
the unexpected, as none know better
than we physicians, whether our prac
tice be Of public or private char
acter."
AS Mr. Brotherson left the room
the curiosity to which he had yielded
once before, led him to cast a glance
OF penetrating inquiry behind him full
at Sweetwater, and IL either felt EN-
barrassment, 1t was not the hunted
but the hunter.
But the feeling did not last.
1--we simply met the strongest mar
I've ever encountered" was Sweetwa
ter's encouraging comment to himself
"All the more glory II / can find 8
joint in his armor or a hidden pass
age to his cold, secretive heart"