River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-06-19


has taken no pains to understand"
"You saw Miss Challoner lift her
hand, you say. Which hand, and what
twas 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 turned away. It looked like ono
of alarm to me. felt that she had
some reason for this. She could not
know that 1t was In repentance came
rather than In fulflment Of my
| threat
A sigh from the adjoining room. Mr..
Brctherson 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 it's coinci-
dence as much as it does you. II In
the weakness of her woman's nature,
it was more than this-if the scorn
she had previously shown me was a
cloak she fnstinctively 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-
tions 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 concede 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 tt 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?"
II do not understand
you passed around the corner into
- street, did you not?"
Very likely. I could go that way
as well as another"
"And stopped at the first lamp
post?"
ooh, 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. / 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 no
tel again and again IN spite of my bet
ter judgment, and / wished to symbol
iZe my relief by an act of which
was, in another moment, ashamed
Strange that there should have been a
witness to it. (Here he stole look
at Sweetwater.) Stranger still, that
circumstances, by the most extraordi
nary of condolences, should have Civ
en- so unforeseen point to it,
you are right, Mr.. Brotherson. The
whole occurrence is startling and
most strange. But life Is made up OF
the unexpected, as none know bettel
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, it was not the hunted
but the hunter.
But the feeling did not last
tive simply met the strongest mar
I've ever encountered" was Sweetwa
ter's encouraging comment to himself
Gan the more glory if can find q
joint In his armor or hidden pass
age to his cold, secretive heart"