River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-05-22

asked.
Virtually alone Some persons sat
on the other side of the room, reading
at the big round table. They did not
even hear her fall. They say that the
band was playing unusually loud in
the musicians gallery"
Are you feeling quite well, now?"
Quite myself" / gratefully replied
as | rose slowly from the sofa.
In the hall we encountered Mr.
Slater, whom l have before mentioned
He was trying to maintain order while
himself in a state of great agitation
Seeing us, he could not refrain from
whispering a few words into my hus
bands ear.
THE doctor has just gone up-her
doctor, l mean. He's simply dumb
founded. Says that she was the
healthiest woman in New York yeSter-
day. l think-don't mention it, that
he suspects something quite differ
ent from heart failure"
What do you mean?" asked George
following the assistant manager down
the broad flight of steps leading to
the office. Then, as | pressed up close
to Mr.. Slater's other side, "She was
by herself, wasn't she, in the half
floor above?"
Yes, and had been writing let
ter She fell with it still in her hand
Have they carried her to her
rcom?" l eagerly inquired, glancing
fearfully up at the large semi-circular
openings overlooking us from the
place where she had fallen.
mot yet. Mr.. Hammond insists
upon waiting for the coroner" (Mr
Hammond was the proprietor of the
hotel) "She is lying on one of the
big couches near which she fell. II
you like, can give you a glimpse OF
her She looks beautiful It's terri
BILE to think that she is dead"
Il don't know why we consented
We were under a spell, / think. AT
all events, we accepted his offer and
followed him up narrow staircase
open to very few that night. At the
top, he turned upon us with warning
gesture which l hardly think we need
ed, and led us down a narrow hall
flanked by openings corresponding to
those we had noted from below. AT
the furthest one he paused and
reckoning us to his side, pointed
across the lobby into the large writ
ing-room which occupied the better
part of the mezZanine floor.
We saw people standing in vari-
GUS attitudes of grief and dismay
about a couch, one end Of which only
was visible to us at the moment.
The doctor had just joined them, and
every head was turned towards him
and every body bent forward in
anxious expectation. | remember the
face of one gray haired old man.
shall never forget it. He was prob
ably her father. Later, knew him
to be so. Miss Challoner was stretch
cd out upon the couch. She was
dressed as she came from dinner, in
a gown of ivory-tinted satin, re-
lieved at the breast by large bou-
uuet of scarlet poinsettias. The doc
ter was pointing at these poinsettias
in horror and with awful meaning,
and though we could not hear his
words, we knew almost instinctively,
both from his attitude and the cries
which burst from the lips of those
about him, that something more than
broken petals and disordered leaves
had met his eyes; that blood was
there-slowly oozing drops from the
n oo rt-wbich for Soma reason had
escaped all eyes till now.
Miss Challoner was dead, not from
unsupported disease, but from the
violent attack of some murderous
weapon. AS the realization of this
brought fresh panic and bowed the
old fathers head with emotions even
more bitter than those of grief, l