Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1914-05-01
CHAPTER l.
A Shock Upon Awakening.

VenOr square. lie smoked necessarily
and looked anxiously at his watch
every few minutes. Occasionally he
paused before the window to watch
the traffic in the street below, and then
turned to resume his nervous pacing.
Nearly half an hour later, when
Carrington's patience was nearly ex-
hausted, Lord Harcourt appeared in
the doorway, his tall figure wrapped
in a dressing gown of startling hue
and his head bandaged in damp
towel. With half stifled yawn he
lifted his monocle to his eye and
stared lazily at the gure before him.
"Dick," he asked slowly, "why the
deuce don't you sit down and compose
yourself?"
Compose myself" Darlington al
most shouted. "My nerves"
"Dicky, you haven't any nerves. If
you had you wouldn't rush about like
this. Moreover, if you had the slight
est consideration for me, you wouldn't
insist upon seeing me at the unearthly
hour of eleven o'clock when you know
l never arise before noon."
With gesture of annoyance, Car
fireplace and unfolded copy of the
Times. "Have you seen this? he
asked.
"Certainly not. Do you suppose l
read in my sleep?"
Don't be funny, Jack. Something
serious has happened"
Really" drawled Harcourt. "Have
a drink, Dicky?"
With a shake of his head Caring
ton declined. "What time did you
leave the club last night?" he de-
manded.
"I'm sure l don't know" Harcourt
replied "If you're really very curl
Gus I'll ask Fergus. Why the Curl
osity?"
because, some time between one
o'clock last night and daylight this
morning, George Towneshend was
stabbed to death in the smoking room
of the Grill club"
With a glass half raised to his lips,
Harcourt paused. "Murdered!" he
said. "How annoying. Did they dis
turb the furniture
Don't be a fool, Jack! Are you
made of stone or are you really as
brainless as people say you are?"
Harcourt shrugged. "I've wondered
myself elf-sometimes," he said.
"But surely you realize what this
means?" Darlington went on hastily.
"Towneshend was guest at your
dinner. This morning the servants
found him with a knife wound deep in
his breast-quite dead-sitting up in
a chair as though he had fallen asleep
there. His eyes were wide open,
though, and when the man went over
to awaken him, he saw what had hap
pened and they say there was the
most terrible look on Towneshend's
features"
Slowly Harcourt drained his glass.
"Now who the devil do you suppose
would want to murder Towney?" he
asked, wonderingly. Everybody liked
him. Even l did and l can't bear most
people"
"rhat's just what want to talk to
you about" Darlington answered.
"Kandwahr-the Indian, you know
was with him for quite little while,
but he went away at / o'clock. He
has said that he believes you were
with Towney then"
"T-with Towney?" Harcourt re-
peated, increduously. Lord, l don't
know may have been"
"Surely, Jack, you must remember.
Can't you see"
"Of course / see, Dickey," Harcourt
interrupted. 81 know l have the rep
utation of being an idiot, and that be-
cause | don't go about with my emo
tions upon my sleeve I'm sort OF
human automaton; but even my
warped intelligence is sufficient to
grasp what this means. Surely, though,
Dicky, no one can seriously imagine
that / did it? What possible motive
could l have for stabbing anybody? =?
Every one knows I'm most peaceable
person, and l really liked Towney tre-
mendously."
"Of course you didn't do it, Jack,
and such an idea will never occur to
any one who knows you, but the fact
that you don't remember where you
were and can't explain what you did
last night, is going to make things
deucedly awkward. The police are
bound to question you. Why, even
the papers are full of nasty insinua-
tions. Just listen to this"
Dropping into a chair before the
window Darlington unfolded news
paper and read: "The murder is be-
lieved to have been committed some
time following the dinner given in a
private room of the club by Lord Har-
court last evening. The affair was
given to only few of Lord Harcourt's
intimate friends in honor of the an
nouncement of his engagement to
Miss Grace Marston, daughter of Ma
jor Sir Thomas Marston, X. c. b., and
who is considered one of the most
beautiful young women in London.
Captain George Towneshend, the muir
dered man, was a guest at the dinner,
and with several other gentlemen lin
gered in the smoke room after its
conclusion. When seen at his apart
ments after the discovery of the body,
His Highness Prince Kirshin Kand-
wahr, of Delhi and Madras, now visit
ing here, told Inspector MacBee, of
Scotland Yard, that he had talked with
Captain Towneshend shortly before
his departure from the club at l
o'clock this morning. At that time
the prince said he believes the muir
dered man was conversing with his
host, Lord Harcourt. The gentlemen
who attended the dinner say that
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