Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1914-03-12

''s S1'AS ''e
been moved. That was the Boule cab
met. 1t had been carried to the center
OF the room and placed in the full
glare Of the light from the chandelier.
1t stood there blazing With arrogant
beauty. a thing apart.
Who had helped Vantine place 1t
there: wondered. Neither Rogers
nor Parks had mentioned doing so. |
turned back to the outer room. |
could feel Rogers jerk with nervous
ness as touched him on the shoulder.
II just wanted to ask you did you
.ielp move any of the furniture in the
room yonder?" l said.
mo. sir: | haven't touched any OF it.
sir"
THAT'S all right. then" said. and
turned back into the inner room.
Vantine had said that he intended
examining the cabinet in detail at the
first opportunity. He and the woman
had entered the anteroom together.
He had closed the door. and then
Like Il lightning flash. a thought leap
cd NIT" my hrain-i ~rraSon-An eX-
planalion-wild, Improbable. absurd.
but still an explanation. Fascinated
as by a deadly serpent. | stood staring.
at the cabinet. There. | felt certain.
lay the riew to the mystery.
Grady. Simmonds and Goldbrrycr eX-
aminri the Don infinitely. | heard
Grady comment upon the fact that
there WAS no door except the II open
ing in(o the antcroom. and saw them
examine the window catches.
Nobody could raise these windows
without alarming the house" Grady
said. and pointed to Il tiny Wire run
ming along the woodwork. ''rhere's Il
burglar alarm
SimmondS aSSented. and finally the
trio returned to the anteroom.
WED like to look over the rest Of
the house." Grady said to Rogers. who
was sitting erect again. looking more
like himself, and the four men went
out into the hall together. l remain
ed behind with Hughes and Freyling-
huisen. They had lifted the body to
the couch and We're making a; careful
examination of it. Heavy at heart.
sat down near by and watched them.
That Philip Nantinc should have
by which had given him so much
pleasure seemed the very irony Of fate,
vet such | believe to be the ease. Frey
linghuisen's voice brought me out of
my reverie. "
"The two cases are precisely alike
he was saying. The symptoms are
identical. And I'm certain We shall
find paralysis of the heart and spinal
cord in this case, just rs | did in the
other. Both men We're killed by the
same ~poison-some variant of hydro.
cyanic acid, | fancy. The odOr indi
Gates that, but it must be about fifty
times as deadly as h~ydrovyanic acid is
They wandered away into Il discus
sion of possible variants so Technical.
and besprinklcd with abstruse words
and formulas that | could not follow
them. The two detectives and the
coroner came back while the discus
sion was still in progress and listened
in silence to Freylinghuisen's state
ment of the case. Grady's mahogan!
face told absolutely nothing of what
was passing in his brain. but Sim
monds was plainly bewildercd. So.
suspected, was Grady, but he was toe
self composed to betray it.
The coroner drew the two physicians
aside and talked to them for q few
moments in a low tone. Then he turn
ed to Grady.
'Freylinghuisen thinks there is ne
necessity for a postmortem." he said
The symptoms are in every way iden
teal with those of the other man who
was killed here this afternoon. There
can be no question that both OF then
died from the same cause. He is
ready to make his return to that eff
feet"
Very we'll" assented Grady. "Tht
tives, then.
There aren't any relatives" | said
at least, no near onr>. NantiNc was
the last of this branch OF the family
l happen to know that Il firm has
been named as his executors in his
will. so, if there is 10 objection. III
take charge Of things"
Very well. Mr.. Lester" said Grady
again, and hen he looked at me. do
you know the provisions of the will?'
ne asked.
Il do"
In the light Of those provisions, d'
you know Of any one who would have
an interest in Vantine's death:"
Il think l may tell you the provi
sions," / said after a moment. "WitL
the exception of a few legacies to his
servants. his whole fortune is left tt
the Metropolitan Museum of Art"
Have you eve learned that he haC
an enemy?"
NO" l answered instantly.
He was never married. l believe?'
No"
Was he ever, to your knowledge, in
.~t-~ IL Gs