The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-02-22
AT THE MANICURE SHOP

TOR period OF several weeks
II Christopher Poe had enjoyed the
let-down of routine desk work.
He had resumed his usual work.
adav life after rounding up hand Oh
counterfeiters Mt Coney, and CLASSIFY
jnp their histories in Volume h - tor
future reference,
One Monday morning as nc sat. at
his desk opening mail, chance visitor
dropped in with the alarming news
that mutual friend, Boudlnot hggs'
was dead.
his thin Office suit. cut Oxford style
81 must go there directly;
POISONED. too. DR.. Robinson says
inst met him on the way home TO make
a test of Boudinot s .gouty blood,
said the informant, fellow banker.
Christopher Poe waited for nothing
else. Old Boudinot Riggs was distant
relation. r temperamental dliettante,
sort OF a fat, grown-up bad boy, VINO
had inherited fondness for beauty
and Incidence, together with some
thing between three and four million
beautiful but not too indolent dollars
which yielded money interest tnat
Boudinot managed TO keep very actlVe,
hemmed in as he WAS by a houssh9io
pendent who nursed him, a somewhat
shrewish sister who despised him,
Young lady secretary who took the
place of a business mans stenogra
pber. md a raft of interested outsiders,
poor relations, lady barber, a lady
shirt.maker. girl who sold HIM cig-
arettes. and petite French manicure.
most important III his hfe--Mrs
Groves. the nurse, because she moth
cred him; Miss Riggs, his sister, pc
cause she bothered him. and Miss Mig,
non Moauin, because she manicured
the SQUAT pink nails of which he was
VERY proud. In consideration OF the
VARYING degrees OF his interest IN these
estimable ladies Boudinot had made
will, more or less publicly. IN which ne
left three million to Miss Mignon No.
auin. a half million TO his faithful old
nurse, and q thousand dollars each TO
his expectant sister, who had no pr1-
vate fortune, his secretary, hrs cook,
and little scullery maid who, pol
ished his boots each night and LETT
them before his door each morning,
after the English fashion.
II was this second maid who opened
the door TO Christopher Poe that after
noon of Boudinot s death. IL was Mrs.
Groves. the nurse. red-eyed and tren~
bling, who pressed Poe's hand with
sincere emotion and led him to Miss
Riggs, who had Just been called back
bv the news of her brothers. death
from Yonkers where she had gone on
visit that morning.
Poe took the cold hand Miss Riggs
thrust out to him mechanically
'Isn' t there something / can do?''
he asked.
"No. everything is quite all right. >,
"But being Boudinot s friend and
banker, ] thought
''As for your being his banker, she
said, throwing up her head abruptly,
az ii attend TO that after this Perhaps
YOU don t know that Boudinot came to
his senses last night, and changed my
name for Miss Moquin s IN that silly
will of his7"
"No!'' cried Poe in surprise, glanc'
ing at Mrs. Groves. whose ewes were
so big and somber and sad as though
with a concealed story. that Zoe asked
sharply, HDid YOU know of this''
The nervous, birdlike little woman
looked straight at Miss Riggs, and said
in direct, level tone:
ssJf YOU hadn' slandered Miss Mo
auin and-and driven him TO it, he
wouldp t have done It. This morning
when YOU said YOU wished he was
dead. and slammed the, door IN his
face, he asked me TO take him IN his
wheel.chair to Miss Moquin, so be
could see if you told the truth last
night.
Miss Riggs drew up her thin, cordy
neck. ard swallowed hard as Mrs.
Groves paused before continuing in q
higher kew:
S'Oh. I'm going to speak out now.
I've kept quiet in this hell OF q house
long enough She trembled with emo
ton. ~ was the only one that ever
took care Of him; saw that his eggs
we're poached. lust so; I nursed him