The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-10-15
CHAPTER ~.
H THUNDERBoLT.

AIM
It was about 8 o'clock that evening
that Godfrey tapped at my door, and
when I let him in. I could tell by the
way his eyes were aiming that he
Il coo't ptay long" he said. I've
got to get down to the office and put
the finishing touches on that story"
but nevertheless he took the cigar I
proffered him and sank into the chair
opposite my own.
/ knew Godfrey, so I waited patient
ly until the cigar was going nicely,
then
"WeIl2" I asked.
It's like old times, isn't Il, Les
teri" and he smiled across at me.
How many conferences have we had
In this room? How many Of your cigars
have / made away within"
Not half enough recently" I said.
You haven't been here for months"
Tn sure to drift back, sooner or
later, because you seem to have a
knack of getting in on the interesting
cases. And I want to say this, Les
ter. that OF all I ever had, not one has
promised better than this one does. II
1t only keeps up-but n mustn't ex-
pect too much"
You've been working on It. Of
course?"
"I haven't been idle. and lust now
I'm feeling rather pleased with my
self. n coroner's physician finished
his ~,postmortem half an hour or so
age"
Weir" / said again.
The stomach was absolutely nor
mai II showed no trace Of poison of
He stretched himself, lay back in his
chair, sent a smoke ring circling to-
ward the ceiling and watched II, smil-
ing a~bsently.
Rather a facer for our friend,
Goldberger," he added after q minute.
What's the matter with Geldberger?
He seemed rather peeved with o this
afternoon"
mo wonder. He's Grady's man and
we're after Grady. Grady isn't at to
head the detective bureau-he got the
job through his pull with Tammany-
he's stupid, and I suspect he's crooked.
The Record say he q to CO."
$50. Of course, he will 60" I conn
mented, smiling. a
HE certainly win" assented God
frey seriously, "and that before long.
But meanwhile it's q little difficult for
me, cause his people don't know which |
way to jump. Once he's out. every
thing will be serene again"
] wasn't interested In Grady, 80 i
came back to the case In hand.
Look here. Godfrey" / said, III It
wasn't poison, what was 1T"
. ouN ~ "10 pOAoohs II
inserted at the hand?"
He nodded.
"Goldberger says there's no poison
known which could be used that way
and which would act SO quickly"
"Goldberger is right In that" agreed
Godfrey; but there's O poison un-
known that wil-because II did"
TT wasn't a snake bitter"
"Oh, no., snake poison wouldn't kill
a man that Quickly-not even a fer-de-
lance. That fellow practically dropped
where he was struck"
Then what was lit"
Godfrey was sitting erect again. He
was not smiling now. His face was
very stern.
"That is what I am going to find
out, Lester" he said; that Is the prob
lem I've SEE myself to solve--and it's
a pretty one. There is one thing GER
tain-that fellow was killed by some
agency outside himself. In some way.
a drop or two Of poison was intro
duced into his blood by an instrument
something like a hypodermic needle.
and that poison was so powerful that
almost instantly 1t caused paralysis of
the heart. After all, that isn't so re-
markable as IL might seem. The blood
In the veins of the hand would be car
ried back to the heart In four or Ave
seconds"
But you've already said there's no
POAOOh Do POWCIAQA I'D tAdA. . #..#-
Il said we didn't know OF any. I
wouldn't be so sure that Catherine de
Medici didn't
What his Catherine de Medici to do
with it?"
'Nothing-except what has been
done may always be done again. Those
old stories are. no doubt, exaggerated;
but 1t seems fairly certain that the
queen Of Navarro was killed with a
pair of poisoned gloves, n DUO DAN
jou with the scent of a poisoned rose
and the Prince de Porcian with the
smoke Of a poisoned lamp. This case
isn't as extraordinary as those"
mo-" ] agreed, and fell silent, shiv-
ering a little, for there 10 something
horrible and revolving about h pol
soner.
after ALL" went on Godfrey, at last
there Is one thing that neither you nor
l nor any reasonable man IAN believe,
and that is that this Frenchman came
from heaven knows where-from Paris,
perhaps-with Vantine's address in his
pocket, and hunted up h house and
made his way into IL simply to kill
himself there. He had some other OBJ
ject. and he met his death while trying
to accomplish it,"
Have you found out who he Is "
mo; he's not registered at any OF
the hotels; the French consul never