The leader-enterprise. [volume] (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1912-1915, 1914-06-05

"You don't seem to care for it." he
said, looking ut me.
That's my fault and not the fault
of the cabinet" | pointed out. I'm
not educated up to it. I'm too little Of
an artist perhaps"
He was flushed. as a man might be
should another make disparaging re-
mark about his wife. and he led the
way from the room ut once.
Remember Lester" he said little
sternly, pausing with his hand on the
front door. there is to be no foolish
ness about securing that cabinet for
me. Don't you let 1t get away. I'm
in deadly earnest. Let me know as
soon as you have any news"
Was Vantine quite normal? l wonder
ed on my way home. Could any man
be normal who was willing to pay
100000 for piece OF furniture, espe-
claIly man who could not afford such
extravaganza? l knew the size of Van.
tines fortune. 1t was large. but $780,
600 represented more than years
income. And then / smiled to myself.
OF course Vantine was merely testing
when he named that limit The cabi-
net could be bought for a tenth of 1t,
at the most.
1t was about s O'clock that evening
that Godfrey tapped at my door, and
when let him in l could tell by the
way his eyes were shining that he had
some news.
Il can't stay long" he said. eve
got to get down to the office and put
the finishing touches on that story"
But nevertheless he took the cigar l
pronered him and sank into the chair
opposite my own.
Il want to say this. Lester" he said.
that Of all the cases ever had not
one has promised better than this one
does. The coroner's physician finished
his postmortem half an hour or so
ago"
-Well%' I said.
THE stomach was absolutely nor.
mai. 1t showed no trace of poison of
any kind Rather a facer for our
friend Goldberger."
whats the matter with Goldberger?
He seemed rather peeved with YOU this
afternoon"
mo wonder. He's a Grady man, and
we're after Grady. Grady isn't fit to
head the detective bureau. He got the
job through his pull. he's stupid and
suspect he's crooked. The Record
says ne has got to go. Once he's out
everything will be serene again"
Look here. Godfrey" said, "if it
wasn't poison what was itT'
But it was poison"
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 a poison un-
known that will. because it did"
1T wasn't snake bite?'
~Oh. no. Snake poison wouldn't kill
a man that quickly. not even fer-de-
lance. That fellow practically dropped
where he was struck"
Then what was it?"
Godfrey was sitting erect again. He
was not smiling now. His face was
very stern.
'SThat fellow was killed by some
agency outside himself" he said. "In
some way drop or two of poison was
introduced into his blood by an instru-
ment something like a hypodermic
needle. and that poison was so power
full that almost instantly it caused
paralysis of the heart"
"But you've already said there's no
poison so powerful as all that"
Il said we didn't know of any. /
wouldn't be so sure that Catherine de
Medici didn't This case isn't as ex-
traordinary as some of the old poison
ing stories"
No" ] agreed. and fell silent. shiv-
erAng a little, for there is something
horrible and revolving about the poi.
Noner
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