Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1915-12-23

loiu me That someone a arrived, and
when l reached the door. l saw that it
was the doctor and the nurse. The
former was just rising from a rapid
examination of the quivering figure on
the couch.
we must get her to bed at once"
he said, turning to Godfrey. Her
bed rooms upstairs, I suppose.
Yes" said Godfrey; Shall 1 show
you the way?"
The doctor nodded and. lifting the
girl carefully in his arms, followed
Godfrey out into the hall. The nurse
picked up a medicine case from the
floor and followed after.
had expected Swain to rush for
! ward to the couch, to make a scene,
perhaps, and had kept my hand upon
his arm: but to my astonishment he
did not so much as glance in that di-
rection. He stood patiently beside me,
with his eyes on the floor, and when
my restraining hand fell away. he
walked slowly to the chair in which
ne had been sitting. and dropped into
1t, relaxing Imply as with fatigue.
Godfrey was back in a moment.
That doctor was the nearest one l
could find" he said. "He seems to be
all right. But if Miss Vaughan isn't
better in the morning, I'll get a spec
ialist out"
Godfrey l said, in a low tone,
AK hldllSI "lIU
SWAIN" and l motioned to where he
sat. flaccid and limp, apparently half
asleep. He is suffering from shock,
or something of that sort. It's some
thlns more, anyway, than overwrought
nerves. He seems to be only half
conscious"
II noticed it," said Godfrey, with a
little nod. wen have the doctor look
at him when he comes down." and he
sank YEARLY into a chair. This has
been a pretty strenuous night, Lester"
Yes; and it isn't over yet. l wonder
what the man with the snake is do
ing?"
Still staring into the crystal, no
doubt Do you want to go and seer"
NO" I said decided. II don't. God
frey" 1 added, doesn't the absence Of
servants seem strange to your"
Very strange. But. 1 dare say,
Wen find them around somewhere
though they seem to be sound ~sleepers!
We didn't look through the whole
either; I'm going to let the police do
that. They ought to be here pretty
soon. l told Simnonds to bring two
or three men with him"
I glanced at the huddled body of the
murdered man. With all the nights
eAcitements n surprises, we had
not even touched upon that mystery.
AFSS ~ AAASA> iSklA4l III ~ .llstl tDSG1
shed upon it, n yet it was the CEN
ter about which all these other strange
occurrences revolved. Whose hand
was 1t had thrown that cord about the
throat and drawn it tight? What mo-
tive lay behind? Fearsome and COM
man to such a crime! Would Sim
monds be able to divine h motive,
to build the ase up bit by bit until
the murderer was found? Would
Godfrey?
l turned my head to look at him.
He was lying back in his chair, his
eyes closed, apparently lost in thought.
AID for long minutes there was no
movement in the ROOM.
AT last the doctor returned, looking
more cheerful han when he had left
the room. He had given Miss
Vaughan an opiate and she was sleep
ing calmly; the nervous trembling
had subsidized and he hoped that when
she walked she would be much better.
The danger was that brain fever might
develop; she had evidently suffered a
very severe shock.
yes" aid Godfrey, she discovered
her father strangled in the chair
yonder."
81 saw the body when / came in.n
the doctor remarked, i~mperturably.
$50 it's her father, is it?'
Yes"
and strangled. you say?"
Godfrey answered with a gesture.
and the doctor walked over to the
body, glanced at the neck. her dis
engaged one Of the tightly clenched
hands from the chair arm, raised it
and let it fall. I could not but envy
his admirable self control.
"How long has he been dead?" God
frey asked.
Not more than two or three hours"
tho 6nHfnf. Tl,
are just beginning to stiffen. 1t looks
like murder" he added, and touched
the cord about the neck.
1T is murder"
you've notified the police?"
They will be here soon."
I saw the doctor glance at Godfrey
and then at me, plainly puzzled as to
our footing in the house; but if there
was a question in his mind, he kept
it from his lips and turned back again
to the huddled body.
ANY clew to the murderer" he
asked, at last.
I'VE have found none"
And then the doctor stopped sud-
denly and picked up something from
the floor beside the chair.
Perhaps this is a clew,' he said,
quietly, and held to the light an object
which, as / sprang to my feet, l saw
to be a blood-stained handkerchief.
- SPi id ~ ooI ulluCI our eyes.
handling it gingerly, for it was still
damp, and we saw it was a small hand
kerchief-a woman's handkerchief-of
delicate texture. 1t was fairly soaked
with blood. and yet in a peculiar man
ner, for w of the corners were much
crumpled but quite unsta.ned.
The doctor raised his eyes to God
frey's.
What do you make of it?" he asked.
"A clew. certainly" said Godfrey:
but scarcely to the murderer"
The doctor looked at it again for 4
moment, and then nodded. I'D better
put 1T back where l found it, l guess"
he said, and dropped it beside the chair.
And then, suddenly, + remembered
Swain. 1 turned to find him still
dropping forward in his chair, appar-
entity half asleep.
Doctor" 1 said, There is someone
else here who Is suffering from
shock" and I motioned toward the
limp figure. "Or perhaps it's some
thing worse than that"
The doctor stepped quickly to the
chair and looked down at it's occupant.
Then he put his hand under SWANS
chin. raised his head and gazed in
tently into his eyes. Swain returned
the gaze, but plainly in only a half
conscious way.
1T looks like a case of concussion,"
n Il thu MI