The daily Alaskan., 1915-07-09
A Mystery Being a Story of How a Murder Case Was
 Not Solved.
By DONALD CHAMBERLAIN

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 My telephone bell rang and, going to the instrument, l took up the receiver
 'Is that you, ThOmpsonT"
 "Yes."
 "I'm Parker. wish you to come down and stay in the house with me tonight I'm alone and nervous"
 Certainly, old man. Whats the mat ter with you"
 q can't ask you to dinner, for l haven't q servant in the house."
 "Well, I'll be over about Q o'clock. Will that do?"
 "Yes; much obliged"
 Parker was the junior partner in q large Jewelry firm and a man who never shrank from any duty involving danger. Therefore I was surprised at his shrinking from sleeping in a house alone. He was a widower without chill dren, and though he lived in the house he had occupied with his wife, he took his meals at his club, hiring no servant except for day work. fancied he must be Ill, or he would not have asked any one to sleep in the house with him.
 At 0 o'clock I rang his doOrbel, and be admitted me himself. He appear ed neither i'll nor troubled. He led me into an apartment he used for a smok- ing room. where he produced cigars, and we sat down for q smoke. l waited some time for him to tell me why he wished for some one to sleep in his house with hini, but he did not, chat ting on ordinary topics until l rose to go to bed. Then I asked him what had made him nervous.
 "There Is a story connected with 1t, and l don't feel like telling It tonight" he said. we are all connected with some disagreeable episode and are apt to make too much of it. Doubtless in q few days or a few weeks shall think nothing of the one in which am con cerned. Why take up a lot of time going over it with you, especially since it would be unpleasant for me to do soT'
 1 eAtuSel HUI NlAu " NAN " AAAe 'NNA''s having told him that must be up ear ly in the morning and off, for my time for going to business was ' o'clock, while he dld not need to do so till 8 o'clock. I bade him good night, telling him that if he should be wakeful to come into my room for chat. He said he expected to sleep soundly, and with that we parted.
 In the morning I went out, treading softly that I might not awaken my friend. md emerged from the front door before most persons were stirring. A milkman drove up at the time and carried a bottle of milk to rear door. He looked at me, and l spoke to him, expressing surprise that he should leave milk at a house where no meals were served, whCrcupon he told me that Mir Parker drank a quart of milk every day at home.
 called up Parker the same evening by telephone to ask him if he required my services again, but there was no response to the call. thought nothing of this, for there was no one besides himself to answer, and presumed he was not at home. Several days passed, and I heard nothing from him. Then on taking up my morning paper l saw under large headlines a statement that he had been found murdered In his bed. The man who left the milk at bis back door, seeing that the bottles remained unemptied where he had left them, mo- tifed neighbOr, who broke into the house and found Parker stabbed to the heart. \ loaded revolver was under his pillow that had not been used.
 Mortified, started immediately to go to the house where the murder had been committed. On the way l met the milkman in company with q police man. On seeing me the former said something to the policeman, which l did not hear, and the two stopped be- fore me.
 You're wanted at Inspector O'Con- nors ofIice," said the policeman.
 I'm going to the house of friend of mine who has been murdered. I'll call later at the inspectors office"
 You'll have to go with me now" was the reply.
 Then for the first time 1t dawned upon me that l was under arrest for Parker's murder; that he had been killed the night l had slept at his house: that the milkman had seen me coming out the morning after the mur- der had been committed. The situation flashed upon me and the danger in which it placed me. am sure l turned pale, and l felt my legs tremble be- meath me.
 Not q human being knew of my hay ing been called upon by Parker to stay at his house the night he was mur- dcred. had been seen leaving it early in the morning of the murder. There had not been another person in the | house during the night than myself except the murderer. What a pity l