Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-09-23

his shoulder against II, managed ~
force it In, but too late to save the
woman's life.
She lay across footstooi, q Jagged
wound in her neck where she had
opened jugular vein with an insane
thrust Of her sharp pointed sewing
shears.
Poe shuddered and turned away. He
slipped out through the bedroom door
as Miss Riggs was entering. Going
quietly downstairs he entered the tele-
phone cabinet, and got Doctor Robin
son on the wire.
Doctor" he said slowly. Il can't
come to dinner. You'd best come over
to Riggs and make out q second death
certificate. Mrs. Groves has commit
ted suicide In frenzy at being found
out"
Found out! What do you mean?"
1T was she who bought the prussia
acid you found in Boudinot's blood and
on the tip of one Of the orange wood
sticks I sent YOU
"But explain, what was the motive!'
Sufficient" said Poe. Last night
Miss Riggs worked on Boudinot with
stories about Miss Moquin. doubtless
true, from my own observation. He
made new will, changing his sister
to position OF chief legatee. Mrs.
Groves trembled for her half-million.
knowing that Miss Riggs hated her.
probably with more or less good rea-
son. To make sure Miss Riggs wouldn't
have her cut OF with q thousand, the
old lady carried out a shrewd scheme
she'd evidently figured out some time
before when Boudinot disguised her
with his profanity and abuse"
What was 1t? How'd she do it?'
insisted Doctor Robinson breathlessly.
Have you proofs?"
yes, plenty. The boy sent to you
with the orange wood sticks saw Mrs.
Groves through the manicure shop
window this morning deity substitute
ing an ongoline bottle filled with prus-
sic acid for the real bottle of stain re-
mover on the manicurist's table. You.
see, Boudinot had q bad hang-nail on
the forefinger of his left hand"
yes, noticed it, but didn't think It
important en- ough to mention to you,"
said Doctor Robinson anxiously.
Naturally not. But that was the
bruise through which the drop of prus-
sic was introduced to Boudinot's blood
You see, Mr. >. Groves often wheeled
Boudinot to Miss Moquin's. and had
watched her clean with ongoline and
an orange stick beneath, the cuticle of
his nails"
Good Lord, mani" cried Doctor Rob
inson. You don't mean that she fig
ured out the fiendish scheme of having
the manicur ist actually introduce the.
poison by dipping her orange wood
stick into the substituted bottle and
showing the poison deep into the cracks
and pores round the finger nails,
thinking it was ongoline?"
That's il exactly; 1t would throw
the blame on the manicure if anything
were discovered, you see," said Poe
enthusiastically. Mrs. Groves replaced
the genuine bottle of ongoline before
leaving, SO nobody else would be
killed, then she threw the bottle Of
prussic into the gutter on the way
home with Boudinot, gasping for
breath and already dying, as graphical,
ly described by the manicurist and the
newsboy. found the pieces of glass.
recognized bits Of the ongoline label.
and identified the poison by smell and
taste. Not a bad scheme for an old
lady; only slip she made was in thrift,
lily saving in plain bottle the ongoline
she had to pour out to get the prussia
acid into the right container SO thu
ms n icu ri 81 uxo,,lax~,&. s,,rr.ax