The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1915-01-06
her TELLTALE HANDS
BY MARAH ]. LOCKE.

ing three years and a small inheri-
lance prospecting, specializing and
trading. had studied medicine and
when / found myself with only a few
hundreds Of my former thousands left
l bought out an obscure pharmacy in
Balleran
One chill October evening sat In
| my little office back OF the store apart.
ment when heard the front door open
sharply and close as abruptly. A yelled
woman, young / could guess from the
rare grace OF her movements, brushed
hastily past the counter.
Listen and act quick" she directed
There is your fee"
l stared hard My strange client
had placed hundred dollar bill on
the table
i wish you to procure and bring
to me In a saucer or some hollow
dish" went on the young woman,
some corrosive fluid that will-will
remove blemish from the skin"
There are number OF such acids"
said.
Bring me the strongest, the surest,' .
she said, and / arose, went out into
the pharmacy and returned with q
saucer one-half filed with the dead
lest abrasive chemical l had in my
stock.
eff place a finger in that, it will
do-what?"
''If briefly" answered, eft will re-
move the outer cuticle."
Leaving no discolorations?"
None
| And the pain?p
Is inconseQuential"
started forward, for just then, COM
pressing her lips sturdily, she placed
the tips Of her fingers first of one
hand and then of the other fist deep
into the acid She held them up be-
fore her for inspection. The strange
act accomplished, her hands, which
had been delicately white before, we're
white still, but my professional eye
traced the unnatural smoothness on
thumb and fingers where the corrod-
| ing fluid had removed the heavy outer
! cuticle, as where one would peel q
| plum or pear.
/ There was an expression of salts
faction, Of puzzling triumph in the
! face Of my handsome client. She
/ drew a pair of gloves from the pocket
of her dress. She fixed her eyes
steadily upon me.
/ Il can trust you to forget this
circumstance" she spoke. Eyes,
see the gentleman in your face. There
4 is further to do Fill bottle with
some harmless liquid and follow me
to the door. When it is open warn
me to be very cautious in using it
/ The fee will be doubled If you help me
to act out my part successfully
Blindly, / know not why, followed
her instructions. / went to the door
with her / voiced the warning she
had directed. Distinctly I was aware
that she meant the words for tbs
next doorway.
Il will be very careful of the acid.
she spoke in clear loud voice. q
wish to use it in some wood burning
ornamental work OH"
With a scream she stumbled. She
fell, or rather pretended to fall fiat
upon the pavement The bottle cracked
to splinters. Wringing her hands as
she regained her feet, she ran towards
me crying distractedly.
"Oh, my hands! my hands!-I have
burned all the flesh of my fingers!"
! read her purpose. / made great
/. ado of escorting her back into the
pharmacy, of examining her hands, Of
treating them with curatives. Their
she went away for the second time.
At the end of two weeks there came
to me a letter enclosing second one
hundred dollar bill. 1t was pinned tc
a sheet of paper bearing the words:
As a gentleman and true friend al
ways-silence."
l hesitated about using the money
but bad business necessitated it. Z
! business rival took away half OF my
trade. Then had fire-uninsured.
went from bad to worse and the sher
if sold out my few poor property Ell
fects
| wandered away from the city alont
a country road. 1 must have tainted
from illness and hunger in its center
Then l was conscious Of being lifted
into an automobile.
When / came back to myself agaiI
l occupied a bed in cozily furnishes
room. Outside there was bird song
The clear sweet scented air suggested
some sumptuous garden. Then M
client of that eventful evening in th'
past entered the room.
She it was who had found me IL
the road and I was her guest at
beautiful villa many leagues from cit.
proximity.
She was nurse, sister, friend-ah
within my heart of hearts far NOR
than that before that delightful weel
ended
She had been companion to a wealth
woman in a far distant country
In that household a terrible murde
had been committed. She had been i
that room just before the crime wa
perpetrated, had accidentally upse
a bottle of ink and left the impress
of her hands on a mantel