The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1915-09-02


4opher Poe had enjoyed the let-down
OF routine desk work. He had resumed
his usual workaday life after rounding
mp band of counterfeiters at Coney,
and classifying their histories in Vol
ume H" for future reference.
One Monday morning as he sat at
his desk opening mail, chance visit
or dropped in with the alarming news
that a mutual friend, Boudinot Riggs,
was dead.
"Boudinot dead?'' cried Poe, jumping
up to throw light outer coat over his
thin office suit, cut Oxford style. Il
must go there directly"
Poisoned, too, Doctor Robinson
says. Just met him on the way home to
make a test of Boudinot's equity
blood" said the informant, fellow
banker.
Christopher Poe waited for nothing
else. Old Boudinot Riggs was distant
relation, a temperamental dilettante,
sort of fat, grown-up bad boy, who
had inherited fondness for beauty
and Incidence, together with some
thing between three and four million
beautiful but not too indolent dollars
which yielded money interest that
Boudinot managed to keep very active,
hemmed in as he was by a household
of women including a kindly old de-
pendent who nursed him, a somewhat
shrewish sister who despised him, a
young lady secretary who took the
place of a business mans stenograph-
er, and a raft of interested outsiders,
poor relations, lady barber, lady
shirt-maker, a girl who sold him Gig
arettes, and petite French manicure.
Three of these dependents were
most important in his life-Mrs.
Groves, the nurse, because she moth
cred him, Miss Riggs, his sister, be-
cause she bothered him, and Miss Mig
non Moquin, because she manicured
the squat pink nails Of which he was
very proud. In consideration of the
varying degrees of his interest in these
estimable ladies Boudinot had made a
will more or less publicly, in which he
left three million to Miss Mignon Mo-
Quin, half million to his faithful old
nurse, and a thousand dollars each to
his expectant sister, who had no pri-
Yate fortune, his secretary. his cook,
and a little scullery maid who pol
ished his boots each night and left
them before his door each morning,
after the English fashion.
1t was this second maid who opened
the door to Christopher Poe that az
ternoon of Boudinot's death. 1t was
Mrs. Groves, the nurse, red-eyed and
trembling, who pressed Poe's hand
with sincere emotion and led him to
Miss Riggs, who had just been called
back by the news of her brothers
death from Yonkers, where she had
gone on a visit that morning.
Poe took the cold hand Miss Riggs
thrust out to him mechanically.
isn't there something | can do?"
he asked.
mo, everything is quite all right"
But being Boudinot's friend and
banker, thought"
LAS for your being his banker" she
said, throwing up her head abruptly,
Ell attend to that after this. Perhaps
you don't know that Boudinot came to
his senses last night, and changed my
name for Miss Moquin's in that silly
will of his?"
moi" cried Poe in surprise, glanc-
ing at Mrs. Groves, whose eyes were
so big and somber and sad, as though
with a concealed story, that Poe asked
sharply. Did you know of this"
The nervous, birdlike little woman
looked straight at Miss Riggs, and said
In direct, level tone:
"If you hadn't slandered Miss Mo-
uuin and-and driven him to it, he
wouldn't have done it. This morning
when you said you wished he was
dead, and slammed the door in his
face, ne asked me to take him in his
wheel-chair to Miss Moquin, SO he
could see if you told the truth last
night"
Miss Riggs drew up her thin, cordy
neck, and swallowed hard as Mrs.
Groves paused before continuing in a
higher key:
"Oh, I'm going TO speak out now.
I've kept quiet in this hell of house
long enough" She trembled with emo
ton. II was the only one that ever
took care of him; saw that his eggs
were poached, just SO; nursed him
when his foot was SO bad he swore at
everybody; f."
And you're well paid for it," snap
ped Miss Riggs in voice that sound.
ed like slap in the face. He left you
half million"
Mrs. Groves face had punched to-
gether in an agonized knit. How can
you talk like that, with him lying in
there!" she cried. 1T isn't money I'm
speaking of, though God knows he
wouldn't have left me cent II he'd
listened to the things you said against
me-"
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