Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1915-12-22

Wita nm. HIS eyes We're vacant
and his face tlabby. as though
the feeling, that his intelligence was
relaxed, too!
He picked up his own coat. but 1
stopped him..
Don't put that on" I said. speak
ing to him as / would have spoken to
a child. THE sleeve is blood stained
ana there's a long tear down the side.
Take this one" and I held out the
light lounging coat Godfrey had
brought with him.
Swain laid down his own garment
without a word and put on the other
one. l rolled the soiled garments into
a bundle. too them under my arm,
turned out the lights, and led the way
downstairs.
A murl.lur of voices from the library
told me that someone had arrived, and
when / 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, /
YES" said Godfrey shall 1 show
o the way?"
The doctor nodded and, lifting the
girl carefully in his arms. followed
Godfrey out into he hall. The nurse
picked up a medicine case from the
floor n followed after.
l 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 astonishnent he
die not so much as glance in that di-
rection. He stood patiently beside me,
my restraining hand fell away, he
walked slowly to he chair in which
he had been sitting. and dropped into
1t, relaxing Imply as with fatigue.
Godfrey was back in a moment.
THAT doctor was the nearest one I
could find" he said. 'IIe seems to be
all right. But if Miss Vaughan isn't
better in the morning, I'll get a spec
ialist out"
Godfrey" I said, in a low tone,
there's something the matter with
SWAIN" n l motioned to where he
sat, flaccid n limp. apparently half
asleep. "He is suffering from shock.
or something of that sort. It's
thing more, anyway, than overweight
nerves He seems to be only half
conscious"
II noticed it," said Godfrey, with a
little nod. We'll have the doctor look
at him when he m down." and he
sank YEARLY into a chair. This has
been q pretty strenuous night, Lester"
ASoS LIN ~ 1914 Y ONC1 you i WOlluSI-
what h man with the snake is do
ing"
Still staring into the crystal, no
doubt. Do you want to go and see?'
No" I said decided, Il don't. Cod
frey" i added, doesn't the absence of
seem TRANCE to you?"
Very strange. But, 1 dare say,
We'll find them around somewhere
though they seem to be sound sleepers!
We didn't look through the whole
house, you know. I'm not going to,
either; I'm going to let the police do
that. They ought to be here pretty
soon. l told Simmonds 10 bring two
or three men with him"
l glanced at the huddled body Of the
murdered man. With all the nights
eXcitements n surprises, we had
rot even touched upon that mystery.
Not a single gleame of light had been
shed upon it, n yet it was the CEN
ter about which all these other strange
occurrences revolved. Whose hand
was it had thrown that cord about the
throat and drawn it tight? What mo-
tive lay behind? Fearsome and COM
polling must the motive be to drive a
man to such a crime! Would Sim
monds be able to divine that motive,
to build the case up bit by bit until
the murderer was found? Would
Godfrey?
I turned my head to look at him.
He was lying back in his chair, his
eyes closed, apparently lost in thought,
and for long minutes there was no
movement in the room.
At last the doctor returned, looking
more cheerful than when he had left
the room. He had given Miss
Vaughan an opiate II she was sleep
ing calmly; the nervous trembling
had subsidized and he hoped that when
h walked she would be much better.
The danger was that brain fever might
develop; she had evidently suffered a
very severe shock.
YES" said Godfrey, "she discovered
her father strangled in the chair
yonder."
Il saw thu body when I came in"
the doctor remarked, imperturably.
$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, then dis
engaged n 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?" Cod
Frey asked.
Not more than two or three hours"
the doctor answered. The muscles
are just beginning to stiffer. 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."
/ saw the doctor glance at Godfrey
and then at me, plainly puzzled as TO
our footing in the house: but IL there
was a question In his mind. he kept
1t from his lips and turned back again
to the huddled body.
ANY clew to the murderer he
asked. at last.
ssNa have fo,,nd nome"