Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-08-25
The Mystery
of the
BOuIe Cabinet
BY BURTON E. STEVENSON
roD,.ri0br 1o1a Nv R,1rfon z
BY BURTON E. STEVENSON
Copyright. 1913. by Burton E.
Stevenson.

Preached the stair head in time to see
turn along the lower hall leading to
the back of the house. An instant
later a chorus of frenZied wOmens
shrieks made my hair stand on end.
How l got down the stairs l do not
know But ]. too. turned back along
the lower hall. expecting any instant
to come upon knew not what horror.
/ reached an open door. passed through
it and found myself in the laundry In
the midst of group of excited and in
dignant women. who greeted my APP
pearance with fresh series of screams.
Unable to go farther. | sat Imply
down upon a box end looked at them.
i was still sitting there when Godfrey
came back. breathing heavily. chagrin
and anger in his eyes.
"a crime has been committed up
stairs he said to the manager. This
gentleman with me is Mr.. Simmonds
OF the detective bureau" and at the
words Simmonds showed his shield.
I'VE shall have to notify headquar-
ters." Godfrey went on. land l would
advise that you keep your girls at their
work. I don't suppose you want to be
mixed up in it
"Sure not agreed the manager
promptly. and while Simmonds went
to the phone and called up police head
quarters the manager had the girls
back at their work in short order.
Godfrey came over to me and laid
his hand on my shoulder.
why. Lester" he said. "yOu look as
though you were at your last gasp"
81 am | said I'm going to have
nervous prOStration if this thing keeps
up. You're not looking particularly
happy YOURSELF
I'm not happy. I've let that fellow
kill a man right under my nose-liter-
ally under my nose-and then get
awayr'
Kill a man. l repeated. do you
mean
go upstairs and look at the right
hand of the man lying there" said
Godfrey CURLY. land you'll see what |
mean"
Simmonds joined us with a twisted
smile on his lips. and ! saw that even
he was considerably shaken.
81 got Grady" he said. land told
him what had happened. He says
he's too busy TO come up and that I'm
to take charge of things. The ambu
lance will be around at once. We'd
better get our shoes on and go back
upstairs and see if anything can be
done for that fellow"
Simmonds knelt beside the body and
held up the limp right hand for us
to see.
Just above the knuckles were two
tiny incisions. with a drop OF two Of
blood Oozing away from them. and
the flesh about them swollen and dis
cOlOred.
Il knew what it was the instant be
yelled Death" said Godfrey quietly.
"And he knew what it was the in
slant he felt the stroke. 1t is evident
enough that ne had seen it used be-
fore or heard of it and knew that it
meant instant death"
| sat down. staring at the dead man.
and tried TO collect my senses. | saw
a man roughly dressed. with bushy
black hair and tangled beard: very
giant OF a man.
A sudden thought brought me bolt
upright.
"But Armandr' I cried. Where is
Armand?'
Godfrey looked at me with half
pitying smile.
What. Lester he said. don't you
understand even yet? Ii was your
fascinating NJ. Armand who did that"
and he pointed TO the dead man.
i felt rs thors.h | had been struck
a heavy blow upon the head; black
circles whirled before my eyes.
WAS it Armand" asked. who lay
there in the corner?"
Certainly it was" Godfrey answer
ed Who else could it beg
Godfrey" cried. remembering
suddenly did you see his eyes as
he lay there watching the man at the
cabinetT'
Yes; | saw them"
''They were the same eyes"
'The same eyes"
And the laugh-did yon hear that
laugh?"
Certainly | heard it"
Il heard it once before" | said. land
you thought it was case of nerves"
fell silent a moment. shivering a
little at the remembrance
But why did Armand lie there so
quietly?' | asked at last WAS he in
jured?'
Godfrey made a little gesture to-
ward the corner.
60 see for yourself" he said.
Something lay along the wall. on the
spot where | had seen that figure. aud
IS | bent over it | saw that il was a
nod hI1f VOrU