Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-11-12

you've come. Is there q Mrs. Freeth
here?"
Yes. My wife," said I.
Thank goOdness"- He drew a
breath. There's no one here capable of
doing anything. / had to get in the
nurse and the other woman.
Jaffery had summoned Barbara from
her vain task.
Mrs Boldero Is very ill-as Ill as she
can be. OF course you were aware of
her condition-well-the shock has had
Its not very uncommon effect"
Life in danger?" Jaffery asked
bluntly.
Life. reason, everything. Tell me.
I'm a stranger. | know nothing was
summoned and found man lying dead
on the floor in that room"-he pointed
to the study-"and a woman in a dread
full state. I've only had time to make
sure that the poor fellow was dead.
Gould you tell me something about
them?"
So we told him. the three of us to-
gether, as people will, who Adrian Boil
dero was, and how he and his genius
were all this world and q bit of the next
to his wife.
Just them the woman appeared again.
The young doctor beckoned to her and
said a few words Jaffery and l followed
her into the death chamber, leaving the
doctor with Barbara And then we stood
and looked at all that was left of
Adrian.
But how did 1t happen? II was not
till long afterward that I really knew
more than the scared maid servant and
the porter Of the mansions had told us.
But that little more / will set down
here.
For the past few days he had been
working early and late, scarcely sleep
Ing at all. The night before had had
L. Il -
less at seven, and having dressed and
breakfasted had locked himself in his
study. The very last page. he told
Doria, was to be written. He was to
come down to us for Christmas. with
his novel a finished thing. At ten
o'clock, in accordance with custom,
when he began work early, the maid
came to his door with a cup of chicken
broth. She knocked. There was no
reply. She knocked louder. She called
her mistress. Doria hammered .
she shrieked. You know how swiftly
terror grips woman. She sent for the
porter. Between them they raised din
to awaken-well-al but the dead. The
man forced the door--hence the splin-
tered jamb--and there they found Adri-
an, in the great bare room, hanging
horribly over his writing chair, with
not a scrap of paper save his plotting
pad in front of him. He must have died
almost as soon as he reached his study,
before he had time to take out his man
uscript from the jealous safe. That this
was SO the harassed doctor afterward
affirmed when he could leave the lfv-
ing to make examination of the dead
Still later than that we heard the cause
of death-a clot of blood on the
brain.
To go back. =. They found him
dead. And then arose an unpicturable
scene of horror. 1t seems that the
cook, stolid woman, on the point OF
starting for a Christmas visit. took
charge of the situation, sent for the
doctor, dispatched the telegram to us,
saw to Adrian. The elder Mrs Boldero
collapsed, a futile mass of sodden hys-
terra. Presently Barbara came in and
put her hands on my shoulders
II must stay here, Hilary. dear You
must get bed at your club Jaffery
will take the car and bring us what we
want from Northlands, and will look
after things with Eileen. And put off
Euphemia and the others. II you can"
And that was the Christmas to which
we had looked forward with such joy
GUS anticipation. Adrian dead; his child
stillborn; Doria lowering ON the brink
Of death. The whole world was dead.