The Washington herald., 1916-01-02

M er II were accident or SUI
w cider" said Magnum into
the telephone. with decided irritation,
because he was being interrupted in
the midst of highly complex ealcu-
lation of formulate based on crystal
logrsphic angles and axes, requiring
quaternions and perfect quiet.
at matters fifty thousand pounds, I"
replied the legal voice at the other
end of the wire. That's the value of
his insurance policy. The company
contends it was a case of suicide. and
therefore the policy is null and void" "
AT the present moment" snapped
Magnum, IL don't care if he were i'm
sured for the national debit Find a
detective and don't bother mel"
Leaving the receiver off the hook,
so that he could not be rung up fur
ther, Magnum plunged again into the
world OF signs and symbols.
The interrupter was the junior
partner in East, East & Stacey-a
young man of some pertinacity, as
well as legal ability. He happened to
have very special interest in the
case of the deceased, because the next
Of kin was particularly charming
young lady-at least, particularly
charming to himself. So he jumped
a taxi and drove from Clifford's Inn
to Upper Thames Street, where the
scientific consultant had his Office and
laboratories.
"DsmnationP' was Magnum's well
come for him.
"Awfully sorry to interrupt. How
long will you take to finish? 2" was the
soft answer designed to turn away
wrath.
Till midnightr' snapped Magnum,
launching his bushy reddish eyebrows
and thrusting out his straggly reddish
beard belhgerently.
"I1l wait" decided Stacey. 'I1l go
and talk scandal with Meredith"
Ivor Meredith was a young Welsh
man. an analytical genius and Mag
nuns right-hand man. He was the
very essence of shyness and modesty.
Stacey went into the laboratories and
began to chaff him in order to kill
time.
What's this l hear about you and
a certain fascinating widow?" was his
opening gsmbit.
Young Meredith, blushing furious
ly, protested that he didn't know any
fascinating widow. Which was per-
fectly true, as he was mortally afraid
of all the feminine sex.
Inlan hours time, Magnum appear
ed from the office. His. erystallo-
graphic analysis had borne out his
personal guess exactly, and the thun-
dercloud of temper had vanished
from his skies. He found that his
young Welsh protege had scored off
Stacey by challenging him to blow a
glass bulb, which looks delightfully."-
simple and in reality requires months
of practice. Stacey, perspiring over
the blow lamp, was surrounded by a
score of horrible bulbous monstrosi-
ties.
Better stick to the law" smiled
Magnum. You can make a success
full lawyer even if you have ten
thumbs to your hands. Now what's
this trouble about the insurance pol
icy?"
Stacey answered him seriously with
a resume of the case. Abel Jonasson,
a somewhat eccentric recluse, a man
of hfty-four and a bachelor, had I'm
sured his life for fifty thousand
pounds with the Empire Assurance
Company six months previously. On
a railroad journey through the Seven
Oaks tunnel, he had been alone in a
second-class compartment. In some
way he had fallen out Of the moving
train-had possibly been killed by the
fall-snd had certainly been run over
by a train passing on the other line
of metals. A coroner's jury had re-
turned an open verdict. On the ad-
vice of their doctors and counsel, the
Empire Company, a firm of hrst-class
reputation, had decided to fight the
claim up to the House of Lords if
necessary.
They contended that fora man of
his limited income, a ffty-thousand-
pound policy was far too heavy
unless he deliberately intended to
take his life in order to secure a
large sum of money for his relatives.
Such cases had cropped up before.
Then they shouldn't have insured
for such a heavy amount" interrupt
ed Magnum.
well, they did" answered Stacey.
"They took his premium, and now
they fight the claim. Miss Gerard,
his niece and next of kin. has Verv