Tombstone epitaph., 1916-02-06

$ tS'SS"o cHa p'SSCo gre oOUfe- ~ $ times disguised. In all other re- < < speets the amazing, often thrill S ing, always gripping facts are & { recorded just as they happened. {, 6sSssssSscsssssssceeeesssss and thoughtful, then once more fixing his regard on the physician he asked:
 If Mrs. Forsythe was afflicted with heart disease. how did she obtain so much life in;urance?"
 The doctors eyes lighted with a strange gleam.
 An" he breathed. now you al touching upon a crucial point. The newspapers declarr that l have been in attendance on Ter ever since the family took up their residence in South Edgelake. That is not true. She required no medical attendance. She was in perfect health up to something like two weeks previous to her death.
 T have. though, been a frequent call CT ct her horne, because l have known Mrs. Fcrsythe since she was miss O twelve. Until her father died he and I were the closest of friends, and in ] this connection. I believe 1 can ac- count for the policy in my favor.
 Mrs. Forsythe's maiden name was Fernbrook-Ethel Fernbrook. The Fernbrooks were an upper-class Eng fish family. but poor. in 1872 George Fernbrook, youngest son of the family, married anc went to South Africa. He l prospered there. and there Ethel-the only child of their union-was born. In 1885 Mrs. Fernbrook died and ! George returned to England with Ethel. settling in London. IL was there l that he and l were thrown together. and friendship grew up between us | so close that we trusted each other | absolutely.
 'I needn't go much into detail. was young sawbcnes with just enough | practice to scrape along on, but l had | something over six thousand pounds, | which represented my patrimony. | George was interested in various en- | torprises, but needed more capital. l | had no inclination 10 abandon my pro | fession. but was not averse to increas- | ing my inheritance, so l turned this ! over to him. For a time things pros pered-prospered amazingly, for he was a natural-born money maker. l had no reason to regret our partner ship until a sudden and wholly unex- | pected business and financial depres- 1 sion caught him, and barely enough was saved from the wreck for him to return to South Africa and try to de yelop his interests there.
 "To make a long story short, George would send me various amounts from time to time to apply upon what he stoutly maintained was his indebted ness to me. Finally he had repaid nearly half of the six thousand pounds. Then he died.
 Now I was in total ignorance of the sixteen thousand-dollar policy; but 1t is accounted for now. In her poor way Ethel tried to repay me the bal. ance of the six thousand pounds-prob- ably a charge put upon her by her father.
 It was in Africa that Ethel met Captain Forsythe-a gay, dashing blade, I suppose. who captivated her girlish fancy. 1 know very little about him. She was a very beautiful wom. an, but their married life was not alto gcther happy I don't know just | where the trouble lay, but l suspect that Captain Forsythe believed that Ethel would bring him a considerable \ fortune and that the disappointment embittered him and estransed t-em- T might as well say candidly. since 1t seems to bear upon the case. that Forsythe has always been extremely reticent respecting his past. He is a wellbred Englishman and unquestion- ably was at some time an English army officer. That he has seen much of Africa the trophies that adcrn the whole house testify There are skins and mounted heads and elephant tusks. | to say nothing of large collection of native weapoIs-spears, Zulu assegais, war clubs. bows and arrows and the | like. The captain is an interesting talker and can be a most charming | lection of weapons, his hunting expert erces, and so on; but any question touching upon his private life or the army will make him shut up like a clam.
 Naturally never questioned Ethel and she never volunteered any infor mation concerning her husbands his tory; but there was something that saddened her and that clouded his fife.
 Now here's a factcr that 1 consider of considerable importance. As l said
 before. Mrs. Forsythe's health was ex
 cellent until about two weeks ago. al
 which time she complained to me oi
 symptoms that caused me to give her a
 thorough examination l was consid
 erably surprised when 1 discovered un