Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1918-01-18
successful, his letter breathing entire

hope and citation. n
Vincent Darlington arrived at Lee
vile, found the house locked up and
his sister, who had not known pre-
cisely the day of his return, absent
nursing a friend In a neighboring town..
He went to a hotel, was bright and1
CHEEKY in meeting his friends and ac-
quaintances, and retired about mid
night. The next morning Vincent Oar
lington was found dead in his bed.
His hand grasped a revolver, upon the
handle of which his initials weref
scratched. Powder marks showed
around the death wound, indicating
close range explosion, and q verdict
of suicide was returned by the cor
oner's jury.
Stricken, crushed as she was, Elva
Darlington resented this decision. She
was able to learn, trying to TRACE the
movements of her brother, that where
he changed trains he met Mark Up
ton, now a worthless vagabond. He
was seer to give Upton some money.
1t was sought to find Upton later, but
he had drifted away. His watch and
other jewelry were found on Darling
ton, and a small amount of money.
His life was insured for $4,000, Elva
being the beneficiary named, but the
insurance company resisted payment
on the ground of suicide.
&c. Elva was left without a rela-
tive in the world, homelessness star
ing her in the face, for she could not
hope to pay off the mortgage when it
was due, and hence the visit of Ros-
coe Waldron.
The latter was In a serious, thought
full mood as he entered the n no.
tel the town afforded. He noticed thet
name across the front, "Sanganash
House," and he remembered that to
be the name of the hotel where Vim
cent Darlington had met his death.
Then he recalled a fact that was a
startling coincidence. Waldron look
ed wei the papers at the city office,
giving details Of the suicide.
"June twenty-seventhl" he MUIR
INJURED. "Just a year tonight since
the tragedy occurred"
1--WE can't give you a single ROOM
Would you mind a double-bedded one?
You see, we are overcrowded on ac-
count of the farmers convention"
spoke the clerk, when Waldron asked
for accommodations for the night.
ST would prefer a single room," ex-
pressed Waldron.
'Let him have twenty-four," spoke
the proprietor in a half undertone,
siding up to the clerk.
"Twenty-four p Waldron expert
enced a quick thrill. He distinctly re-
called noticing in the old account of
the suicide that "a was the number
of the room Vincent Darlington had
occupied. He felt a certain squeam-
ishness. Then he drove away the SUI
perstitious dread that probably made
the room banal with the direct resi-
dents of the district.
Waldron went up to his room after
his evening meal. He found it slight
ly stuffy, as though it had not been
aired for some time. He sat in a
chair, thinking deeply, for nearly two
hours. Then, without disrobing, he
lay uOWu Uu Tie Dcu.
He had not intended to go to sleep,
but he did. ALI was still when he
awoke, except the stroke of a distant
bell tolling out the hour of midnight.
He had left the lamp burning. Abrupt
ly his attention was directed 10 the
window, as a slight noise echoed from
that direction.
With a wild start, an Irresistible
ejaculation, Waldron arose in bed.
Through a pane In the window he saw
clinging' to a heavy water pipe that
ran beside it a w~hite-faced, staring
eyed human being, a man who glared
within the room like some restless
wrath.
AS Waldron arose, this being or APP
partition in turn uttered a curdling
shrek. There was a ~clatter, the wa
ter pipe had given way, the uncanny
visitant had fallen to the ground
below.
Waldron hurried to the window,
opened 1t and peered below. The man
lay prone across a stretch of brick
walk. Waldron ran from the ROOM
down the stairs, past n droWsy nlgnC
clerk, and around to the side of the.
building outside. The victim of the
unsafe water pipe lay insensible. Fill
ed with all kinds of strange thoughts
sWaldron lifted him and carried him
into the hotel. He shouted to the
clerk:
"A man hurt, perhaps dying-send
for a doctor"
SIT is not a doctor I want" gasped
the victim of the accident, opening his
eyes. "Tm done for" +
shark Uptonl" exclaimed the clerk,
recognizing the injured man.
eyes, II came back. I was driven
hereto the room where I robbed and
killed Vincent Darlington. Remorse
has haunted me. l in turn was robbed