Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1918-01-24
successful, his letter breathing entire;

Vile, round the house locked up and
his sister, who had not known pre-
cisely the day of his return, absent
nursing friend In a neighboring town.
He went to q hotel, was bright and
! CHEEKY in meeting his friends and &C.
qualntances, and retired about mid
night. The next morning Vincent OAR
nngton was found dead In his bed,
His hand grasped revolver, upon the
: handle Of which his Initials were.
scratched. Powder marks showed
around the death wound, Indicating
close range explosion, and a verdict
OF suicide was returned by the cor
oner's jury. 4
stricken, crushed as she was, Elya
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 worthless vagabond. He
was seen 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.
So. Elva was left without rela-
tive in the world, homelessness star
Ing her in the face, for she could not
hope to pay off the mortgage when 1t
was due, and hence the visit of Ros-.
cOe Waldron. ~. :.
The latter was in serious, thought:
full mood as he entered the one ho-
tel the town afforded. He. noticed the
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 fact that was a
startling coincidence. Waldron look
ed over the papers at the city ONCE.
giving details Of the suicide.
"June twenty-seventh !'s he muir.
INJURED. "Just a year tonight since
the tragedy occurred" .......
I'VE can't give you 4 single room.
Would: you, mind a double,bedded' oneS
Yous sees we. are, svercrowded. on &C.
count OF the farmers. convention"
spoke the clerk. ,whea yValdroh asked
for decentralization for tie pseht. =:
!, 7 would prefer s1hsts room. 8
Let him have twenty.soar.ss ',spoks1
the PROPRIETOR in a half. unaertgne.
aiding up to the clerk. ss.s sesi - 4
u, eTweaty-four r.. ~: i. NHaldron. expert.
'encedsa quick thrill. He distinctly re
called noticing in the. old, account Of
the suicide. that "a was the, number
oS the room Vincent Darlington, had
occupied. He felt certain squeaiin. :
lshness. Then he drove away the su..
'perstitious dread that probably made
the room banal with the direct resi-.
dents of.the district. --sS !.
s., Waldfon went up toshis room after
his evening tneals He found ie slight
sst,lif 10 Aongh q had not been
aired f0r spme time re sat IN
chair, thinking deeply, for nearly two
hours. Then, without tiisrobfng, he
lay down On the bed. e., .:-s
He had not intendedsto go to sleep
but he did. All was still when He
saxoke,, except the stroke Of a distant
bell tolling out the hour Of midnight.
a4sshad left the lamp burning. Abrupt,
w his, attention was directed to the.
window, as a. slight noise echoed from
that, direction .,-e "a 90 "A
With Wild start, an Irresistible
ejaculation, Waldron arose IN bed:
Through a pane In the window ,,hessaw
clinging 10 4 heavy water pipe that
ran beside 1t white-faced.s staring
eyed human being, 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. i.
Waldron hurried to the window.
opened 1t and peered below. The man,
lay prone across stretch of brick
walk. Waldron ran from the room,
down the stairs, past the drowsy night
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.
Waliren lifted him and carried him
into the hotel. He shouted to the
clerk: y: Il -.
81 "A IMAM hurt, perhaps dylng-send
for. asdoctor!" : ~
ut is not q doctor I want. ;gasped
the victim Of the accident, opening. his
eyes. ''Tm done for"
!. Mark Upton!'' exclaimed the clerk;
rec0gniAhK the injured man. ~ =
"Fss. I'll came. back: / was: driven
htea Here. 10 the room where robked ana
Killed Vincent Darlington. Hemorsa
has haunted me. 4 In turn wassrobbed
lok.fhe money that tempted, me when
par.spston showed n in giving me
enough. 70: keep = me FROM starving.
NofS for an 0fllCnr NJ the 1e~ At MM3ch