Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1918-01-31

ming that powerful face, with the
smiling glance, the frank and
resolute eyes, and the bronzed
complexion. which looked as if it
had been baked and baked again
by the sun.
Then, motioning to his visitors
to take chairs around his desk, NJ.
Desmalions himself sat down and
made a preliminary statement in
clear and deliberate tones:
The summons, gentlemen,
which l addressed to each of you,
must have appeared to YOU rather
peremptory and mysterious. And
the manner in which l propose to
open u conversation is not likely
to diminish yonr surprise. But if
you will attach a little credit to
my method, you will soon realize
that the whole thing is very simple
and very natural. | will be as
brief as [ cam
He spread before him the bundle
OF documents prepared for him by
his secretary and, consulting his
notes as he spoke, continued:
Over SO years ago, in 1860,
three sisters, three orphans, Erme-
line, Elizabethan Armande Rous-
sci, aged 22,'20 and 1S, respective
~, were living at Saint-Etienne
With a cousin named Victor, who
was a few years younger. The cid
est, Ermeline, WAS the first to leave
Saint-Etie1me.<' She went to Lon
don, where shSe$ married an Eng
lishma1r' of the lame Mornington,
by whom she had a son, who was
chrlstened Coslno.
1.-The family was very poor and
went through hard times. Ernie
line repeatedly wrote to her sisters
to ask for a little assistance. Re
%ceiving no reply, she broke off the
correspondence altogether. In 1870
MIR. and Mrs. bloomington left
England:for America. Five years
later they We're rich. Mr.. Morn
lngton ditd"in 1878; but his widow
continued TO administer the for
tune ~bequeatIaiad to her and, as she
had a genius for Business and spec
ulation, she increased this fortune
until it7attaineEsa colossal figure.
At her decease, in 1900, she left
her son the sum of 400, 000, 900
francs"
The amount seemed to make an
impression on the project S hear
ers. He saw the. major aud Don
Luis Perenna exchange a glance
and asked:
You knew Cosmo Mornington.
did you MOTIF.
Yes, Monsieur lie Prefet,' re-
piled Comte d'Astrignac. "He was
in Morocco when Perenna and |
were fighting there"
just So said M. Desmalions.
"Cosmo Mornington had begun to
travel about the world. He took
up the practice of medicine,
from what ] hear, and, when &C.
casion offered, treated the sick
with great skill, and, of course,
without charge. He lived first in
Egypt and then in Algiers and
Morocco. Last year he settled
idown III Paris, where he died four
weeks ago as the result of a most
stupid accident
"a carelcssly administered
hypodermic injection, was it not,
Monsieur lie Pyefet?' asked the
secretary of the American embas-
sy. 1T was mentioned in the pa
pers and reported to us at the EN-
bassy.'
Yes" said .Desmalions. "To
assist his recovery from a long at
tack Of. influenza which had kept
him in bed all. the winter, Mr..
Mornington, by. his doctors or
ders, used to give himself injec-
tions of glycero-Rhosphate Of soda.
He must have omitted the neces-
sary precautions on the last occa-
sion when he did SO, for the wound
was poisoned, inflammation set in
with lightning .rspidity, and Mr.
Mornington. was dead in a few
hours
The:.prefesst s police turned to
the solicitor and asked:
Have summed up the facts
correctly. Maitre Lepertuisi'
Absolutely, Monsieur lie Pre-
NJ. DesmaliohS continued:
The next smorning, Maitre
Lepertuis called here and, for
reasons which you will understand
when you have heard the docu.
ment read, showed me Cosmo
1Mornington's will, which had been
plaeed in his hands"
While the project was looking