Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1919-01-09

''N "'''iNiiC VI Iicl utdtN. why
receive that death blow without
u tremor OF fear or even a glance
Of startled inquiry?"
Inspector Brunt stood by,
gravel.y, and for the most part
silently, watching and listening.
THAT might imply" he said,
slowly, that, if she did see the
assailant, it was some n she
knew and of whom she had no
fear.
Gray Haviland looked up sud-
denly. A deep red spread over
his face and then, seeing himself
narrowly watched by the detec-
! tives present, he set his lips firmly
together and said no word.
Pauline turned white and trem-
bled, but she, too, said nothing.
VIII is she sitting in this large
easy chair?" went on the coroner.
"ls it not customary TO. ladies'
at their dressing tables to use a
light side chair?"
This showed decidedly as.ute
perception, and the inspector
looked i%ntcrestcdly at the, chair in
question, which he had not espe-
cially noticed before.
Being tacitly appealed to by the
coroner inqniring eyes, Pauline
replied: lit is true that. my aunt
usually sat at her dressing table
in a small chair-that one, in
fact" and she pointed to a dainty
chair OF gilded cane. 81 have 40
idea why she should choose the
heavy, cushioned one"
1T would SEEM" the coroner
unused, las if she might have sat
down there to admire the effect
of her belongings rather than to
arrange her hair or toilet"
Absorbedly, all present watched
Coroner Scofield's movements.
1t was true, the quietly repose-
full attitude of the still figure
leaning back against the brocad-
ed upholstery, and so evidently
looking in the great gold framed
mirror, was that of one ad.uiring
or criticizing her own appearance.
Added to this the fact Of her
bizarre costume and strange
adornments it seemed certain that
Miss Darlington had come to her
death while i%nnocently happy in
the feminine employment of
dressing up in the elaborate finery
that she loved.
But the snake!
Carefully Coroner Scofield- re-
moved the inexplicable thing. He
held it up that all might see. A
japanese paper snake, a cheap
toy, such as is found together
with fans and lanterns in the ORR
entail department of large shops.
Gould this have been placed
round her neck after death?"
Scofield inquired of the doctors.
The two physicians agreed that,
though that was possible, yet the
appearance of the flesh beneath it
seemed to indicate its having en-
circled the throat during life.
"Never!" cried Pauline excit-
aunt Lucy couldn't have
sat there and smiled with a snake
anywhere near her!"
THAT would seem So" and DR..
Stanton nodded his head. 81 we'll
know of my late patients aver
sion to snakes. It amounted al
most to a mania! 1t is not an un-
common one; many women feel
the same, though seldom to so
great an extent"
"That deepens the mystery"
said Coroner Scofield, unless, in
deed, the snake was put on after
the crime. But that is even more
mysterious. I shall now remove
these valuable jewels and give
them to"
He looked i~nquiringly at Havi-
land and Pauline, and the latter
immediately responded: "Give
them to me, l am now distress
here"
Haviland said nothing, but he
looked at Pauline as if in disap-
proval.
us this of great WORTH" in
CURED Scofield, as he carefully
removed the scarf from the shout !
ders it surrounded.
",Onlv mndorato1v oo,, 10