Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-05-19
THE CURVED BLADES"
BY CAROLYN WELLS, Author Of ~viely Van" Etc.

"You dq make it clear, Misa
Frayne. know just what you mean.
I quite afree that n could easily
soliloquy and remarks addressed to a
nearer. But you heard n 10 replies:"
"None at all. But I hold that is
not peculiar, for while Miss Caring.
toms voice was especially high and
carrying, an ordinarily low voice
would not be audible. through that
closed door. You car prove thai by
simple experiment"
II have" said Fleming Stone. Il
have tried 1t, and a you say, An or
binary voice In a low tone is not aud
ible. But Miss Carrington's must
nave been raised unnecessarily, to al
low Of its being heard"
Stone watched Anita's face as she
listened to this. But she only replied,
with a shrug Of indifference, * can't
say as to that. 1 heard every word
clearly, that's all I a tell"
Suppose she had been talking to
q picture Of some one, say a photo
graph of Miss Stuart or of Mi. Loria,
Of Of Count. Charlier. would her tone
Of voice then be explicable?"
perhaps. But she would have had
to imagine wildly the person there
before her. And, again, Miss Car
rington had no such photographs In
her rooms. All her family photo
graphs are in this library, in frames
Or cases. She was methodical in such
matters. She has series Of pictures OF
Miss Stuart and of Mi. Loria from,
their childhood to now but they are
all in order in the cases over there"
hand toward a mahogany cabinet.
mo, Mr.. Stone, whomever or what
ever Miss Darlington was talking to,
1t was not a photograph of ans Of her
relatives or friends. AS you know,
there was none discovered in her
room, 80 what could she have done
with it?"
That's true, Miss Frayne. But
hasn't the theory Of a living person
in there also ihexplicable points? If
Somebody was there, 1t was, of
course, some one we'll known and
preserce in the house was un-
q~uestionably correct. But her re-
marks; DIS I read them from your
notes, imply different auditors. Grant
ing FOR a moment that Miss Stuart
there, why would Miss CARING
ton say, Henri, Henri, you are the
mark 1. aim at'?"
II admit that must have been a
soliloduy, or a apostrophe to the
man she wanted to- marry, though he
was not present"
you have nj thought, then, that
Count Charlier Was PRESENT."
Certainly not! The idea IL absurd.
Miss Stuart was in there with her
aunt, and I'm sure it was some re-
mark of Pauline's, which |, Of course,
did not hear, that made Miss Caring
ton speak Of the Count az if to him.
How. then. do you account for the
Miss Stuart put it there as d
blind"
"And how did Miss Stuart get it.'
Easily. The Count had beer
spending the evening here. He may
have left his glove by hnistake,-or-
"or auline may have distracted /,
purposely from his coat pocket dur.
ing the evening With a prearranged
plan to do all just as she did do"
miss Frayhe!. you can't mean IL
assert your belief that Miss Stuart SC
far planned the crime as to intend tc
cast suspicion on Count Charlier by
means Of that glove!!'"
"Why not? II Pauline Stuart i.
responsible for her aunt's death, I as.
you, Mr.. Stone, she is quite
clever enough to p~rearrange all de.
tails, and to plan so adroitly that sus.
picion should fall on some one else
Miss Stuart Is far more crafty and
deep than you a inave any idea Of!
l have known her for four years, and
/ can tell you she is far from ingenu.
ous!"
Suppose we leave the question OF
Miss Stuart out Of the discussion, and
continue BUR first line of thought
Had Miss Darlington eve spoken to
you Of changing her will?"
AS was his frequent experience
Fleming Stones quick question
caught his witness unaware, and she
4 little in her speech, as she
replied: Mo. why should she %
"Only because her frequent quar-
rels with Miss Stuart might have
made her wish to leave less Of her
to her niece. And in the con-
~versation you overheard, Miss Carr.
rington touched on this subject"
Eyes. she did. But except for that
refernce, spoken to her unknown
1 have never heard any.
thing Of such an intention on hef
You're fond of pearls. Miss
ooh. I know what you're getting a
now. That speech Miss Lucy made
/ am. who isn't? I often. told Mis-.
that / admired her pearls
far more than all her diamonds OF
other glittering stones. But I would
commit a crime for all the pearls
in the world! And, il 1 had, why
didn't I steal the pearls?"
Anita's voice rang out triumphantly
she put this question. but Fleming
Stone said quietly: II haven't &C
cused you Of crime, Miss Frayne, but
since YOU ask that, let me remind you,
that II the crime were done with in
tent of robbery, the reason that the
robbery was never accomplished is
the same that kept the man Bates
themselves to take valuables from q
dead body. However, I cannot think
the poisoning was done with any idea
Of direct robbery, but for the gain
that would come by the bedussts Of
the will"
~"Then your search is limited by the
list of inheritors?
1T IL. Miss Frayne."
Then, Mr.. Stone, how can YOU
overlook 6r undervalue the weight 81
Against Pauline Stuart? Re-
member. she bought that snake her.
self. Miss Lucy v told her to buy
It. eve in this world! Pauline