The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1919-04-24

placed the hour Of her death at 2. So,
Stone reasoned, Miss Darlington must
have taken that aconite at pretty near
ly the very time Anita heard her talk
ing. 1t seemed to Stone incredible that
there could have been a person present
to whom Miss Darlington could have
addressed those remarks, and who
could have given or allowed her to
take the deadly draught.
The idea that Pauline could have
been this person was not among Elem
ing Stones catalog Of possibilities.
Moreover, the fact OF the one voice
strongly impressed him. q Another
voice, however low, must have at some
point Of the conversation risen to an
audible sound to a listener with nor
NAL hearing, Also, Anita had asserted
that the speeches Of Miss Darlington
did sound as If addressed to different
persons. 1t was not likely there were
two or more fntruders or visitors there
at once, and slowly but surely Flem-
ing Stone decided, once for all, that
Miss Darlington was alone in that
room at that time. This meant, not
exactly soliloquy, the mode Of address
contradicted that, but 1t meant to him,
at least, that she was addressing some
inanimate object or objects as If they
we're sentient. ~ -.''&'' tE''
His task was to discover those OBJ!
jects. ~, His first thought was, as he
sat in the easy chair before the mir
ror. that the lady had spoken to her
own. reflection. But, the speeches, OF
which he had a memorandum, preclud-
ed this hypothesis. She would not say
to herself, "You are 80 fond OF pearls"
or "You have a beautiful face"
Abandoning that s%upposition, Stone
| methodically searched for something
that might have been addressed.
Clearly-that Ia, II he were on the
right track--the words Henri, you
are the mark I aim att" could have
been spoken to the counts glove,
which she held in her hand. In the
same VEIN, assuming that the glove,
to her, represented the count himself,
might have been said the speech
about the $4,000, and the remark that
he loved pearls.
Accepting these possibilities as
facts, Stone went on to discover more.
His method was to repeat to himself
her very words and serve to see pr
sense something to which they might
have been addressed. e.
"You have the most beautiful face I
ever saw" he quoted softly and then,
scanning the room, went on: 81 only
wish mine were as beautiful"
His eyes lighted on the picture of
Cleopatra, which hung above the mir
or Of the dressing table.
"That's It'll" he cried, with instant
conviction. "She looked at that beau
tiful face and then In the mirror, at
her plain features, and she ~involunta-
rily cried out for the beauty denied
her! Poor woman, to live all her
lonely, hungry life. surfeited with
wealth yet unable to buy the fairness
she craved!". T. .. .sl134. IBIS. .,a.t
Not doubling for an instant the
truth of his conclusion. Stone checked
off that speech and passed on to the
next on his list. II he could account
for them all, he would be sure Lucy
Darlington met her death alone, and
therefore by her own hand. OF course.
she did not knowingly poison herself,
but If persuaded that the prepared
draught was some innocent remedy
oh, well, that was aside the point for
the moment. u
But, quoting the phrase. Tomorrow
I shall be forever free from this curse
of a plain face-tomorrow these jewels
may all be yours"-even his ingenuity
could suggest no meaning but a fore
knowledge OF approaching death.
What else could free her from her
hated lack of beauty? What but death
could transfer her fortune of jewels to
another? OF course It might be that
marriage with her would give the jew
els to Count Charlier, but the two
speeches were consecutive, and the
Implication was all toward the fate
that was even then almost upon her.
The remark about 500 was unim-
portant, as she had recently willed
that sum to five different people, and
the reference to a change in her will
that should cut out Pauline might have
been merely a burst of temper. IT
any rate, Stone ascribed little impor.
lance to it then. He felt that he had
learned enough to assume positively
that Miss Darlington raj not talking
to a human being when Anita Frayne
heard her voice. Then, he conjectured,
as the maid was free Of all suspicion
on the poisoning matter, and as the
two girls had left the room at o little
after IL, the weight of evidence was in
favor of the poison being self admin
istered, no matter for what reason
or intent. Granting this, there must
be some trace of the container OF the
aconite, before 1t was placed in the
glass. This must be found. II not,
1t proved its removal by someone, ell
ther before OF after the poisoning, act
uaIly occurred.
Eagerly, almost feverishly, Stone
searched. Exhaustive, search had Ions
ago been made, but again he went over
all the possible places. The ornate
49, r..