The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-12-27


 cofstalutiy, and Jane every day to dust And of course Gerda-'
 ''Wno is Gerda ?'' -
 "The lady maid. She. served both my sister and Cissie; the younger
 Ana hot Miss Nan nor you2'' Nils: Meade locked down: q always dress so simply: that l too independent to be- annoyed with one. Would you--woufd you care to interview eierda later ?" s 1 T would, Miss Meade; but wan to knev now what you can tell I1le Eof the second death; that of your nephew .,5t va&-norribIsr sas etozea her eyes for a u1oulent- hard ear, vii en j1e is better, for he and Ger Y {. we're the first to see him after Peter came rushing down. I'll oniJ i caught one glimpse before they tool flowed to go +n at aH:'
 ! .'How cid it occur?" the detective asked patiently. Please try tto tel nae all you know Of it., Was, yoa1 i nephew iE good health and spirits aside from his natural grief for his mother, I nlean?' I For the first time Miss Meade hes Fitated.
 Well, nc" she. admitted at length i He adored r1y sister. Of course; and t2e felt her. deah deep1y. He haf | been !Il. q, nervous. e2.cttaf3le condition, for rnonthy; and the shock of ,fasinss. l her increased his nervousness. He started violently at the sound of 2: unexpected voics or the abrupt c!os 1 ing CT a dcor: and he had been los ing weight rapidly. IT think he had had some trouble over money mat l ters with his soepfather, but Mr Lcrne must tell you about that; } really try to keep out Of family affairs as much as possible. l Last Wedu esoay-sa week ago yesterday--he did not come down Tor brealkfss,t; nor ring for any to be brought up to him. Cissie had hers in bed, I remember; and Randall my youngest nephew, who is an in valid--was not well enough to come
 down: but MT. Lorne, Nan and rny- self were in the dining room. I wsas pouring coffee when Gere appeared ,
 and his stepfather asked him if Ju- Han were up. He said that he didn' |
 think so. he had not heard him nov ing about. MT. Lorne was annoyed because Julian had an appointment to go downtown with him that morn =
 ing: and finally he sent Peters up to
 Miss Meade paused; and odeu
 who had watched her closely
 throughout her narration, marveled Her thin hands were clasped tight ly in her lap; but her voice was steady and quietly modulated and
 her high-bred face as expressionless as @ mask. What unknown reSer : voirs of strength and self-control lay behind that meek exteriori And thi: was the woman whom he ha thought spineiess, cc4oriess person ality.
 we continued our meal as Peter went upstairs. when after quite a,
 interEa1--it must have been fiv minutes at 1east--we, heard a mos 1 dreadful cry which brought us al Q to our feet. It was Peters and h l n 1Y,f! Sf1I fNl Tn, g downstairs screaming out with ever - l breath in that frightful, hoarse way ? When he reached the diuing-rcon
 door here he c1ung to it as If to Izee : from. falling and his face was tn t color Of gray blotting paper. G e upstairs, sir!' he said to Mir. Lornt d That was all they could get ou e of him, and Richard rushed npstaiI y with Gene after aim. Nan ran owe - to Peters and commenced to sflak > him, but he would only groan; an
 passed them and hurried upstaii q myself, When I reached Julian e. across the bed and rolling from sid
 to side and crying terribly, an u Richard was standing in the doo1 sr way leading to the bathroom starir C. down at something which lay, at h ly feet.
 ' went to him and there lay O, III poor Juliani I simply cannot te d you, Sergeant Odelii It seemed
 
 ne shamblesl | covered my face wi IT. my hands and tottered back, al ed then Riehacd ca4n'e to himself al
 was such a tiny wound in his thros n- just a fractional slip Of the razt le, The least unexpected noise mig as have been the Innocent cause. c tut shave himself while he was so ne f- vous."
 en Her hands futtered for a nome ce and then gripPed the arms of t he chair, and the deteetive saw h nd face twitch once and settle again ir of it's naasklike fxity.
 we What noise could there ha he been?" odell asked ''was any O at else on the third floor at that time for 'No. Nan has the front room 'ne rectIy opposite, but sl.e is the earli of riser Of us ali: the ether two no guest chambers ard were unoccupi CIV house Hko th;s- theugh Poor er- lian usiGFi, have heard the hang ss1 s;, 2f the opS9ide shutter from the re y5,e yhe or c'osed ede 9r tss doors might g3 h. hs 'lr; that morning as I recall it, and Ter, windows were open. There can L,,S: no otner way to account for it, s sht gaant odel!. No enc could have g
 ten into if.e house, and who-v ID would have wapted his Hfe?' ef- Who wanted to take his brotht
 lest night. Miss Meade, or his st yer fathers tglSs norning7'' Odeli S the geStad quietly.
 ned That is what js tort1riry 7,- ing sha exclaimed. .',1f1e sheer nI1rTr 1iy lossD ess of such ar act The b and have been sl--a little wild, her afraid. but they have done no ha ook ard no one Could beaT s,Ie1, tarri uck i cnr1rty ssrni inst. either of then, her Richard MT, T,crne. who co,II5 N, got to harm hiE1? That is why it she seems like some hideous night ma lent that and the sheer frapossibilftv
 any one breaking into the house ain- or knowing tha some one of not family was going to sit beneath lays portrait"
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