Evening journal., 1922-03-11
Continued From Our Last Issue
CHAPTER XII

CHAPTER XII
At ten o'clock the following morn
ing Sandy Cove smiled peacefully in
the golden sunshine.
Within the decorously shade
drawn library OF the Tudor house six
persons were gathered: Mrs Tudor
herself, her niece Fay, Captain War
rem, Kenneth Clayton. Sheriff Hulse
and Sergeant John Barry. The lat
ter was seated at the long magazine
table in the center OF the room with
a sheaf OF notes suread out before
him. and II was toward him that all
eyes we're directed. None appeared
10 notice the pasteboard boxes Of
various sizes which nanked the notes
upon the table, and certain Il was
that none save the sheriff and Barry
himself knew that outside the door
two husky constables waited with a
big-framed bettle-browed woman for
the signal TO add themselves 10 the
gathering.
1.-THE sheriff and have asked you
10 meet us ell together" began Bar
~. pleasantly enough. "in order that
we may tell you the result OF our in
vestigations OF yesterday into the
death OF Miss Laurel Tudor II was
murder. Of course. but her death was
never intended. You all know the
method by which the crime was COM
mitted, but what I think that none
OF you know is that the carbon mon
oxide was meant not for her but for
her cousin. and the fact that the two
young ladies changed beds during the
night was all that saved Miss Fay
Tudor from the fate meted out 70
her. although II rebounded upon an
innocent victim-innocent in that she
had aroused no enmity in the breast
OF the murderer. When 1 said that
none Of you knew this. ] meant
none except one. for the guilty per-
son is in this room at the present
momentl"
Fay sat clutching the arms OF her
chair tightly but she made no out
ward move and her eyes never left
the face Of the detective. Clayton
growled n sudden exclamation. but
Captain Warren sat immovable, al
though a slight flush crept upon his
cheek. Mrs. Tudor started to her
feet with a swift cry.
please sit down, Mrs. Tudor"
Barry's tones were sympathetic but
firm. "I know how you must be
feeling at this moment, but shall
not keep you long in suspense.
some time between and
o'clock IN the morning the murderer
started to enter the room where the
two young ladies' were asleep, carry
ing In one hand the receptacle con-
tanning the carbon monoxide. and ir
the otker an electric torch. This
person dared not turn on the lights
In the room for fear OF waking one
or the other OF its occupants, II
spite Of the fact that they had both
been heavily drugged. On th'
threshold. by a miracle OF fate. per
hans. the electric torek went outl
THE low light at the farther ent
OF the hall did not penetrate th'
ROOM but the murderer had gonl
too far TO retreat now. for ALREADY
the fumes OF the poison gas were es
Gaping from the faulty, hastily con
etructed container. Putting II dowI
upon the floor just outside the dool
Ike container had once held oil
and the mark of IL is still visible OF
the rug upstairs-the murderer spec
to the room formerly occupied b!
the young man whom all then be
leved TO be dead. and. obtaining hi
gas mask, returned TO the room.
There this person went straigh
TO the bed ordinarily occupied b.
Miss Laurel. touched the hair -
which In the dark could not hav
been detected from that OF Mis-
Fay. for both are OF the same tex
ture-and fitted the mask carefull
over the face.
You can figure the rest out 10
yourselves-the murderer's advanc
10 tho other bed; the insertion o
the tube between the lips OF the un
conscious girl: the application OF
bandage over her nostrils so that
perforce. size must breathe in tn
deadly gas; the departure from tn
room for a certain. well-calculate
period: the return removal OF tn
mask from one face and bandas
from the other; and hurled ex
with the container.
But the murderer had made III
fatal mistake OF trusting to N
sense OF touch alone. It was upo
the wrong face that the mask wa
adjusted. upon the wrong face thu
the bandage was placed, and INT
the wrong lips that the tubing wa
Inserted"
stop! I can bear no morel" TT
ringing cry came from Mrs. Tudor
white lips. and she started aga
from her chair.
"Why not ?" Barry asked COOL
'Does the recital Of your own GRIN
bring 1t back too vividly before yol
mind? Woman. you are the mu
deress OF your own daughter!"
A swift change had come over n
countenance of Mrs. Tudor, a hii
eous. malevolent change whiC
wiped from It the last semblance
youth and prettiness. She sat rigi
her blue eyes fixed with a sort
mocking mirth upon those OF Barr
There was no thought OF murd
in your mind when your niece r
turned from Europe" Barry CO
tinuod "You felt secure in 20
coming happiness, but the mind
woman in love is more keen
intuitlve than at normal times, al
within a few days you realiz
something which your niece did n
dream of-that the man you Low
and honad TO marry had turn