Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-04-25
PART FOUR
CHAPTER ".

Hapgood had said to dis friend Of the
effect on Sabre of Mabel's action against
him: Hes crashed. The roofs fallen
in on him" And that had been Sabre's
own belief. But It was not so. There
are degrees of calamity. Dumfounded
stunned, aghast, Sabre would not have
believed that conspiracy against him Of
all the powers of darkness could cOnceiv-
ably worsen his plight. They had shot
their bolt. He was stricken amain.
But they had not shot their bolt. The
roof had not yet fallen on him. The tim
bers of the superstructure had but bent
and cracked and groaned.
Their bolt was shot, the roof crashed
in, the four sides Of his world tottered
and collapsed upon him, with the words
spoken TO Sabre by that man who ap-
preached and took him aside while he
stood to take leave Of Hapgood.
The man said, It daresay you know
me by sight, Mr.. Sabre. I'm the coroner's
tficer at Tidborough. You're rather
wanted down there. The fact Is that
young woman that's been living with
yoI has been found dead"
Slbre's face took then the strange and
awful hue that Hapgood had marked
upon It
Found dead1 Found dead1 Where -
I'm your house, Mr.. Sabre. And her
baby, dead with her"
Found dead1 Found dead1 Efie7
And her baby7 Found deadf Oh, dear
God Catch hold Of my arm a
minute. All right, let me go. Found
deadf What d'you mean. found dead 20
There's to be an inquest tomorrow.
That's what you're wanted for"
Inquest? Inquest?" Sabre's speech
was thick. He knew 1t was thick. His
- g. L.
mouth. He could not control Il prop
erIy. He felt that all his limbs and mem
bers were swollen and ponderous and
out Of his control. "Inquest7 Found
deadl Inquest? Found dead? Goo God,
can't you tell me something?"
The man said: az say that's for the
coroner. And least you say best, sir, If
you understand me. Looks as II the
young woman took poison Oxalic acid"
"Oxalic acidY'
They went to the cab.
II
In the morning IN the mortuary adjoin-
ing the coroner's court, his mind sud
denly and with shock most terrible made
contact with the calamity It had pur-
sued
In the mortuary
When he arrived and slighted from his
assembled about the yard OF the court
Some one said: There he isr' Some
one said: That's him!" A kind Of
threatening murmur went up from the
people. What was the matter7 What
were they looking at? He seemed TO be
wedged among a mass OF dark and rather
beastly faces LTeathing close to his own.
re could not get on. He was being
pushed. He was caused to stagger. He
9aid: Look out, I've got q game leg"
That threatening sort Of murmur arose
more loudly IN answer to his words.
Some one, somewhere, threw a piece OF
orange peel at some one. 1t almost hit his
ACE. What was up? What were they all
Ning7
at the door Of the court Sabre looked
cross to where on the other side OF the
yard some men were shutting out Of a
detached building. The coroner's officer
said: Jury. They've been viewing
the corpse"
'>corpsei" The rough word stabbed
through his numbness. He thought,
"Corpsel Viewing the corpsel Obscene
and horrible phrase! Corpse! Enie" He
made movement in that direction.
The man said: Yes. perhaps you'd
better
He was against a glass screen, misty
with Ore2thS OF those VINO nao stared ana
peered through IT. The policeman wiped
his sleeve across the glass. There you
are
All, - Now, suddenly and
With shock most terrible, his mind made
cntact with that which II had pursued.
1t had CROPPED as in a dark room with
outstretched hands Now, suddenly and
with shock most terrible. 1t was as II
those cropping hands had touched In the
darkness a face.
All, insUpportablel This was Fife.
This was Bright Fife. This was that
jolly little Effie of the old, mlllion-year-
old days. Thisl This,
She lay on a slab inclined toward the
glass. She was swathed about In cere-
ments. Only her face was visible. With
in the hollow of her arm reposed little
shape, all swathed. She had brought II
into the world. She had removed It
from the world that would have nothing
Of IT, She had brought thousand smiles
into the world, but she had given offense
to the world and the offended world had
thrown back her smiles and she now had
expressed her contrition to the world.
This was her contrition that he lay here
for men to breathe upon the glass, and
stare, and rub away the dimness with
their sleeves, and breathe, and stare
again.