Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-02-08


Geoff spoke slowly and Teditarively
as If comm,;n:ng with himself alone,
| but his visitor listened eagerly.
| shouldn't wonder but I'd ask her
| who the ie.lcr was that said he was
| through; he'd been played for a
sucker, because the lady hadn't no
| intentions o. marryin' him. and 50
| now he was Soin' to queer Mr.. Benk-
| ards game. Reckon shed tell ME
that Mr.. Bernhard thrt atened TO
| break him like he had the Others,
but that tic Teller swore ned Sit
| him first-and that few minutes
| after there come the sound of ain
| ottermobile tearin' off down the
| drive"
"Stoneham Lane: Mrs CayIey
f, told me that he had a talk with her
| brother in the dining-room just be-
| fore he left" The doctor took off
his spectacles and began polishing
| them vigorously with corner of
| the red cotton cover on the table
| beside which he sat. But Bernhard
, went back to the library and talked
! to her and then to Miss Sherwood
| alone for a few minutes after Mrs.
| Cayley had gone to her room, and
| old Henry saw him later when he
| went the rounds to lock tile house
up for the night"
He didn't lock the terrace doors.
! though, and somebody might've i+rc-
| ed the window and inside door to the
music room TO make It look 'sif 4
burglar or least-ways stranger had
done it. Kinder think If this case
was any affair o mire-which it
! aln't-id like to know II Mr. Lane
driv straight back to the city and
what time he put his ottcrmDble up
1t whatever garage he keeps 1t at.
and then Id make sure he went
home and to bed instead o. mebbe
hiriR' a strange ottermobi'e or Dor
rowin' one for a little ride out i'll the
country again" Ceoff ran his
fingers through his shock of sandy
hair.
ITS plumb Gurus how a Teller kin
go along maxim money and Twin
high till he's old 'nough to know
better. and then git crazy bout
some yeller- headed little gal who
might've been his daughter. and
when she won't marry him he'll git
an idee that SHE was leadin' him on
because she'd been told to by some
body she had to mind. II he'd
thought the party that put her up
to it. was his friend and had praps
got mixed up in some dirty work
with him besides. he'd likely git even
no matter what it cost him. but if he
was scared mebbe that the other
party would win out, / shouldn't be
s'priscd but that he'd take a chance
On cracilin' his skull. Where a Teller
tries to mix courtin' and business
he's bound to lose on one or t'other,
and if the business happens to be
little mite crooked. there's liable to be
Il sight o trouble"
hue
the visitor thoughtfully. "Those big
tinanciers in Wall Street don't cara
much whom they ruin, Geoff. 50 long
as they get to the top, and frou!
what Dunn said today, although nc
was as loyal as they come, l gatierei
that Bernhard was about as ruthless
fighter as any of, the lot, but /
didn't think he'd do anything crook
ed"
"Never kin tell. doc Gcoff pro-
duced his pipe and sack of toDHcco.
90 course. if Mis- Cayley does git
a detective down it won't be his
business to unearth anyt4in' thatIi
mebbe reflect on her brother, but to
cover it up instead. and that's where
he'd be workin' with his hands tied,
but ii body was free to Investigate
where he pleased he could look up
some o the deals Lane and Bernhard
have been in together just to git q
general idee O their game. Lane
amt nobuddys fool. for all he wants
Il gal that don't want him, and If he
was proved to've turned and come
back last night, he'll have it all
fixed to prove where he was every
minute O the time from when he
first left here till Mis- Cayley called
him on the telephone this mornin',
n fn -
too. likely"
An alihi YOU mean" DR.. Hood
nodded 4 trifie grimly. "If his alibi
can't be shaken, that's the end of it,
but I'll be hanged if ! don't think
you may have struck it. Gcoff. l
never thought TO talk to that cook.
1T beats all how YOU just fall into
luck,'
Reckon its because | amt Ioollin'
Tor nothin'," his host responded as
he suddenly put the tobacco sack
back in his pocket unopened and
reached for large tin box on the
shelf. kinder think I'll try this new
mixture: too bad | amt got any
cigars for YOU. doc"
Mr.. NewbWy gave me a couple
this afternoon" The other took n
fat periecto from his pocket as he
spoke. Those city lawyers certain
ly have the best there is
Lawyers GeoR looked up
quickly.
He was Benkard's attorney and
Mrs. CaIley's, too, and he came out
ON the first afternoon train. 1t
seems that Lane left word to have
him notified for Mrs. Cayley before
he himself started out here. had a
long talk with Newbury about Benl,-
ards affairs. and | can tell you, If
there was anything crooked about
them, he doesn't know it or he
wouldn't have touched them with a
ten-foot pole, He's 4 man of fifty
five or so, | should say, with gray
hair and little pointed beard
did YOU ever see him while you
were working around the place.
Geon shook his head, and the
doctor went on:
His voice is deep and solemn,
Just like preachers and III bet he
makes them sit up and take notice
in COURTROOM. lie wanted to
| know when they could have the
body and when told him tomorrow
morning. he said they would have
the funeral the next day. Saturday
| so as to get 1t over with as quickly as
possible and avoid all the notoriety
for the family that they could. He
seemed pretty we'll shocked. but it
was more as though lie felt it a
personal scandal and disgrace that
one of his clients should have gone
and got himself murdered, than any
real regret. If Bernhard was worth
anywhere near as much as he limited,
his fees for settling up the estate
ought to run into tidy sum,
though. even for him, and that must
have Socte0ed the blow"
Didn't Bernhard leave no will"
Gcoff asked, drawing at his pipe