Evening star., 1925-08-30
Bv Ben Ames Williams


taken cold" Mr.. Farraday suggested
with solicitude.
The physician shook his head. AT
the same time. from his right-hand
coat pocket and in the most matter
Of fact way, he drew a handkerchief.
The folds of the handkerchief and the
fact that the pistol muZzle almost
| touched Mr.. Farraday's head muff1ed
the explosion. Mr.. Farraday tilted for
ward across his desk with a little
thump, cured of all worldly cares and
| ills.
| DIR. Hounder wasted no time. He
laid the pistol down upon the edge Of
| the desk and reached for the letter.
| Mr.. Farraday's hand still clutched it..
Chance had it that the thing had fallen
! just beneath his head. DIR. Hounder
instantly perceived that unless 1t were
snatched away there would be damn
ingly clean space upon the blotter
where it had lain. He had 1t in his
hand within a split second. and was
reaSsured to see that the sharp edge
of the stain on the blotter was already
being marred and blotted out. j.. b.
Yet this might not be the right letter.
| He opened it, made sure. Into the fire.
1t f1ared there.
While he watched it burn he picked
up the pistol and handkerchief and
cleaned his hand with the latter. The
letter was crisping into ash. He turned
toward his bag, found the cardboard
box, thrust into 1t pistol and handker-
chief, and with half dozen swift mo-
tions closed the end and tied 1t.
By the time the knot was tied he
stood at one of the French windows
No one was visible without. The win
dow opened easily. He stepped lightly
| across the lawn and reached over the
| hedge and laid the parcel, stamped and
addressed, atop the mail box TO await
the collector. Instantly back into the
living room again, he crossed, picked
| up his bag and opened the door into
| the hail.
| THESE movements had occupied
him since he first entered the liv-
! ing room a scant so seconds time
Now he dropped his bag and ran along
the hall toward the rear Of the house,
| shouting for the serving man. There
| was very realistic CONSERVATION in his
tones.
DR., Hounder- himself telephoned the
police and volunteered to await their
| arrival. He was at the house when
DR.. Spargent, the medical examiner
| arrived. and the two professional men
consulted gravely.
DIR. Hounder'S story was explicit.
There was some one with Mr.. Far
raday when / arrived he said II
waited in the music room. After
while the caller went out through the
front door. but 1 happened not to see
him. so l don't know who he was
was about to knock at the living room
| door when IL seemed to me | heard
voices inside. so assumed that there
was some one still with the old man.
A little later l thought I heard book
! drop on the floor. Nothing more.
After a while I decided the voices
had been in my imagination, and /
crossed the hall and knocked. There
was no reply, but Mr.. Farraday was
slightly hard of hearing, so this did
not surprise me. l opened the door
and saw him crumpled down on his
desk. started toward him. and. Of
course, saw at once that he was dead.
! The wound was visible as he lay.
Il summoned the man and we tele-
! phoned. A grim thing, certainly"
Dr. Spargent nodded. They were
standing just within the room where
Mr.. Farra day had been killed. and the
medical examiners eyes were busy.
In. the hall behind them a patrolman
who had come with DR.. Spargent stood
inpasslvely, awaiting orders
DIR. Spargent paid no heed to him.
| lie said to DIR. Hounder:
| There's no reason why YOU should
| stay. / may want to talk to you
| later"
| He knew the reputation of the emf
nent practitioner and respected it,
I'm interested" DIR. Hounder re-
piled. Interested in what you do.
! And-I liked the old man"
DIR. Spargent nodded. First thing
is always photographs with me-" he
said THE eye sees even still objects
in distortion but photograph is rea-
| sonably reliable-and permanent" He
| produced a camera and folding tripod
| from his bag and busted himself about
| the room, photographing the scene
and the body at many angles. DR..
Hounder watched, keeping in the
background.
| THE medical examiner was not
talkative, but DR.. Hounder found
| himself impelled to speech. He kept
! up a running commentary on the
others movements, a running fire of
conjecture as to the murder itself
returned to his subject again and
again.
who would have wanted to kill
the old man, do you supposeT he
would ask; and, when DIR. Spargent
made no reply: He was lovable old
| fellow" After an interval: Whoever
1t was couldn't have gone out through
the hall, or I'd have seen them. Must
have come in by the window and gone
| that way"
He crossed to the window to look
out, and saw the blue gray Of post
mans uniform passing: saw the post
man pause at the box on the corner 10
! collect the mail there. and felt a burst
! of high relief at that-became more
garrulous. The others paid him little
attention. DR.. Spargent was busy
making photographs and measure
ments and notes; the policeman at the
door held back an increasing number
~ ~.