The Coolidge examiner., 1936-03-13

| hand in his tragic death?"
Reason enough! She was alone
with him in a room, and he dropped
dead at her feet. My son was
sound in wind and limb, and never
would he have died suddenly like
that unless he had been poisoned or
in some way killed by that woman"
And why would his wife want
to kill him?"
ITO get his fortune, and then
marry some one else, which is Just
what she is planning to do now"
Perilla looked her horror at this
speech, but said nothing.
She began to feel as if a net were
closing in about her, dreadful net,
which would envelop her in it's
meshes until she was unable to es-
cape.
Not a shred of guilt was attribut-
able to Perilla; she had looked at
no man with the slightest degree
of personal interest since the loss
of her beloved husband, but she
knew, only too well, that men had
looked at her with more than mere
| interest.
Roger Garth, she knew, was in
| love with her; Bob Coles had been,
too. Tony Gaskell had said little
but his looks and actions told her
of his feelings toward her.
None of these things had i'm
pressed her deeply until now when
this old woman's words gave her
a sudden shock.
"How absurd" she said, quietly.
Il beg of you, Madame Maiden, do
not talk such nonsense. l have
quite enough on my mind as it is,
without listening to your absurdi-
ties"
"You won't think it Is absurd,
my lady, when you find yourself
under arrest"
"And you won't think 1t is alb
surd when you find yourself in a
padded cell !"
Fleming Stone said this, taking
leaf out of MalcOlm's book. Then,
peremptorily, he rang the bell and
asked that Madame Malden's nurse
be sent to her.
Rather frightened, the old lady
allowed herself to be led away.
I'm going now," said Stone, ig-
noring the departing dame. Il think.
Mrs. Maiden, it is time we hurried
things a little. That woman means
business, and while she can't really
harm you she can make you a deal
Of unpleasantness.
II want to tell you that I have
a new line of investigation start
ed, and if it works out we have
great deal of hope, but If it proves
impossible, we are not we'll Off"
"Oh, Mr.. Stone, do bring it about
1 am so anxious and worried. That
Farman is ready for war to the
knife. We must circumvent him"
"And we will" Stone spoke more
assuredly than he had any right to
do.
He left then, and went to
see his old time friend, Doctor
Simpson, perhaps the most famous
toxicologist in the country.
my, but I'm glad to see you!"
Simpson exclaimed, shaking Stones
hand. do tell me you have a prob
lem for me, a regular sticker!"
Il sure have a problem that's a
stickler," Stone returned, "but l
don't know whether it's for you.
Can you explain away miracles?"
"Of course, since they don't ex-
ist."
mo, but problems do, and some
times they look as impossible as
miracles. l wish l had a good old
fashioned murder, committed by a
man five feet, ten inches tall, with
blue eyes and a gold tooth and a
Trichinopoly cigar!"
you don't wish anything of the
sort; it would bore you to tears.
You want the awful nut to crack
that you have, and that you can't
even get into the nutcracker's jaws"
You're right. And now we'll go
right ahead. How does this sound2
Two murders"
Simultaneous?
mo, a month apart"
"Similar method?"
"As far as l can see, yes. But /
| can't see far"
similar motiveW
Same answer as before"
"Similar opportunity?
Really, yes; though it doesn't
look So"
"ExpOund, fully"
So Fleming Stone first told
old Simps, as he called his friend.
all he knew of the Maiden murder.
"Why do you call it a murder?"
asked the old man.
That's the miracle part. If 1t
isn't murder, what is it?"
"A natural DEATH"
That's where you come in