Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-09-17

But it was revealed subsequently
that, during the height of the gos-
sip, he was in Mexico.
The conversation came back to
Aunt Kitty Chatfield. Rogers asked
if there had been any physical re-
semblance between Elsa and her
aunt.
None whatever" answered Reed
Barton "That is, as 1 remember
Katherine Chatfield. 1 never saw
the two side by side, however. AS
a matter of fact, had never met
Elsa until today. She must have
been at home that night her aunt
died, for I remember that the maid
asked me which Miss Chatfield I
wished to see."
"You were there that night?" in
quired Rogers, his mild blue eyes
coming to rest upon Reed Barton's
face.
Eyes. You see, I'm one of Cheese
bros slaves. At times only his err
rand boy, although I'm supposed to
be something of mining engineer.
But l am required to run a great
many personal errands for Cheese
bro. I think I took Miss Chatfield
book-something that had inter-
ested Chesebro, and which he want
ed her to read too"
81 see," said Rogers. "And she
died that night?"
eyes. She killed herself some tim,
that night"
Rogers was silent for a moment.
then he looked at me. There's one
chap from the police department in
Pasadena whose report interested
me, Madison. He says that he
smelled chloroform family when he
went into the room to investigate.
That was several hours afterward.
No one else smelled it, however.
| 1t might have been an overactive
| imagination, for there was no
odor of it noted in the autopsy re-
port. But chloroform is peculiar in
that respect; the odor is not neces-
sarily present even at autopsy in a
| death from chloroform."
Eyes, of course" I said.
you're not by any chance think
ing that Katherine Chatfield was
murdered, Professor Rogers?" in
quired Reed Barton.
Rogers smiled family. II have
no opinion, Mr.. Barton. The case
has been closed for over a year
now. Who am I to stir it up at
this time? The police were satisfied
that it was suicide; there were no
fingerprints, except her own, on the
hypodermic syringe she used. or on
the bottle in which she kept her sup
ply"
81 guess was one OF the last to
see her alive" said Reed Barton
after short silence, looking beyond
Rogers to a group making merry ir
an opposite booth. 1--WE since beer
glad it wasn't murder. The police
might have made it uncomfortable
for me; they could have saddled q
motive on me that I couldn't have
denied. Because Katherine Chat
field killed my father just as much
as if she had pulled a trigger
Things were looking up, you know
Father had struggled all through
the worst of the depression TO KEEP
things together; he'd managed
somehow to make the interest pay
ments to her. She held mort
gage, you know, on all be had. Ever
as little as two months extension
would have seen him out of the
woods. But-you know, there's M
Shylock like a woman Shylock-hel
pound of flesh must corne from the
heart And-so," he shrugged hi:
shoulders, father jumped" HI
went on after moment: THE pc
lice could have said l hated her
But l don't think I did"
Dwight Nichols tapped the ash
from his cigarette and looked away
through the gathering dusk across
the vast Pacific into which th2 sun:
dark red ball had sunk. TIE ali
was humid; small waves Tapped
wetly on the damp sand. Indeed 81
all-pervading was the feeling Of wet
ness that I fancied I could push of
from the veranda rail of the beacl
club, where Dwight, Huntoon Roger!
and l sat, and swim out across tn,
| ldWu. Two screaming ClllluIGl Ild(
been engaged in feud on the beacl
and the mother with difficulty wa
now bringing them toward the clul
house. Dwight seemed more inter
ested in them at the moment thai
in my remark about Kitty Chstfield
for he drew twice on his cigarette
before he replied
ooh, should say that KATHERINE
Chatfeld might have been forsy-on
or two when she died. She was no
DID,"
According to the files" Huntool
Rogers said, coming to life afte
long contemplation of the sea, Ssh
was forty years and ten month
DID,"
But Elsa" l began.
81 am coming to her. We are al
ways getting back to Elsa. Their
was new blood with Elsa's m5ther
1t was an alien strain to the Chat
ficlds-new and fresh and vigorous
like a clear mountain stream flow
ing into a sluggish river. Sam Chat