_=^15/>e _=
W= CURVED im
1JBLADES1 =
--= By CAROLYN WELLS =l==z=i
. Author of “A Chain of Evidence,” “The Gold Bag,”-,
-• ‘The. Clue,” “The White Alley ” Etc. .
CHAPTER XIV.—(Continued.)
“Surely, Mr. Stone. The au
topsy showed -d fatal dose of
aconitine. Aconitine, as you of
course know, is the herb—wolfs
bane—of the Hellebore tribe, all
the species of which are poison
ous, Aconitine is an intensely
poisonous alkaloid obtained from
aconite. Taken in a moderate
quantity, it acts as a powerful
sedative, but the dose absorbed
by Miss Harrington was undoubt
edly fatal within half or three
quarters of an hour.”
“And she died at what time?”
“About 2 o’clock.”
“Proving she took tho poison
at about 1 :lf> or 1 :20. ”
“Yes; thereabouts. It is not
possible to fix these hours pre
cisely, but the poison was admin
istered positively between 1 and
2 o’clock.”
“Administered? You do not
think, then, that she took it her
self?”
“Most certainly not! Miss Car
rington has been in my care, pro
fessionally, for many years. I
knew her very well, and I know
nobody more opposed to medicine
in any form or drugs of any sort.
It was a most difficult task to per
suade her to take even the sim
plest remedy, and then she had
to bo assured over'and over again
that it was harmless. No, Mr.
Stone, nothing could have made
her take that dose of her own ac
cord, nor could any one have per
suaded her to take it, consciously.
It was, without doubt, given to her
secretly, by the clever ruse of the
murderer. Of course it could not
have been an accident. The mar
velous part is, to my mind, how
any ono secured the poison. It
is not an easy matter to buy aconi
tine.”
Then tnai ougnt to mane n
easier to trace. If the public could
easily procure it at will, there
would be greater difficulty in
running down the purchaser.”
“That is so; and yet, I think
vnur search will bo a hard one
How shall you go about it!”
“By canvassing the drug shops
of the city and of the small towns
as well.”
“Jt. may bo you can trace the
salt'. But if It sms bought under
promise of secrecy, and if that
secrecy were well paid for-1”
“True, there is the difficulty.
Bui what’s a detective for if not
to find out secrets?”
“Quite right. May your quest
succeed.”
“And now, a little more about
the action of this poison. What
are the immediate effects of a
fatal dose!”
“In a few moments there, oc
curs a tingling numbness of lip
and tongue and pharynx. The
numhuess increases and affects
all the muscles, aud death ensues
inside of an hour. This paralyz
ing effect renders it impossible
for the victim to cry out, and
there are no convulsions. The
body remains calm and undis
turbed, and the eyes open. A di
latation of the pupil takes place,
but the expression on the face re
mains as in life. This is why Miss
Carrington continued to look
happy and smiling-”
“And proves that when she
took the poison she was happy
and smiling, and therefore in no
way terrorized or frightened into
it.”
“Exactly so. And that indi
cates that she didn’t know she
was taking it-”
“Or, that it was administered
by some one she knew and loved
and had all confidence in.”
“It would seem so,” and Dr.
Stanton’s fine old face showed a
Bad apprehension.
“How was it taken—in what
medium?”
“That wc can’t tell to a cer
tainty. There were traces of the
sandwiches discovered at the au
topsy, but, though the poisor
could have been given her, con
cealed in a sandwich filling, it is
improbable.”
“Why?”
“Because the white granules oi
powder, which are soluble in wa
ter, would he more easily dis
eerned in solid food.”
“Hut, on the other hand, i
15 I
could be unostentatiously placed
in a sandwich, with little fear of
detection; but to prevail on her
to swallow a solution—it is bitter,!
is it not?”
“Yes, slightly so. I admit, I
cannot imagine any one inducing
Miss Carrington to swallow such
a draught. Therefore, it may well
be it was placed in a sandwich.
Tho filling, they tell me, was
caviare, which would disguise the
bitterness.”
“And does not all this, if true,
point to some one exceedingly fa
miliar with all the details of Miss
Carrington’s affairs? Some one
who knew of her nightly sand
wich ? And, also, does it not im
ply the presence of some one who
could and did insure her consump
tion of that sandwich ? ’ ’
“It would indeed seem so, Mr.
Stone; but, when it comes to dis
cussing such a question as that,
I must ask to be allowed to retire
from tho field. It is my duty to
tell all I know, from my medical
experience, but further than that
I am not obliged to express any
opinions or voice any suspicions.”
“You know, however, that
Count Charlier is held pending in
vestigation ?” -"
“Yes, ! know it. I have nd
opinion to express.”
Fleming Stone rather admired
this gentleman of the old school,
whose courtesy was evident, but
equally so his determination to
say only what justice demanded
of his profession.
And then, like a flash, the rea
son came to him, Dr. Stanton
suspected, or at least feared to
suspect, some member of the Car
rington household.
Of course, this was not a new
idea to Fleming Stone. He had
mentally gone over the possibility
of every one in the family and all
of the servants at Garden Steps,
but so far he had held his mind
open for impressions rather than
to formulate theories himself.
“Then, to sum up, doctor,” he
said, as he rose to go, “you assure
me that you consider it out of the
question that Miss Carrington
took the aconitine herself, say, as
a headache cure, or sometliing, in
tending only a small curative
dose ? ’ ’
“Absolutely impossible, sir 1 ’ ’
exclaimed tho old gentleman, al
most angrily. “To begin with,
Miss Carrington never had head
aches, aud if she had she would
have borne any amount of suffer
ing from them before she would
have touched a drug or a medi
cinal remedy of any sort. And,
aside from that, how could she
get aconitine? It is not to be
bought for the asking at any drug
gist’s! No, sir, my conscience
makes me insist on that point;
Miss Carrington never took that
poison knowingly—either by ac
cident or design. It was given to
her, without her knowledge, by
a very, very clever villain.”
“Again, then, could it have
been given her innocently, by mis
take? I mean, if some one, her
maid, or any friend, had wanted
to give her a sedative, and meant
only a light dose, but by error in
quantity-”
“No, sir! Not a chance! The
amount given was too f*reat to be
an error. And every one in that
house knows better than ever to
have attempted to give medicine
in any form or degree or for any
purpose to Miss Lucy Carring
ton.”
“It was crime, then,” said
Fleming Stone, “black crime. And
as such it must be discovered and
punished.”
“Yes,” agreed Dr. Stanton, but
he spoke with deep sadness and
as one who feared where or to
ward whom such discoveries
might lead.
From the doctor’s house Stone
went to see the Count.
That elegant gentleman was
' highly irate at being detained
against his will in such plain quar
ters as the Tombs furnished, but
he was not as belligerent or vin
dictive as Stone expected to find
■ him.
Hasty work on the part of the
. detectives from the district attor
ney’s office had resulted in his
; imprisonment, but the later devel
opment of Bates’ share in the mat
ter made it extremely probable
that the Count might soon be re
leased from custody.
Pleasantly enough the two men
conversed, and Count Charlier
gave the impression of one glad
of help from an outside source.
“It is such absurdity,” he de-1
clared, “to think I would in any
way wish harm to the lady. Why,
I admired her above all, and it
was my hope that she would do
me the honor to accept my hand.”
“Honestly, Count Charlier?”
and Stone looked at him with a
man to man glance that caused
the Count to hesitate in his pro
testations.
“Well, I was considering the
matter in my own mind. You
know, Mr. Stone, it is a great re
sponsibility, this seeking a wife. 1
And Miss Carrington was not—
not in her first youth. Of a fact,
her years outnumbered my own.1
So, I asked myself was it wise,'
was it altogether just to the lady
to-”
“Never mind all that, Count,’* i
said Stone, a little impatiently, I
“just give me a few details of i
that evening, so far as your ac-!
tions were concerned. You were
at the house 1S11 midnight?”
“Yes, Mr. Illsley and I left to
gether. We had spent the evening
there at cards and music.”
“You had had any private con- ■
versation with Miss Carrington
during the evening?”
“Yes, we walked alone in the !
conservatory for a time-•”
“You proposed marriage?”
“Not exactly that—but I have
hinted at such an event.”
“And the lady seemed agree
able?”
“Entirely so. If I may say it,
she met my advances half way,
and I could not misunderstand
her feelings toward my unworthy
self.”
“She spoke to you of money
matters? Of her will?”
“ YfSj to ray surprise, she told
■ file Rile had bequeathed to me
j $10,000.”
“Was not this a strange be
quest to a casual acquaintance?”
“Oh, we were more than casual
acquaintances. I have known Miss
Carrington for two or three
months.”
“Which? Two or three?”
“Perhaps nearer two,” and the
Count showed a slight embarrass
ment.
“Do your friends often leave
you large sums of money on such
short acquaintance?”
“It has never happened be
fore,” and now the Count’s dig
nity was touched and he spoke
shortly and coolly.
“Then, of course, it struck you
as peculiar,” and Stone’s smile
assumed an acquiescence.
But the Count returned: “Not
at all. Miss Carrington was an
unusual woman, and I never ex
pected her behavior to be entirely
conventional. When she told me
of this I was simply and honestly
grateful, as I should have been to
any one who showed me such a
kindness.”
“You were glad to get the
money then?”
“Yes, indeed!” the Count ex
claimed, with sparkling eyes, then
realizing his slip, he hastily add
ed: “That is, I was glad of the
knowledge that it would come to
me some day. Surely I did not
want the lady to die, that I mights
receive it, but I was pleased to
know she thought enough of me
to make the direction.”
‘ ‘ What did she mean by saying:
‘Tomorrow all will be differ
ent?’ ”
“That I do not know. Could
she have meant-”
“She did say it, then? You
admit she said it to you?”
Breathlessly, Fleming Stone
waited the answer. Miss Carring
ton had said this to the person
who was with her behind her
closed door at 1 o’clock! Could
the Count be going to incriminate
himself?
“Not to me only. She said it to
all who were present. It was while
we were playing bridge.”
“She said it again to the man
who killed her!”
“Of that I know nothing,” said
Count Charlier, politely.
“Bother!” said Fleming Stone,
inaudible.
I XV.
PAULINE’S PURCHASE.
Alone, Fleming Stone wrestled
with the problem of the giving of
I that poison.
| The library at Garden Steps
1 had been turned over to him for
| a study and no one entered the
room unless summoned. Stone sat
at the mahogany table desk, but
his eyes rested unseeingly on the
j beautiful fittings of polished sil
ver and glass. On a memorandum
block he wrote down the names
: of possible and probable suspects,
|To be sure, he thought, every one
in the house might he deemed
possible, as well as some who were
not in the house. But each one
must be taken into consideration.
To begin with the most impor
tant, Miss Stuart. It was possible
that she poisoned her aunt, but
so improbable as to make it ex
ceedingly unlikely. True, she was
heir to half the fortune, but well
bred, well nurtured young women
do not commit crime to inherit
their money sooner. Except for
that conversation reported by
Anita Frayne, there was not a
shrtjd of evidence against Miss
Stuart. And Stone did not place
implicit confidence in that story
of the talk behind closed doors.
He had discovered that the two
girls were not friendly and he
knew Anita capable of making up
or coloring a tale to suit herself.
Pauline had told him that she was
in the hall window seat at li
o’clock that morning and had
seen Anita coming from Miss Car
rington’s room. Or, to put it more
carefully: She had seen her with
her hand on the door knob, in the
act of closing the door after her.
This Pauline had told to Stone
with an air of such verity and
truthfulness that he was fain to
believe her. However, in all hon
esty, he had to admit to himself
that Miss Stuart could have given
the poison in some secret way, had
she so desired. The same was true,
though, of Miss Frayne, of Havi
land and of the various house
servants. But where could any of
them get it?
Again there were the Count and
Mrs. Frothingham to be consid
ered. In fact, there were too many
suspects to decide among without
further evidence.
“Any luck?” Stone asked of
Hardy, who came in to report.
“No, Mr. Stone. I’ve raked the
drug shops thoroughly, and there
is no trace of a sale of aconitine.
It’s practically impossible to buy
su<^ a substance, j, mean, for the
ordinary customer.” .*
“Yet somebody did.”
“I suppose so. But doesn’t it
limit the field of search to realize
that it couldn’t have been a serv
ant or either of the young la
dies?”
“Why neither of the young
ladies?”
But now could they get it 7
“Why not as well as any one
else? And somebody did.”
“Then somebody stole it. No
body bought it. I’m positive of
that, now I’ve learned how im
possible it is to make such a pur
chase. And how could those girls
steal it?”
‘‘I don’t know, Hardy, but my
point is: Why couldn’t they steal
it if anybody could? You’re deny
ing their ability to steal the poi
son because you don’t want to
suspect them. And neither do I,
but we must look this thing
squarely in the face. Somebody
managed to get that aconitine and
administer it to Miss Carrington
secretary, and it is for us to find
out who did it—who could do it
in the face of almost insuperable
obstacles. But it is futile to say
this one or that one could or
couldn’t do it. Now, since you’ve
found no trace of the poison sale,
let’s start from some other point.
Surely, this case, with its unique
circumstances, offers many ways
to look for evidence. What strikes
me most forcibly is the costume
of the lady. Not so much the
gown—I believe she was fond of
elaborate boudoir robes—but the
array of jewelry, the glittering
scarf and the snake. Most of all,
the snake. That, of itself, ought
to point directly to the true solu
tion, and I believe it does, only
we’re too blind to see it. I’m go
ing to work on that snake clue,
and, to help, I wish you’d go at
once to all the possible shops
where it might have been bought.
It may not be traceable and then,
again, it may. And, the strange
j fact of her sitting idly before the
| mirror when she died! Whoever
I gave her the poison was there on
the spot, must have been, for it’s
j sure enough that she didn’t take
! it herself, according to the doc
. tor’s statements. Well, if the mur
' derer was right there with her,
| and she not only made no outcry,
j but continued to look smiling and
happy, it was surely some one she
i knew and in whom she had all
confidence. Perhaps this person
urged her to eat the sandwich—
oh, pshaw, that’s all plausible
enough—but, the snake! That’s
the bizarre clue that must lead
somewhere. And it shall! I’ll
i ferret out the mystery of that
paper snake or my name’s not
Stone! Go to it, Hardy! Rake the
Japanese shops and department
stores, ,but find out who bought
it. It isn’t old. I observed it was
fresh and new. Those flimsy pa
per things show handling mighty
quickly. Find out who bought the
thing, and we’ve a start in the
right direction.”
l ■ . .—---■■■—-■'■ 1 ■' ...
j (Continued Next Week.)
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SHORTAGE OVERCOME AT LAST
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