MURDER By An
ARISTOCRAT
1
CHAPTER IV
It was Bayard. We found
him in the library. We stopped
our headlong rush at the
door. He was lying on the
floor near the table. He was
on his face, his neck twisted
so queerly that you knew at
once he was dead. I knew the
dressing gown and his hair.
Adela, a granite woman with
a gray-white face, walked
across the rug, knelt, and
turned him over. His face was
untouched, his mouth open a
little, a lock of hair across his
forehead, his yellow eyes
closed, his arrogant nose
sharper. I knew that there
v/as nothing I could do.
Things wavered and seemed
to rock about me. But 1 was
aware that Janice was stand
ing beside me, her fingers dig
ging into my arm, her whole
body quivering. And that
Higby was in the doorway
staring with bulging eyes. And
that Adela was trying to
speak to me.
“Call Dr. Bouligny,” she
gasped through blue lips.
“Call him. There's a tele
phone there. In Dave’s study."
Her eyes were two blank blue
stones set in a granite face. I
saw them change, lose their
blankness, and become aware.
“No, no,” she said with a sort
of gasp. “I’ll telephone. Help
me, Emmeline.”
Emmeline bent stiffly and
laid Bayard back on the rug,
and Adela got clumsily to her
feet, as if her muscles were
drugged. I followed her, for
6he locked very near collapse.
I reached the door in the end
of the long library in time to
hear her gasp into the tele
phone:
“Dr. Bouligny. Yes. Dr. Bou
ligny. Call him—hurry.’’
There was a pause. Adela
clutched the telephone and
looked w’tn unseeing blue
eyes out of the window. The
room was small, furnished
simply with a desk, some
chairs, a leather-covered
lounge, and a good rug. On
the rug at Adela’s feet lay a
small white something. I sup
pose I bent, and picked it up,
and looked at it merely to
give myself something to do.
It had looked rather like a
tightly folded note, but as I
got it into my fingers I found
It was only a piece of news
paper wadded up tightly as if
to make a sort of wedge.
“Daniel— Daniel, is it you?
Yes, yes. Come at once. It’s
Bayard. He’s — been shot.
Killed. Hurry, Daniel.” I could
hear the click of the other
telephone. It was quite dis
tinct, and I knew Dr. Bcu
ligny had rung off. but Adela
continued: "Burglars. There
were burglars,” before she
put down the telephone.
“Now Hilary,” she said in a
dazed way. “Now I must call
Hi.’ary. No, no—Daniel will
stop for him — Hilary must
know—”
“Adela.” Janice was stand
ing in the doorway, her face
strained and tight, without
beauty or life. “Where is
Dave?”
Adela didn't drop into a
chair, but she leaned slowly
against the desk.
“I don’t know. I don’t know.
Janice, Janice, what will peo
ple say?”
"But they were fishing.
Dave and Allen. Where are
they now? Where’s Dave?”
Adela made a visible and
pathetic effort to pull herself
together. That was one of the
two occasions when I saw her
falter. Her face was still like
gray chalk, but somehow she
managed to assume that im
penetrable cloak of dignity.
“They are probably still
fishing. They’ll be back to
gether soon. I must call Hil
ary. I’m convinced—” and how
bravely she said it through
her blue lips—"I’m convinced
it was burglary.’'
“Burglary! Why, Adela—do
you suppose—I never thought
—” Janice’s tight face be
came momentarily animated.
“Could it be that?”
“I’m convinced it was bur
glary. Bayard came upon the
burglar and was shot. You
read of that happening every
day in the papers. That’s what
happened. The safe’s just back
of you, Janice. Isn’t it open?”
“Why, no—no, it’s closed.”
“But it must have been
burglary. I’ll open it. First I’ll
call Hilary.”
There were voices in the
library. Janice turned.
"Here is Hilary now. With
Dr. Bouligny.”
Dr. Bouligny was kneeling.
Hilary was at his side look
ing down, his plump face the
color of ashes. In the door
way stood Evelyn, dreadfully
pale under her tan. Higby had
vanished, but Emmeline re
mained, twisting her purple
hands and watching Dr. Bou
llgny’s mouth.
“Hilary—” said Adela.
“Good God, Adela, this Is a
terrible thing! How did it
happen? Who did it? Who
found him? Where is Dave?”
“Dave is fishing with Al
len Carick. They aren’t back
yet. Is there nothing you can
do, Daniel?”
Dr. Bouligny got heavily to
his feet. He was a fattish, dark
man with a good-natured red
face and clothes that always
bagged. His face now looked
mottled.
“There’s nothing to be done.
He’s dead. Who did it?”
“How long has he been
dead?” asked Hilary sharply.
“I don’t know. I can’t tell
exactly.” The doctor paused
thoughtfully and added: “You
see, it’s so hot this after
noon.”
-un, gaspea uveiyn. sne
sank into a chair as if her
knees refused to hold her and
said in a small muffled voice:
"What will people say?”
Dr. Bouligny glanced quick
ly at Hilary and then at
Adela.
"It’s pretty bad. But I was
afraid of this—”
‘‘It’s a plain case of suicide,”
interrupted Hilary quickly.
His authoritative, slightly
pompous manner was return
ing. “It’s a plain case of sui
cide, and no one can prove it
isn’t.”
‘‘Suicide?” said Dr. Bouligny
doubtfully, his large head
tipped a little to one side as
he studied the tragic huddle
at his feet. ‘‘Well—”
Evelyn rose suddenly,
snatched a scarf from a di
van, and laid it swiftly and
carefully over Bayard,
i "You ought to move him.
It isn’t decent to just leave
him there. Like that. On the
floor. After all—it’s Bayard.”
"Wait. No. We’ll have to let
the sheriff see him, too, just
as we found him,” said Dr.
Bouligny.
‘‘The sheriff will say sui
cide,” said Hilary confidently.
“And you are coroner. Dan.”
j Dr. Bouligny looked wor
ried.
"I don't like this scandal
any more than you, Hilary. It
won’t hurt me as much, of
course—but it’s pretty bad for
you, everyone knowing there’s
; been bad blood between you
and Bayard. Oh, I know—I
know—” as Hilary started to
protest—"I know you didn’t
shoot him, but what will peo
ple say, do you think? I’ll do
everything I can to smooth
it over—hush it up. But if it’s
suicide, where’s the gun?”
"It’s here,” said Hilary. "It’s
here. It’s—why, it must be
here!”
We were all looking vague
ly about on the floor, the
tables, all around the body. I
cast my mind back to my first
view of the body. There had
been no gun close to it, then;
I was sure of that.
"But it isn’t suicide.” said
Adela. "It’s burglary. It must
have been burglary. There’s
—wait, let me look in the safe.
The diamonds were there, you
know, Hilary.”
We followed her into the
small study. The sale, an
old fashioned affair, massive
and clumsy, was set in the
wall with no attempt at con
cealing its dials. We watched
her hands fumbling, turning,
twisting. And when the heavy
door swung outward we
watched her search.
And the diamonds were
gone. Only a stack of empty
boxes remained, their yel
lowed satin linings exposed
and gaping as Adela’s swift
hands opened them one aft
er the other.
“I knew it,” she said. “I
knew it. See, they’re gone. It
was burglary. The thief was
here, robbing the safe, Bay
ard heard him and interfered,
and the thief shot Bayard and
escaped.” She was dignified,
deliberate. She reached out a
hand and touched a red mo
rocco case. ’’That,” she said,
“held my mother’s sunburst.”
It was strange to watch the
faces slowly lose their look of
terrified apprehension, be
come slowly more composed;
only Janice’s face remained
cold and rigid. Dr. Bouligny’s
eyes met Hilary’s, and he
nodded slowly.
“There you arc,” he said in
a relieved way. “It’s happened
exactly as Adela says. Every
body’s heard of the Th.at.cher
diamonds. And nobody in the
county would believe that
Bayard Thatcher shot him
self.”
“But, my God,” said Hilary,
suddenly bewildered and
alarmed again, “the dia
monds! It’s the family collec
tion. They’re worth a small
fortune. We’ve got to get hold
of them.”
“That’s the sheriff’s job,”
said Dr. Bouligny, almost
blithely, and at the same mo
ment Adela, her eyes cold
and blank, looked strangely
at Hilary.
"Don t you think it s worth
the price?” she said, coldly.
Hilary looked at her, at Dr.
Bouligny, at his wife. He got
out a handkerchief, wiped his
pale face and said:
“You’ll fix things up then,
Dan?”
“I’ll do what I can with
honesty,” said Dr. Bouligny.
"No more. And there's the
sheriff, you know.”
“I can fix him,” said Hilary
easily.
"And there’ll have to be an
inquest, of course.”
After a moment Adela said
with difficulty: "An — in
quest!”
“Why, yes, of course. A
violent death. Murder. There’s
got to be an Inquest.”
There was another long mo
| ment of silence in the little
study. The window was closed,
I and we could not hear a
sound from the outside world,
and it was as if no one lived
or breathed in the small
room. And yet that stillness
was oddly palpitant, as if un
I spoken words, unuttered ap
prehensions, unwelcome
thoughts were beating upon
our ears. Then Adela stirred,
reached out her hand, and
closed the gaping door of the
safe. It made a heavy, silence
i shattering clang.
"An inquest,” she repeated.
"And what, Daniel, will you
ask us at the inquest?”
He ran his fingers worried
| ly through his thick dark
hair.
"It won’t be easy,” he said
; unhappily. "There’ll be plen
i ty of people just looking for
a chance to get at us. To say
i there’s something fishy about
i it.”
Warm though the room
was, I saw Adela shiver slight
ly, and Hilary’s plump face all
at once looked drawn and
haggard.
"Suppose,” said Adela, "sup
pose we go back to the library
and talk it over . . . before
the sheriff comes.” The last
words were separated from
! the rest of her speech in a
[ way which gave them sig
I niflcance.
I followed them back into
the large, cool library; I re
member feeling as if I were
moving about in a night
mare and would presently
come to my senses. Every
1 thing in the nightmare was.
however, extremely clear ano
vivid. The windows in the
long library were open; the
shadows on the green lawn
were long now and cool look
ing. It was with a shock that
my eyes went to that hud
dle under the scarf.
“Now, then, Daniel,” said
Adela. ‘ What will you ask
us?”
“Don’t put it like that,
Adela,” he said worriedly.
“You make me feel like a
conspirator.”
Adela’s eyebrows slid up
ward rebukingly. There was a
suggestion of outrage in her
stiff, desperate dignity.
“My dear Daniel,” she said
in a remonstrating way.
“He’ll want to know when
Bayard was last seen alive
and who saw him,” said Hil
ary. He rubbed his handker
chief again over his fore
head and touched his mouth
with it.
“Very well. Janice, you left
the house before I did this
afternoon, didn’t you?”
Janice nodded; her face was
still cold and rigid; there was
not a trace of beauty in it
then, it was a regular, color
less mask.
“Janice, you see, drove out
to the farm this afternoon.
Dave and Allen Carick went
fishing. They aren’t back yet.
I went to the Benevolent So
ciety. and Janice stopped on
her way back and brought
me home. Emmeline was in
the summer kitchen making
jelly. Higby was mowing the
lawn. There was no one but
Bayard here all afternoon.
Bayard and—the thief.”
“No. Wait a minute, Adela.”
protested Hilary miserably.
“You are wrong. I was here.
About four o’clock.”
Adela turned slowly and
very stiffly.
“You! You were nerei you
saw Bayard?”
Hilary glanced at his wife,
started to speak, but she in
terrupted him.
“Yes, Hilary was here,” said
Evelyn directly. “He came in
to see how Bayard was get
ting on. And I was here. too.
I was to stop for Hilary in
the roadster. Hilary had gone
when I arrived, and I left at
once and went to Hilary’s of
fice.”
“Then you—” began Adela
in a frozen way.
Dr. Bouligny interrupted.
“Then Bayard was alive
then? What time was that?”
“Yes,” said Evelyn, and
Hilary said: “About four
o'clock.”
“That limits it, then,” said
Dr. Bouligny agitatedly. “That
limits it. What time did you
leave the house, Evelyn?"
“It must have been about
20 minutes after four. I was
to meet Hilary at four here.
I was a little delayed, and he’d
gone. I didn’t stay at all, and
when I reached his office it
was exactly 4:30 by the post
office clock.”
“And about what time was
it when he was found dead?”
“We’d just returned,” said
Adela, “Janice and I. Emme
line found him. She met me
there on the step of the porch
saying—” her voice left her
and she finished in an un
expected whisper which was
inexpressibly shocking—“say
ing he—was—shot!”
“Then he was killed some
time after 4:20. It was after
5 when you called me—about
a quarter after. I take it you
telephoned at once? Yes.
Where’s Emmeline? See here,
how did you happen to dis
cover—”
Emmeline advanced, her
black back stiff, her stained
fingers working.
“Are you talking to me?”
“Yes. About finding Bay
ard.”
“She’s deaf, you know,
Daniel,” reminded Adela.
“Oh, God, yes.” Dr. Boul
igny rubbed his hands fren
ziedly over his hair. “About
Bayard.” he shouted. “When
did you find him?”
“What did you say?” asked
Emmeline, watching his heavy
mouth.
“I said when did you—”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Negro Thanked Judge
For 30-Day Jail Sentence
Salt Lake City, Utah —(UP)—
City Judge C. P. Dalby has often
been abused by prisoners who
were sentenced and blessed at
least once. When B. F. Ralston,
77. Negro pastor from Cleveland,
Ohio, came to Salt Lake City, streets
were heavily covered with snow.
“Dls snow, it's Ject got me
dc'n.” Rolston told Judge Dalby
when brought before him on a va
grancy charge. “If you don't [
mind, Jedge. I’d liko to go to jail
fo' about fo’ty days."
Judge Dalby demurred that 40
days was considerably long for
vagrancy charges. but compro
mised on a month.
“God bless you, Jedge." the
preacher said. “Thank do Lawd
for that much"
Curator WUhes to
Make Strange Trade
Detroit —(UP)— It’s a strange
trade that Jack Ireland. Curator
of the Belle Isle zoo. wishes to
make, but he avows that ha was
never more in earnest than when
he offered to swap 23 racorback
hogs for $230 worth of wild ducks.
It all came about this way:
Last summer the wildfowl sanc
tuary at Belle Isle suffered from
the ravishes of a bird disease and
many of the ducks died. At the
same time, the razorback hogs
were enjoying a healthy season
and a normal increase was re
corded.
Ireland now has many more
hogs than he feels necessary. ‘‘Be
sides," he said, “hogs ara not
beautiful to look at. but they
should make excellent game.”
He suggested some northern
hunting club make the trade and
free the hogs on their preserves
to furnish rn American duplicate
of wild boar hunting.
Generous Pat.
Pat’s wife was suing hm for
maintenance.
•'Wo have decided.” the jury fore
man reported, "to allow your wife
$10 SI w6C?k,M
• Why. that’s very eer.erous of
you.” said Pat. “I’ll see if I CPn add
a quarter ®r two now and then."
MAN FIGHTER
ASKED PENSION
El Paso. Tex. — (UP) — If the
'ovrrnment owed Jose Gallegos
anything, it had baen forgot f-en
until the ICO-vear-old Indian
"-liter recently applied for pen
sion.
Gallegcs Is one of two known
■urvlvors of Lieut. Frank H. Mills’
'"mous detachment of Pueblo In
dian scoots, who fought the Apaches
if New Mexico a half century ago.
The other is Sastinas Gonzales also
•v flits city, already receiving pen
sion.
Before Gallegos was d’spos
sfsscd of his farm six years ago,
he had no need for penson, he
tolrl an Interpreter. Now ho needs
assistance.
Indian fights still are vivid to
I hr aged scout. He likes beet to -el'
r> fUr* t'me he and 30 others rout
ed 160 Caches who hod peeked
a wagon train. “Our only casual
ties were a few mules,” he re
called.
A few days later another train
was attacked by 230 Indians and
! Gallegos remembers the outcome
was more disastrous. Before the
scouts arrived the Indians had
killed the. entire grouD of freight
ers. Overtaken 25 miles away, the
Apaches fought the scouts all day
before being routed, leaving 60
dead a^d wounded. Ten scout?
were slain.
Breeding Resulted in
Two Strains of Rabbits
Detroit —(UP)— Tv.a strains ol
rabbits, bearing fur vaich rivals
that of the silver squirrel and the
black silver fox, have resulted
from seloctive breeding, conduct
ed by Oliver E. Jones, of Dear
born.
Jonas’ bological experiment
shows no apparent difference in
the appearance and quality of the
two furs, except that the “black
silver fox” rabbit has a shortei
pelt. The rabbit fur could be dis
tinguished from the genuine only
by the expert furrier or advanced
biologist, even to when one blows
on the fluffy coat and is unable
to expose the skin beneath.
Jones said he had established
the permanency of the tyypes bj
keeping the identical strains with
out variation for seven years
Since a rabbit matures in si»
months, he reasoned, that takes
the process through 14 genera
tions and proves their perman
ency.
Jones feeds his young rabbits
twice a day on a small ration ol
oats, potato peelings or shorts
along with what alfalfa they can
nibble. Regularity in feeding and
freedc®-* from drafts is the sacrel
of developing them in this way
Jones said.
Detroit Claims Lowest
Death Rate for 1932
Detroit —(UP)— For the second
consecutive year, Detroit has
claimed the distinction of having
the lowest death rate for any ol
the large cities of the world.
Annual figures compiled by the
1 Commissioner of Health, Dr. Hen
ry F. Vaughan, indicate that the
record low of 8.8 deaths per 1.00C
population in 1931 has been
eclipsed by the 1932 record of 8.6
per 1,000. l
While figures from other cities
arc not yet available, Dr. Vaughan
said he believed that Detroit
would again lead the world in
liealthlulness.
The tuberculosis death rate was
revealed as having dropped 3.5
per 100,000 to a low figure of 70.3
per 100.000 during 1932. HO
deaths from smallpox occurred in
Detroit all during 1932, and
1 deaths from diyptheria were ap
preciably lowered to 4.1 per 1,000
population, the reports showed.
On the other hand, the birth
rate dropped to 17.1 per 1,000 dur
ing the year just past as com
pared with 18.6 for 1931.
Jricture or Murderer
May Lead to Reunion
Seattle —(UP)— The picture in
.he paper of a convicted murderer
may lead to reunion of sister and
brother long parted, if present ef
f forts reach fruition.
John Zerfass, “kiss slayer.” who
(is awaiting appeal from a life sen
tence for killing a naturopathic
physician who kissed his wife, is
the murder in question. His pic
ture recently appeared showing
him playing poker with other
murderers in a Seattle cell.
Miss G. Zerfass. Queens Village,
N. Y., saw the picture and won
dered if the convicted man wasn’t
the son of her long missing
brother. In his cell here, Zerfass
said his father, John Zerfas, Sr.,
is a plasterer in Stockton. Cal.,
and asked police to forward his
fathers' address to Miss Zerfass.
BARRED FROM RESORT
Hampton Beach, N. H. —(UP)—
Weary wives of Hampton coun
ty farmers have enjoyed unusual
vacations here this year. They
spent a week at the seashore, with
their husbands barred from the
resort.
Crockery Bottoms
Form Sidewalks
Tyler. Tex. — (UP) — Crockery
bottoms form the queer sidewalk
at the home of Mrs. A. B. Pitts,
in the Starrville community near
here.
Necks of the crockery are
turned down, leaving the smooth
surface of the bottoms for the
walk.
Who made the strange walk.
. Mrs. Pitts does not know. It was
} there when she acquired the prop
erty.
December Took Record
as Year’s Longest Day
December 22 is, strange to say,
the “longest” day of the year, and
not the shortest, thus taking the rec
ord for length from June 21, the first
day of summer. Here is the expla
nation of this apparently contradic
tory state of affairs, as given by Dr.
C. C. Wylie, associate profession of
astronomy at the University of Iowa:
“Because of the fact that we use
mean time rather than apparent
time, sun noon is later from day to
day by thirty seconds near the date
of the winter solstice. In mid-No
vember, for those living near a
standard meridian, sun noon ocean
about sixteen minutes before 12:00,
while in February It occurs about
fourteen minutes after 12:00.
“When sun noon is falling later
from day to day by a clock running
on mean, or average, time the length
of day defined as the interval from
sun noon to sun noon is more than
twenty-four hours. In this sense the
longest day last year was December
22."
Last June 21, the first day of sum
mer astronomers point out, was the
longest day of the year in the num
ber of hours of daylight, whereas
December 22, when measured from
noon to noon, had just 30 and two
hundredths seconds more than 24
hours. A very close race but De
cember 22 stretched ahead barely
enough to win the title of “the year's
longest day.”
What SHE TOLD
WORN OUT HUSBAND
CHE could have reproached him
~ for hi* fits of temper—his “all
in” complaints. But wisely she
saw in his frequent cold*, his
"fagged out,” "on edge” condi
tion the very trouble she herself
had whipped. Constipation! The
very morning af
edy), as she ad
vised, he felt like
himself attain—
Keenly men, peppy, cheerful.
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i uncuoning. iNon-haDit
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'TUMS"
WOMAN LOST
20 POUNDS
OFJAT
Lost Her Prominent Hips—
Double Chin—Sluggishness
Gained Physical Vigor—
A Shapely Figure
If you’re fat—first remove the
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Take one half teaspoonful of
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Notice also that you have gained
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But be sure it’s Kruschen—your
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Get a bottle of Kruschen Salta
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this is the easiest, SAFEST and
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CATARRH
Can Now Be Washed Away
Get • little nasal douche and an econom
ical bottle of SINASIPTEC from your drag
gist and in a few minutes you can start
to wash away every trace of matter caused
by nasal catarrh. Keep using SINASIPTEC
in warm water and soon all stuffiness dis
appears, catarrh pressure it gone and your
nose, bead and throat feel marvelously dear.
Tear this out. SINASIPTEC is pronounced
Sina-sip-tek.
Children Need
Cuticum
To keep skin and scalp clean
and healthy, and to lay the
foundation for skin health in
later life. » The Soap protects
as well as cleanses, the Oint
ment soothes and heals rashes,
itchings and irritations.
Soap 25c. Ointment 25 and 50c.
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Corporation, Malden, Mm.
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