Atlanta Georgian. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, August 28, 1913, Image 9

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[BEHIND CLOSED DOORS One of the Greatest Mystery Stories/Ever Written By ANNA KATHARINE GREEN. (Copyright, 1913, by Anna Katharine Green.) TO-DAY’S INSTALLMENT. This time the answer came, but in Quivering tone* that were almost inau dible. “The box was a Jewel casket, and it was kept in the top drawer of the bu reau." If surprised, Mr. Gryce did not show it. “I see." he remarked; “and being a receptacle for valuables it was doubtless locked and the bureau drawer also." “I don't know; I don't remember about the bureau drawer; but the box was locked. I recollect seeing her turn the key." It was a fatal admission and at once stamped her whole story as improba ble. She saw it when it was too late, and, turning to a ghastly white before their eyes, swayed so that her husband forgot to press the question still trem bling on his lips. The, detective was not so merciful. “I beg your pardon,” said he, “but.this fact you mention is so remarkable, when you consider that the person thus accused by you of opening your drawers and ransacking its treasures before your eyes was. at the most, a humble dressmaker, that I can not re frain from asking what excuse she gave you for such presumptuous conduct." Making one final effort, Mrs. Camer on hastily replied. “She gave no ex cuse It was all done so quickly, she neither thought of speaking nor I of answering.” “But her knowledge of things! How came she " But here the doctor, seeing from his wife’s condition that he must speak at once or not at all, hurriedly inter posed with the ejaculation; “Genevieve, Genevieve, answer me this. Was it the bottle of pmssio acid I gave you for " It was useless to continue. A great, spot of vivid red had broken out on either of her cheeks and she seemed neither to hear nor notice. « 4 *I am ill, Walter; I am ill!" came from her Ups in a broken murmur: and next moment she had fallen In a heap at his feet. Dr. Cameron Announces His De termination. DAT passed; a solemn day to Dr. Cameron, who in it saw his wife brought very near to the grave. She was still so ill lliat they walked with hushed steps and bated breath through the house, but the worst was over and Dr. Cameron felt that he could leave her long enough to keep an appointment he had made with Mr. Gryce. For mingled with ail the anxiety of the last twenty-four hours was the uncertainty called out by her last ad mission; and he felt that this must be set at rest as soon as possible. He £new it could be. He not -wiy remem bered perfectly well the circumstances under which he gave Genevieve this powerful medicine, but he also remem bered a certain peculiarity of the vial which held It. To be sure, the vial found by Mr. Gryce was broken; but for all that he was confident he would know' if it were his if that portion which held the stopper was still intact. For there had been a nick in the rim, the very shape of which he recol lected, and if that nick were still there he would need no label to identify the bottle. The label had once had the words POISON on it and the most mi nute directions for taking the requisite quantity. But the label had been rubbed off the one broken In Twenty-second street, probably for the sake of sever ing any clew it might furnish, the vial having come from his own office, and the words on the label having been written by his own hand. Mr. Gryce was prepared to receive bim. He had a great respect for Dr. Cameron and at present a profound pity. A noble husband and an incom prehensible wife. That is the way he put it to himself at present. In the fu ture he might be obliged to put it stronger His greeting, therefore, was cordial, but very grave. Dr. Cameron noticed this and came at once to the point. “Have you those pieces of broken glass here which are supposed to repre sent the vial out of which Mildred Far ley drank the poison that killed her?“ “We have. Do you want to see them ?" “I should like to. That is, if you con sider it of any moment to know wheth er it is the same bottle of acid I gave my wife before we were married.’’ ,# I certainly do. I should consider that we have a most Important fact if we oould establish an identity between the bottles." “Very well, then, look at the pieces rou have preserved and see 1f you can > find the neck of the vial among them; then look on the neck for a nick about Maxwell House Blend a coffee of such exhilarating and palate tickling fla vor that it makes you thankful for life and good liv ing. Sealed cans at grocer* Cbeek-Neal Coffee Co. Unfertile BoMtoV JeekaowiD* the size of a pin’s head, and if you find it " "Is that It?" "Yes," assented the other, simply. “It Is a serious discovery," observed the detective, “very serious." If he had meant to alarm Dr. Cam eron, he certainly succeeded. "How serious?" repeated that gentle man. “It is important as all links are, and valuable as establishing the truth of my wife’s testimony; but seri ous?”— Why did the detective remain silent? Did he own a thought or a suspicion he was fain to conceal? Dr. Cameron felt his heart stand still. Could it be they did not believe his wife? that he had roused rather than allayed whatever doubts they cherished? He leaned for ward and forced the detective to look at him. “I am an unhappy man." he declared. "I have a wife whose testimony you doubt, and that wife is laid up with al most a mortal sickness. What shall I do to prove my trust in her word? It is absolute. I assure you; so absolute that if ten persons told me they saw her give the poison to Mildred Farley, and she told me that Mildred Farley took it out of her jewel casket or any other myste rious place, I would believe my wife and not them, and this without doubt or hesitation." Mr. Gryce looked more and more em barrassed. “If T can make 1t accord with my duty to leave you and your sick wife in peace, he sure I will do it. Nothing would give me greater pleasure, for you have my unbounded esteem and sym pathy." But he did not look as if his duty and wishes agreed, and Dr. Cam eron lost heart more and more. “You think,” he remarked, "that there is something fatal in the identification of this bottle with the one I gave to Miss Gretorex months ago?" "I think,” slowly observed Mr. Gryce. “that it is a great pity that Mrs. Cam eron did not preserve her strength long enough to explain how this poor sewing girl, albeit her constant visitor, had the presumption, as well as a sufficient knowledge of the interior of her bureau drawers, to seize with such an instan taneous touch upon the one thing that would do the deadly business she de sired." “My wife may not have been able to explain it," he former now ventured, with an appearance of ease be was far from feeling. “She herself spoke of the fact as incredible.” "Dr. Cameron,’’ was the quick reply, "the strongest proof of your wife’s in nocence, as you yourself phrase it, is the lack of any apparent motive on her part to wish ill to the girl. Make that apparent lack an undoubted one and we must believe her story, preposterous and unnatural ss it seems. In other words, unravel the whole secret of their connection. Prove that Mildred Farley had cause sufficient for desiring death and make the conduct of Julius Moles - worth seem In accord with the flplrlt and good Judpwat of tie rsa’a." "I will do it,” came from Dr. Camer on’s white lips. “I can learn nothing that will give me the pain which your suspicion has done." “And if in doing this you come across others working in the same field?" “I can but acknowledge their superior right there. I am but working from love; you from official duty. I have neither the facilities nor perhaps the courage to vie with you." And with a how of formal politeness he took a hurried leave. The Mysterious Roll. D R. CAMERON may have been rash in the making of these promises, but once having made them he meant to keep them. The sight of his wife's pale face, staring blankly from the almost unruffled pillow where it lay. would have strengthened his de termination even if It had weakened. It brought hack • so many memories which made her unresponsive glance al most unendurable to bear. If he could but see it beam again with pleasure! If at the first dawn of Intelligence in that blank eye. he might lean over her and whisper, “Joy, Joy, my darling! All that troubled you is vanished and gone into nothing. Not a soul In the world has anything against you. Awake to peace and hope and love!" That would be a moment worth living for. For this he would strive while she lay here In unconsciousness. But between hope and fulfillment there is a great gulf. As he withdrew from her side and sat down in her bou doir to think, he asked Jiimself if he possessed any secret knowledge likely to lead to an elucidation of the problem he had set for himself. He thought he did. There was a fact that had once at tracted his attention and then been for gotten again till this new danger threat ening Genevieve had roused all his fac ulties and awakened all his memories. It was this: At the moment, now some weeks gone by, when Mr Gryce and himself stood peering through the cur tain at the hotel, he had noticed lying oil the table at which Mildred Farley I had been writing a pile of manuscript, or, rather, a number of closely written | sheets of paper, tied into a small roll. | It had not seemed important* at the [ time, and he had not given it a second thought. But now. in recalling it, the realization came with great force that those sheets might have been letters; ! and that letters held and cherished by I her at such an hour must contain facts relative to her love and life that it would ; be of inestimable value to him now to learn. Where was that roll? It had not been found in her hag, or mention would have been made of It at the Jn- I quest. Had it been destroyed, or was it still in existence? It was certainly | his first duty to Inquire. But of whom? Mr. Gryce? That would not do. Though Dr. Cameron felt every confidence in the detective’s integrity, it had become his ambition to refute that detective’s suspicions, and J how could he hope to do so if he gave ! awa^v the one clew which he imagined he possessed to a different conclusion from that which present circumstances I forced upon the police? That he could ! always fall hack upon the detective's i knowledge was his excuse for attempt- i ing to take the first steps without it. ■ Besides. Mr Gryce might not know any j more about the matter than he. To Be Continued To-morrow. Some Early Fall Frocks and Suits \ •- ...a pSpS eC* '§ • IgShp "C : V & Ml ti i&ftj Sir’ By OLIVETTE. HE little frock we picture is of plaid ratine combined with chiffon and white satin. A vest of the white satin buttons down the front with tiny pearl buttons, and over this fall the deep bretell-like revers, end ing in fringe. The chiffon is shirred down the shoulders and forms the under arm of waist and sleeve alike. The sleeve ends in quaint cuffs of the plaid, and these continue in a narrowing line of cloth up the chiffon sleeve. The chiffon crosses the satin vest and ends in a tiny knot. The skirt is entirely of the plaid ratine or boucle cloth, and is girdled below the hips by a self-sash which has long fringed ends. From beneath these ends the skirt falls in the fullness of A double inverted pleat. A suit modeled for early fall wear is that of the second picture. The costume is a tailored suit of black broadcloth with a high luster. Its trimming is wide Heresies braid, a bit of Bal kan embroidery and some tiny frogs and orna ments of narrow braid. The coat is a long “swallow-tail,” bound in the braid, with an odd vest of the braid con tinuing in a scarf down the front and ending in huge tassels. The sleeves widen into great bell-shaped cuffs over the wrists and have long simulated caps of the braid ending in a bishop’s mitre near the cuff. The skirt has a long-pointed yoke extend ing well down the front, and to this the mate rial is fulled ever sa slightly. Some Matters of Good Form By MRS. FRANK LEARNED. Author of “Etiquette In New York To day." N ATURALLY the rule of cour tesy is that a younger person should give precedence to an older one, Recently some one ob served a young girl coming In a room to make a call Just as an older wom an was leaving. Instead of stepping hack politely and allowing the older woman to pass, the girl pressed for ward so persistently that the depart ing guest was compelled to step back from the doorway and wait until the now arrival had pushed her way In. If the girl had yielded grace fully and had stepped back courteous ly an agreeable impression would have b^en made, Instead of an un pleasant one. An older woman may motion to a younger one to precede her. In that case the younger should bow and pass on without hesi tation. A subject which perplexes some mothers is what to do when young men call to see their daughters. It would seem to he a perfectly natural thing to have visitors and that family life should go on as usual. But a mother may think that young peo ple feel more at case In conversa tion when not with their elders. She does not wish to interfere with the pleasure of the visit, yet does not wish to appear as if avoiding being present. There is no reason why a mother should find it necessary to remain with the young people the entire evening, but she should wel come young men when they arrive, and may remain In an adjoining room occupying herself in any way she pre fers and should be there to take leave of guests. Ten o’clock Is late enough in the evening for any one to stay, and a young man should be too cour teous to exceed that limit. A point of etiquette which is some times neglected is when making prep arations for a visit and carelessly forgetting to be fully supplied with everything that may be necessary to wear or to use. It is a great breach of courtesy for any one who is stay ing in the house of a friend to bor row from her hostess. Very careless guests have been known to be guilty of this mistake and to borrow hand kerchiefs, hatpins, veils, new gloves and even small change. This is un pardonable. Certain rules about making calls are not clear to some people For instance, a tea or other entertainment may be given by a friend for a guest of honor, who is a new' resident in a towm. It is courteous for those who were invited to meet her to call on her afterward in her own house, within a. week. If they have not al ready made a call on her there. Another rule is that when making a call the visitor who was first to arive should be the first to leave aft er a call of from fifteen to twenty minutes. A young hostess is sometimes wor ried In regard to conversation dur ing brief calls from acquaintances. The general rule is that it should he on light topics of the day. It is not correct for a hostess who is receiving a. brief call to attempt to substitute for conversation the showing of a collection of photographs, or portfo lios of drawings or other produc tions of members of the family. Only Skin Deep. On one occasion a well-known man ager went to theater for the express purpose of encouraging a young actor who had shown signs of nervousness in a new part. When the promising young man made his exit into the wings per spiration was streaming down his face. The manager looked at him for a mo ment and then said, in tones of intense admiration; “How well your skin acts!” The Earrings By JEAN PSICHARI. E VER since her chilhdood I had had for Marie particular affec tion. Her father. Henri Lepere, was one of my oldest and perhaps best friends. He was a painter, while I had chosen the career of a novelist. The time, had come for Marie to be married. At first she did not wish it; she hesitated, cried, in fact, and behaved as young girls generally *do under similar circumstances. But the young man, a pupil of her father's, loved her passionately, and as he was apparently successful in his pleading, Marie completely altered her mind To make Marie still happier I de termined to give her on her wedding day two splendid earrings, two mar velous sapphires, which I had kept in reserve for a long time I watched for an opportunity to give them to her myself. On the eve of the wedding the Le- peres gave a ball. It was there that I myself placed the earrings In her ears and kissed her forehead. Marie was confused, trembled as if she had experienced a strange sensa tion. said what was proper by way of thanks and then went away hurried ly. The music began, and the child danced with her fiance. Twenty min utes had not passed, however, when suddenly Marie became unwell and fell senseless to the floor. Everyone rushed to her; everyone tried to be of use to her. When at last she recovered consciousness and rose, her mother glanced at her In dismay. “Your earrings. Marie! Where are they?" she gasped. Marie put her hands to her ears to assure herself that the sapphires were not there. "They are lost!" she cried; "they are lost; Where can they he?" Of course, such an episode could not fall to upset the whole proceed ings. The guests dared not look at one another. Evidently someone had stol en the beautiful stones. We supposed the earrings had been taken at the moment when Marie had fainted, and everyone was collected about her, though ive marveled how it could have been done. I was grieved to think that my poor child had had no opportunity to en joy her present. 1 was particularly attach^! to those sapphires, ;is i;wy had belonged to my dead wife. To partially compensate her I decided to buy her one of those porcelain tea sets which are sold in England. Marie, as soon as she received this tea set—which I sent her the very first morning—wrote in© a charming letter, affectionate and warm, in which she spoke of my great kindness, add ing that she considered herself little worthy of it. and that she would tako great care of the tea set, leaving it in a special corner of her salon, to be admired at her leisure. Not a word in the letter about the earrings. Evidently she did not want to hurt me or to harass her own feelings by recalling this unfortunate incident • ••••• For days I pondered much upon this strange situation. Suddenly a suspicion dawned upon me—a sus- iclon so strange and so strong that scarcely dared to consider it. In a word, I thought she loved me, and set about proving It by means of the earrings. I went to see Henri at a time when I knew he would be out. One of the doors of the study led to a little conservatory, and only a few steps separated the conservatory from the ballroom. In the midst of the conservatory was a little basin with artificial rocks, with a sandy floor and a fountain. I bent down, felt In the sand, turned it over, explored everywhere; finally, I found the earrings! She had herself thrown them into the basin, hidden them In the sand. She had stolen them from herself! Why should she thus have dis posed of the earrings and yet ac cepted the tea set? Listen and I will tell you. She accepted the tea set with joy and gratitude, without for an instant thinking that she was doing anything she ought not to do because It was an intimate gift, but the earrings— Do not foraet that with my own hands I had placed them In her ears. At this moment she must have thought that since her finance love her. her duty was to for get every other man. This is how. for my part. I>re constructed the little story. He Proved It. Mr. Meane: “I have nothing but praise for the. new minister " The Deacon: “So I noticed when the plate went around ’’ A Bachelor’s Diary By MAX. A rot’ST 14.—I hav« decided' that the chief difference between the trained nurse and the unskilled nurse is the salary and the uniform. Richards, who was a green country girl when I employed her to serve as nurse maid for Elizabeth and Manette, and whose only knowledge of illness was gained through their childish com plaints. Is Just as skillful in her care of me as the uniformed nurse and infi nitely more patient. Not that I would accuse the trained nurse of being Impatient; she is never that, but somehow her patience is pure ly mechanical. It is set by machinery, and when a certain amount of attention has been clipped off for me, the ma chinery comes to a dead stop. And I know then that it Is time for her to take her rnornig or afternoon hour off. “If I were dying.’’ I said to her this morning, "and the clock struck 3, what would you do? "Put on my hat and go for my walk," she replied very professionally. "I owe it to myself to take care of myself. Be sides. I have seen too many persons die to be Interested.” Tlie Scrutiny. "Does It distress you?" The subject had always interested me. “No. only bothers me. The manner In which the living take on la trying to my nerves." “Then you have no personal feeling for your patient?’’ “Sometimes. When they are million aires like you, and unmarried, there is always the chance of the helpless man falling In love with his nurse and mar rying her. That is th© real incentive that leads many women to adopt the profession." “Corns around here where I can look at you,” I commanded. “If that Is the motive that actuated you In putting on the uniform, I want to get a aquare look at you so that I can be* what I atn up against." “She laughed, and, evidently not afraid the bright light would injure her chances, threw up the blind before she took a seat beside my bed. I saw a red-cheeked, blue-eyed blonde; the blu est eyes, and the reddest cheeks and mouth. Her hair had Just enough of a curl to it to be tantalizing, and when I raised my hand and brushed back a lock under her cap. she smiled. "It’s naturally curly," she said. "How about this?" I asked, pinching her cheek. “The color is natural too." “You are a good looking woman,” an nounced in the manner of one who had taken an inventory; "I don’t see what the doctor meant by ordering me a pret ty attendant like you." She laughed. “Would you prefer that 1 went away?” Defiance. “No,” grasping her hands. “I want you to stay. . There is something about your hands I like. They are so strong and so firm. I rather like to hold them in the night, but I don’t want to marry you." "No?” with pretty eyebrows raised. "No," I replied, “I don't. It will be in teresting to smash tradition by refusing to fall In love. Your beauty doesn’t at tract me, and my wealth doesn’t at tract you." "Of course not;” another laugh. "No man’s wealth ever attracted a woman." “You are saying that in sarcasm," 1 replied, slipping my arm around her neck that she might lift me to a more comfortable position. “The truth is, It is the lodestar of every woman’s lore.* She had lifted me higher on the pil lows. but I did not remove my arm from around her neck. “Now,” I said, "that we understand each other, I don’t see why we can’t be very good friends. You are not to fall in love with me, and I won’t fail In love with you." "Won’t you?" with her blue eiyes eJoee to mine. “No,” stubbornly, shutting my eye* tight, "I won’t." “Won’t you?" her fare a little nearer “No,” trying to turn my head, "I won’t." "It must be fine," T added, when she had slipped my arm from her neck and had taken her seat by the bed, and I had gotten my rather riotous nerres under control, "to he a poor man and find a woman whose love doesn't de pend on his hank account." “There Is no such thing," hastening to give me my medicine, for the hour had coma "I don’t know what that Is you are giving me," holding hear hand with the spoon away from my mouth, “but it ought to be for fever. Tou are a fins nurse, you are; throwing a patient into a fever like thla I shall complain to the doctor about ft.” “I am not afraid,” putting the spoon at my lips, -that you will tell any on* You see,” quickly handing me a glass of water, “I know all about the men." "How ddd you learn?" suspiciously 'Ts there a special treatment prescribed for my sex at your training school?” “T have read all about you." with an other laugh, “in the doctor hooka" Then she bathed my face, remarking professionally as she did It that my col or was better; lowered my pillows, much against my will; smoothed the coverlid, pulled down the blinds and ordered me to take a nap. A Beginning. “I will sit outside on the wrandn within call,’’ she announced, “and if you need me you can touch the bell." She left the room so quietly and quickly that she was gone before I could detain her. There are many qualities I like about her, and her quickness and quietness of manner are among them. There would be less domestio friction If every woman stepped as lightly and spoke as softly as this woman. A soft step and a sweet, low voice and a certain re pose of manner never got on any tired and irritable man's nerves. Bhe had reached the veranda. I heard Mrs. Allen ask her if I had fallen atdeep, and did not wait to hear her reply. I rang the bell. In another minute she was beside roe “You said to ring if I needed you. I need you to sit right here by me till I fall asleep.” “But you will not fall asleep with me here.’’ “I am so very tired," & little wearily, and holding tight to her hand as if to dismiss the argument, “that I am sure I will." And I did. And I dreamed—well, l won’t tell you, Diary, what I dreamed. You are nothing hut a collection of dry paper leaves and wouldn’t understand. KODAKS^ m w Ea8tmin| First Class Finishing and En larging. A oornplete stock films, plates, papers, chemicals, see. Special Mail Order Department for out-of-town customers. Send for Catalogue end Price List. <4. K. HAWKES CO. Kodak Otparfmaaf | 14 Whitehall 8t. ATLANTA. GA. 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