Adventure Magazine Cover, October 1911 — page 166: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

I1I2 “You have his will, then?” asked Inspec- tor Garson quickly. ‘J have; and also the bonds of which I have given you a memorandum. They are all at your disposal at any time.”’ “Then Mr. Hemmingway died without adding the codicil to his will in your favor,” observed Bayliss. ““Yes,” replied Fiske, ‘‘but that is a minor matter in the face of the present tragedy.” Bayliss felt slightly rebuked, but he couldn’t help admiring the manly way in which Fiske had spoken. ““AND this conversation occurred on Saturday,” went on Mr. Garson. “You took occasion to write to Mr. Hemmingway on Sunday?” “T did,’’ agreed Fiske. “I was so sur- prised at the whole thing that I was unable to express myself at our interview. I am always tongue-tied under stress of great surprise or excitement. So Isat down Sun- day afternoon and wrote to Mr. Ilemming- “way. I mailed the letter Sunday evening and he had already received it when I reached here on Monday morning, at ten o’clock, as usual.” “Did he refer to your letter?” asked Bayliss. “Ves; he said he was glad I wrote it, and that he would answer it on paper that I might also have his sentiments in black and white. Then he said we would discuss the matter more fully after a day or two, and we then turned our attention to other matters.”’ “And this revelation he made to you?” queried Inspector Garson, running his eyes over the lctter. Mr. Fiske hesitated and looked not only embarrassed but genuinely disturbed. “That, Mr. Garson, I want to be excused from telling.” ‘Excused from telling! Why, man, it may help to elucidate the mystery of Mr. Hem- mingway’s death!” “Oh, I hope not, I hope not!”’ said Fiske, so earnestly that both Bayliss and the In- spector looked at him in surprise. ‘You do know something,”’ said Mr. Gar- son quickly, ‘that may have a bearing on the mystery, and I must insist that you tell it” “It is because it may seem to have a bear- ing that I hesitate,” said Mr. Fiske gravely. “But, to put it boldly, as I told you I am not fluent under stress of excitement; in a Adventure word, then, Mr. Hemmingway implied to me, that—that he had a half-defined fear- that sometime his life might—might end - suddenly.”’ “In the way it did?” “Yes, in that way. He feared that some one desired his death, and that was the rea- son he asked me to care for his will and his valuable securities for a few days.”’ ““Why were these things not in a safety deposit vault?” asked Bert Bayliss. “They have been; but a few days ago Mr. Hemmingway had them brought home to make some records and changes, and as it was Saturday he could not send them back then, so he gave them to me. I have a small safe at home, and of course I was will- ing to keep them for him.” “Then Mr. Hemmingway feared both robbery and murder,” said Bayliss, and Mr. T*iske shuddered at this cold-blooded way of putting it. “Yes, he did,” said the secretary frankly. “‘ And whom did he suspect as hisenemy?”’ “That I hope you will allow me not to answer.” * “I’m sorry, Mr. Fiske,’”’ broke in the In- spector, “‘but you have knowledge pos- sessed by no one else. You must, therefore, in the interests of justice, tell us the name of the man whom Mr. Hemmingway feared.”’ “The man,”’ said George Fiske slowly, ‘‘is the one who inherits the bulk of Mr. Hem- mingway’s fortune.” “Everett Collins, his nephew?” “His wife’s nephew,” corrected George Fiske. ‘‘Yes, since I am forced to tell it, Mr. Hemmingway feared that Mr. Collins was in haste to come into his inheritance, and—and fs “You have done your duty, Mr. Fiske,” said Inspector Garson, “and I thank you. I quite appreciate your hesitancy, but a crime like this must be punished, if possible, and you need not appear further in the mat- ter. After your evidence the law can take the whole affair into its own hands, and justice will be swift and certain.”’ IIl THE law took its course. Although circumstantial evidence was lacking, the statement of George Fiske and the undoubted opportunity and evident motive, combined, caused the arrest of Everett Collins. cComiclbooks C©