Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 21: what you’re looking at

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

THE “BLACK TUBE. ~ He’s always known that, ” put in Marsh. “ Sands was a man who made enemies be- cause he did things and did them in a rough, driving way. He crushed some as" he went up; all big men do.” “Go ahead, Mr. Deston,” Craton said. Deston- passed his hand across his fore- head. “Where was I? Oh, yes. Miss Thurs- ton dropped to her knees at her uncle’s side, and I ran across the reom, out the front door and down the walk. When I got to the end of the gravel I realized the folly of trying to look for any one in the darkness and came back. As I entered the room I noticed James Sands’s body for the first time. I covered it with a rug and said noth- ing to Miss Thurston. She had had enough ~ of a shock. I doubt if she knows now that he is dead.” “And then?” urged Marsh, leaning for- ward, his eyes riveted upon Deston’s face. Ky got Mr. Sands upstairs. Miss Thurs- ton had gone for some clothes and a basin. When she came back I telephoned Dr. Forbes and Morrison, Mr. Sands’s butler, telling him to try and find Mrs. Sands, and then te you, Mr. Marsh.” Craton studied the rug a moment. “What did Miss Thurston say when she ‘saw her uncle?” he questioned. Deston hesitated just a second and then said very quietly: “She asked me how I could have shot him.”’ ~- Marsh came.-to his feet as if a shot had been fired. He stared at the younger man. “Do you mean to tell me, Deston, that she charged you with murder?” “TY hardly see how her words could be otherwise construed.” “ What did you say?” asked Craton. ‘““T made no answer, and since then we have hardly exchanged a dozen words, in fact, I have hardly seen Miss Thurston. She did come downstairs just as I got through telephoning to find out where I was. taking a long time.” “ And you were a devil of a time,” fumed “What was it, poor connection? Marsh. Central kept telling me to go ahead, and I kept calling for you and vou never an- swered.” was out of order. telephone I found the receivers of both She said something then about my _ “You were telephoning from the library?” put in Craton. “From the booth. The jee telephone In fact, when I went to phones off the hooks.” “Both? By the way, Mr. Deston, why did you go into the library to telephone i in- stead of into your own office?” Deston looked at Craton as if he was at a loss to comprehend such questions. — “T don’t know,” he answered shortly. “ Didn’t know but what this telephone might be out of order?” * Mr. Marsh just used it.” “True, my mistake. How about the length of time it took you to do the: tele- phoning? Any reason?” “Tt wasn’t the poor connections. I got Dr. Forbes in an instant, telling central it was an emergency. Then I got Morrison. I gave your number, Mr. Marsh, and I heard you answer. The next thing I knew was lying across the table in the telephone booth hanging on to keep from slipping down. I had the receiver in one hand and I could hear your voice, but it sounded very faint. I managed to tell you Mr. Sands had been shot and then I went faint again. When Miss Thurston came down to see why I was so long I was just picking myself up off the floor. My feet were in the telephone booth, my head outside, and the door against my body.” Craton’s eyes were set on Deston’s face 499i in a searching stare that seemed to cleave to the very depth of his soul. “Inclined to faint, Mr. Deston?” he asked. “Never did before in my life.” . ‘Excuse me a moment.” Craton jumped to his feet and hurried from the room. He went through the library and into the room containing the telephone booth. CHAPTER VI. AN UNANSWERED QUESTION. RATON stepped off the chair he had — placed close to the telephone booth and from which he was able to make a careful examination of the top. CoOmicboo cS (E)