Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 82: what you’re looking at

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

= criminology ran: never overlook = evi- 2 = ‘dence held back by those nearest to the tragedy or those affected by it! Miss — Greenwood had carefully withheld all this information. Was she shielding herself, eo Cavendish, or whom? Yet the old Frenchman emphasized the vital impor- _ eanite of such withheld testimony. 7 Nancy launched her next question with - the suddenness of a pistol shot. _- “Why had you an appointment with Mr. in and Mr. Shoreham to transfer some _ property inherited from your mother to Mile. Ivette Mignonne, the medium?” Se: Dorothy Cavendish uttered a hitle gur- = “gasp and cowered before Nancy’s a flashing eyes. 2 -. “ You know that?” her pallid lips whis- Ze ot team wailed the girl. =“ And why?” = = _ “ Because, oh, because—I—I am airaid ; ae now that my f-father d-died s-so—” “ You heard what he said?” = « Yes, oh, yes.” <A violent fit of trem- = _ bling seized ‘the girl. >. * What did he mean?” « I do not know.” Yet in the girl’s hunt- Why? You must answer.’ a> 2 Se Then why can’t you ‘tell the reason for your attempted property transfer?” ~ Ze “ Because i cannot—I cannot. I am 8 z =e That it might look queer that if —if they should say my father could not have - killed himself that-—that some one else ee ae appear guilty.” himself: p?? 0h, I don’t know, I don’t “know.” -_- moaned the girl. “I can’t believe it, de- = ‘spite what he said. It wasn’t like him. He _ teved life above all things, and he has often said that any one who takes his life is a - despicable coward.” = = — “€an you think of any other explana. aS tion for his dying confession’ _- Undisguised fear looked — the girl’s eyes. Twice she tried to speak, but no an- oa ae ~ ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. ed eyes oi Nancy see shadowed there she: * So you think your father did not kill _— swere came. _ Then she e only shook her head | I \ i) } ) t i { h T | ' / ) / We iin ii BN He ) \ U (NW eat 44s Oe Sige with dumb = eae scenet ie else— stamped upon her face. Was it fear, or the spectral hand of some hidden suspicion? “You never left this office from the time you entered it at twenty munutes: of twelve until now?” “No,” she sobbed miserable = “ What time was your appoint ‘with Mr. Kent?” 3 ae “Any time between eleven thirty and twelve.” : “Why, when you had the correct time with you, did you wait here by your own testimony until twelve o’clock without at- tempting to go to Mr. Kent’s office, where you knew you were aue by appointment before twelve? You have already con- fessed that you: ‘were so afraid you might be tardy that you leit your aunt there, sup- posedly to tell Mr. Kent where you were should He ask for you.” “Why, I1—I—” stammered the girl, “ I —I just couldn’t give up seeing some one here first. So I just kept waiting, expect- ing every minute that Mr. Strong would be through with the man to whom he was speaking.” “If you were so very anxious both not to be late to your appointment with Mr. Kent and to see some member of this firm, _ why didn’t you make your presence here known?” = “{I—I didn’t want to. I j-just couldn’t seem to nerve myself to. I just kept hesi- tating and waiting until—until Billings be- gan to pound and call for help. Then it was too late.” . “Miss Cavendish, you are positive that you had two hatpins when you put on your “OF course. But the pin doesn’t mat- ter.” Ignoring this remark, Nancy persisted. “Was your aunt with you when you put on your hat?” < Yes. 3 ‘“* Did she know that you started out: with two hatpins?” | “ Y-yes,” replied the girl wearily. “ She She knows, because I was slow in dressing. _was all ready. She held my coat for me. — She handed me my two pins, saying that =——— the wind was" Dlowee « a Ze aad: that i = ST: . ==> a —— > z a a SS = — Se ——- = ee ae a sm ————— -—- _ ~ - a ee = a — 8 et ee ee x i SS SSS SS ge ee RS ee — a == —. ‘os