Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 124, No. 2 — page 150: what you’re looking at

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

332 “Who was the mutual friend that brought you together?’ “Mr. Douglas Waverly.”’ “Him!” McCarty ejaculated. ‘ And is he what you call a connoisseur, too?”’ Mr. Cutter smiled with evident amuse- ment. “You have already interviewed him, I segt No, Mr. Waverly is a good sports- man and a capital fellow, but he has no in- terest in—er—antiques. However, I fear we are wasting your valuable time. As I said, I cannot conceive why Mr. Creveling should have killed himself unless—”’ “ Unless what?” McCarty leaned for- ward and his teeth clamped upon his cigar. “IT was going to say, unless he had sud- denly taken leave of his senses,” Mr. Cut- ter replied, stirring uneasily in his chair. “I would-not have suggested it as a possi- bility, but now that I have permitted my- self this indiscretion I must tell yeu quite frankly that on several occasions of late Mr. Creveling has seemed to be rather—er —peculiar, Not exactly irrational, but he has let go, lost control of himself over the merest trifles, worked himself up into a state of ungovernable fury because of some small annoyance or difference of opinion at which he would have laughed a year ago.” ‘«* Difference of opinion?’ ”’ McCarty re- peated. ‘“ With whom, Mr. Cutter?” ‘Oh, any one; I go not recall any par- ticular instance, but it has seemed as though he had been rather going to pieces. I am telling you this in confidence; it may have been simply a case of nerves, but in the light of what has occurred, and.in the absence of any possible motive as far as I can imagine, it may be worth looking into.” “It may that!” McCarty assented. “ Do you know if any of his other friends no- ticed the change in him? He was here at your home last Tuesday evening?” “Yes, poor chap! That is the last time I saw him alive.”’ Mr. Cutter eyed him steadily. “Did he show any of the temper that you’ve been telling me about then before the others?” “<The others?’” Mr. Cutter’s straight brows lifted inquiringly. “Oh, you mean my other guests of the evening?” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Yes. Mrs. Kip and the O'Rourkes and Fords and Mr. Waverly. Did he act peculiar then?” ‘“I see you have quite a comprehensive list of our mutual friends.” The other laughed shortly. ‘“ Mr. Creveling dis- played no ill-temper, if that is what you mean, but it did occur to me that he was preoccupied and laboring under some sort © of excitement.” ““Was he on good terms with every one?’”’ McCarty persisted. “ Did you no- tice any coolness between him and one of your other guests?” - Mr. Cutter frowned. “I did not. He appeared to be on ex- cellent terms with himself and the world. I may be all wrong, but his eccentricities have assuredly become more marked of late, and isn’t it quite possible that he may have had a violent quarrel with some one over some unintentional or imaginary in- quiry, brooded over it until the tension snapped, and in a moment of temporary aberration shot himself? I realize how far- fetched such an explanation may appear to you, but I can think of no other. He had everything to live for, and not an enemy in the world.” ‘“ Did he have any delusions, now? Was he a crank on any one subject that you can recall] ?”’ “No. He was a man with more than the average self-assurance; his egotism was marked, but if that were a gage of sanity I fancy that many of us would be in the hands of alienists!” Mr. Cutter smiled, then his face grew grave. gant because he had been pampered and spoiled from birth, and he never seemed able to realize that any one had a right to cross his will, but we got on wonderfully well together, and his death will be a dis- tinct loss to me, at least.” - CHAPTER XX. BIRDS OF DIFFERENT FEATHER. Mis toss, darted a swift glance at his host, for although the words had been uttered with the proper deco- rum, there was an odd note of risibility in COME OOS Ss COlini