Argosy, Vol. 123, No. 2 — page 13: what you’re looking at

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

CIRCUMSTANCES. to school, Bob! Go to school, Bob!” It made the doctor shudder. In filling out the death-certificate Mrs. Spalding had told him the girl’s name was Elsie. “Elsie Spalding?” he asked. The old lady nodded. “ Married?” The doctor corrected him- self. ‘‘ Of course not.” And after Elsie ‘“‘ Spalding ” he wrote: “ Single.” Just then the parrot began to call the dead girl’s name: ~ ‘‘ Elsie, Elsie, El-sie!”” mimicked the bird. ““ El-s-i-e, where are you?” The thing was positively uncanny. “ Here, kitty, kitty, kitty!” coaxed the parrot, then called again, irritably: “* El-sie!” Dr. Brent completed the death-certifi- cate hastily and picked up his hat and black leather case. As he passed through the fire the par- rot cried triumphantly: ‘Go to school, Bob! Go to school, Bob!” _ The thing wasn’t easily forgotten. Dr. Brent had called back the day after the funeral to see how little old Mrs. Spald- ing was keeping up. He found her none tao well, but the parrot, and he was thank- ful, was silenced by a screen of henepere around its cage. “Mrs. Spalding, I think it would be ell to get rid of the parrot, ” suggested the doc- tor. “Get rid of Polly!” exclaimed Mrs. Spalding in horror, and Brent was sorry he had spoken. ‘Why, I couldn’t get along without old Polly,” protested the little gray lady. Brent had intended to speak of the dan- gerous effect that the bird’s senseless repe- tition of the dead girl’s name might have ion. Mrs. Spalding’s nerves—calling ghosts, that’s what it was! But the old lady was So appalled at the mere mention of disposing of the parrot that the physician shifted to another subject. Now, several years later, he was on his way back to the house. The woman who had summoned him had said murder, but his informant was unmistakably excited. ‘As the physician climbed into his car he wondered if the parrot would still be there. 147 Dr. Brent would have had no difficulty in identifying the house even if he had not remembered it. Two women and a man were standing on the sidewalk by the gate and watching anxiously along the street. As his car glided in toward the curb one of _the women rushed up the path to the rear of the house. When the acting county physician got around to the back of the cottage, the neigh- bors were prepared for him. The traveling salesman’s wife had announced his arrival. ‘“ Everything’s just as I found it,” ex- plained the policeman, ‘“ except that I had to shoot the dog. He wouldn’t let me g near the body.” | ‘“And the cat got away,” put in the drummer’s wife. ‘“‘ How about the parrot?” asked the doc- tor. ‘“T didn’t see any parrot,” replied the policeman. “She had one,” chorused the neighbors, and the policeman corrected his statement by saying: ‘‘ Yes, I see the cage over there in the corner, but—” The policeman crossed the room to investigate. ‘““The bird’s there, too,” he announced, “but starved like the cat and the dog. It’s lying on the bottom of the cage.” Dr. Brent was examining the body. He looked around sharply ‘as the buzz of talk outside increased. The policeman anticipated the doctor’s request, and closed the door, removing the battered lock that was swinging from a pair of loosened screws. After an examination of the wound, the doctor rose and looked around thoughtfully. Then he stepped toward the table. His first. theory was right. Three gray hairs were stuck by some dark substance against the corner of the table. . Again Dr. Brent looked around the room. Except for the bodies of old Mrs. Spalding and the dog the doctor had remembered as a puppy it was in perfect order. Nota thing had been disturbed. The policeman was watching the acting county physician. Their eyes met. “Natural causes?” suggested the police- — man. “Or accident, ” replied the doctor. “It’s conmiclbool C@