Argosy All-Story Weekly, November 13, 1920 — page 124: what you’re looking at

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

— 402 others hadn’t seen it; but for various rea- sons I kept silent. About that time Judge Llewellyn asked whether Mrs. Beasley had been in court that day. It seemed not, and it proved that she had been there only one day, when a neighbor had consented to stay with her husband, and another had induced her, after much pleading, to make the trip. “She don’t go out much,” said the neighbor, who was. now looking on, and \ was, I feel sure, convinced with many, that Linda Beasley was the murderer of Gloria. After a half-hour, or a little more, Linda Beasley appeared. She looked baffled, and I felt sure that no one had told her of the suspicion. ‘‘ Yuh wanted me?” she asked. ‘‘ Have you ever seen this?” asked Frank Beagle, holding up the gunny-sack bag that Nathan had produced. “Yes, sir; it belongs to our farm. That there Fairview on it is the name of our farm.” They told her bluntly, cruelly, of what she was suspected. She quailed, and then sank into her usual dull apathy. Ques- tions flew- back and forth. She denied the charge. “Were you out that night?” Judge Llewellyn questioned. : = Ves elke c¢ Why?” “TY was a huntin’ Hiram.” “Did you find him?” “No, sir.” “Well, of course he couldn’t have done this alone. He hasn’t wit enough for that.”’ That question, I felt sure, was meant to test and trap her. She tangled in it. “He would,” she contradicted, maternal pride overstepping caution. “ Hiram, he ain’t so dumb as people think; he helps me real nice.” é “Tf you wanted him to help you, to do anything for you, he would?” Ves sit. “He is devoted to you?”’ ‘“T say, he is influenced by you, cares for you?”’ “Yes, sirj I reckon.” ‘Can any one else teach him to work— to do things?” ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. “Yes, sir; sometimes. But nobody can do it like me.” “You liked Miss Vernon? carefully about this answer.” Fumblingly she admitted she had not liked Miss Vernon. They probed her skil- fully; before she knew it an emotion that might be called a halfi-awake jealousy ex: hibited itself. The fact that she had felt more than a mild aversion to Gloria Ver- non came out when she flared, after telling of her exclusion from the sick room; flared, and then, after a return to her usual level, Now think said: “ He was my man.” And so it rested. Judge Harkins, William P. Watts, Gus- tave Gerome, Linda, and Hiram Beasley, ~ all of them suspected, and from convincing evidence, of the murder of Gloria Vernon. The next day was not a happy Sunday. Nathan alone seemed cheerful. He spent the day in the woods, using his pho- tographs, and stringing up a mirror which he said he was going to use that night to catch a certain sort of moth which he thought was hovering around. He had a great deal of trouble adjusting the mirror. The angle seemed to bother him, and it would not stay up. We could see it reflect on the hillside. “My, he’s having lots of trouble with that,” said Nan. “Isn't he,” agreed Dick, and then he suggested that he and I go walking. As we neared Nathan we heard him singing an ancient song, the first words of which are: “Old Dan Tucker, he got drunk—” ‘““ Doesn’t seem to bother him,” said I. “No,” Dick answered; ‘ doesn’t bother him—look here, do you think I have any chance with Midgette?” ‘“ Midgette’s dad appeared yesterday,” I said; “they fell on each other’s necks and wept. It was really touching. She says she’s going back to him after this is settled, and that she’ll never leave him. Something has made her decided to stick it out with us until the open season for murders closes, and we can clear out.” ‘‘ She told me she’d promised to stay with you all,’ said Dick, a fatuous look on his face. I didn’t say so, but I had never known Midgette to be really influenced by Gomichoo CS (E(0)