The Black Mask — page 46: what you’re looking at

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

him into the bedroom, Then, when he made a lurch toward me, trying to se- cure the pistol and stumbled against the bed, I fired—he fell across it dead:” “Where is the pistol?’ Alan asked drily. The woman’s eyes narrowed. “I flung it under the bed. His blood smeared Jy gown, see! After a little, I went out to drive the car to town, but it was raining so hard I became drenched before I reached the barn. I came back to the house. Then I heard you come in at the front door. I was frightened. I had fancied myself abso- lutely alone out here. I locked the bed- room door when I heard you climb the stairs—you know the rest—” We were silent for a few moments, Then Alan said abruptly: “Td like to take a look at him again.” The woman rose slowly, and we all filed up the stairs again. At the ‘bed- room door she laid a feverish hand on mine, and I felt a shudder go through her, but when we stood staring at the cold, dark figure before us, her face was unexpressive, emotionless, Half entangled in the lace of the bed- spread where it had fallen, or been thrown, as MacPherson stumbled against the bed, was the revolver. The light from the lantern, though not bril- lant, illuminated more space than Alan’s spot had done, hence it had been hidden from our view before. Alan looked steadily at her a mo- ment. I could not read what was pass- ing through his thoughts, then he mo- tioned for us to follow him downstairs. The steady drip, drip of the rain made me drowsy. We huddled in si- “surprise to his friends, The Abandoned House ae lence on the floor before the stove, the woman staring off in space. Presently I dozed, leaning against Alan’s shoulder. — When I awakened, it was breaking day—she was gone! “Alan!” I cried, shaking him a little to waken him. “She’s gone!” “Yes, I know. I saw her when she ~ left.” “Bute” _ “Who are we to judge?” he asked slowly. IV Two days later, picking up a New York newspaper, I read the headlines: “Judson MacPherson, well-known jus- tice of the Criminal Court, commits sui- cide in abandoned house in the Catskill Mountains.” Then followed a_ half- column account of the act in detail. MacPherson having gotten into finan- cial difficulties had chosen the coward’s way out, so said the paper. A letter an- nounced His intention of dying, and gave the location where to find his body. The paper also stated that the knowl- edge he had recently married a young and beautiful actress came as a distinct A picture of his bride accompanied the article, The wistful, almost tragic, face pic- tured was unquestionably that of the woman who said she had killed him! I stared at Alan as I handed him the newspapér. “Was she lying?” I gasped. He shook his head. “If so, she was a clever actress,” he answered. “But one thing is certain, we'll never know the truth. Either way he brought about his own death.” x =