Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

THE STRANGER pocket of her dressing gown in which she was carrying the jewels for which so many men had died already and for which Logan had died on this night. She was at the front door again when the ambulance ar- rived and the policeman stepped down from it, followed by driver and doctor. They had sent out for more police in the meantime, but the first officer to arrive took charge of the case at once. The room where the dead body lay was locked for the time being. Then the series of examinations be- gan, the answers being jotted down as rapid- ly as possible in note form by the police- man. When it came to the turn of Olivetta, his task was made difficult by the appear- ance of Mrs. Dascom. She had slept miraculously through the early portion of the night. But when all the noise was ended, she had appeared {full of questions which, half answered by the first servant she met, sent her into a talka- tive hysteria. She insisted upon installing herself at the side of Olivetta no matter what happened. ‘Because if we are all to be murdered,” she said, “I shall die by your side, Olivetta.”’ | The examination proceeded in jerks. ‘He poured the jewels into my hands,” said Olivetta, ‘‘ when she came to that por- tion of the story. “With the murderer standing there to look on!” cried poor Mrs. Dascom. ‘ Oh, Olivetta, if he had chosen to make you the target instead—”’ “Tf you please!” said the man of the law, holding up his hand to secure silence. “ And may I see them?” “ Certainly,” said Olivetta, and scooped carefully from the pocket of the dressing gown—a whole handful of common agate marbles! Her cry of amazement was answered by a bewildered exclamation from the police- man. He took the marbles into his own thick fingers and turned them with a frown. ‘Tf these are jewels,” he said, “ then I used to go around with my pockets full of pearls and rubies when I was a kid.” He dropped the marbles into her pocket again. But it was not a jest in which the others could join. An oath came heavily from the lips of Hugh Dascom, the first which Olivetta had ever heard him utter. A handsome fortune had been turned into worthless stone. They gathered in a closed circle, staring in speechless dismay from one face te another as though in the ex- pectation that an explanation must be forth- coming. But no explanation came. The eyes of the policeman gleamed an instant at her. Then he dismissed the first explanation which, apparently, had come into his brain. Some one, during the mo- ments of wild confusion which followed the killing of Logan, had scooped the jewels out of her bathrobe pocket and dropped the agates into it. As for the choice of the agates in substitution, that was easily ac- counted for. Olivetta, in a tomboy childhood, had ac- quired an extraordinary dexterity with mar- bles, and when the period of longer dresses and more complicated arranging of the hair arrived, she had given up the game, but had retired with the spoils which belong to the victor. In her treasure there were only agates, for marbles of a baser sort had been despised. And still, in her room, she kept a little box brimming with the old trophies. And in the rush of people which entered the room after the shooting of Logan, it had been easy for some one to make the theft and escape without detection; and to find the criminal seemed hopeless. Three detectives now arrived in a clus- ter. The house was filled with bustle for half an hour, and then peace, all as sud- denly, dropped over the place. The body had been removed, the deposi- tions had been taken, and with the speed of perfect skill the detectives had “ bottled ” the case for later inspection. There were no arrests. There were no gloomy hints. The gloom of death was simply removed from the house and the occupants were left to sleep if they could. As for Olivetta, after the family council at which her mother wept and her father sat with bowed head, she had gone back to her bed and lain there quivering, telling herself that she could never sink into un- consciousness in this same room which she had seen Logan steal into, and where she had seen him die. And yet she would go to no Comic oooks.ec©