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THE SILVER BLADE
THE SILVER BLADE
THE TRUE CHRONICLE OF A DOUBLE MYSTERY BY CHARLES EDMONDS WALK WITH FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS IN COLOR BY A. B. WENZELL CHICAGO A. C. McCLURG & CO. 1908 COPYRIGHT A. C. McCLURG & Co. 1906 Published March 18, 1908 Entered at Stationers' Hall, London, Eng. All Rights Reserved. The Lakeside Press R. R. DONNELLY & SONS COMPANY CHICAGO TO THE MEMORY OF MY BROTHER GEORGE EDWARD WALK WHOSE INTEREST IN THE GROWTH OF THIS STORY WAS NOT THE LEAST INCENTIVE TO ITS COMPLETION CONTENTS BOOK
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CHAPTER I EXIT SEÑOR DE SANCHEZ
CHAPTER I EXIT SEÑOR DE SANCHEZ
About six o'clock on an evening in the early part of a recent November, the drowsy quiet sometimes pervading police headquarters was rudely broken by the precipitate entrance of a young man, who made his way hurriedly to the door marked, in neat gilt letters, "CHIEF OF POLICE." In addition to the reserve squad, whose vigil never ends, many other officers were present in the lazy transition stage between going on and going off duty. The attention of them all was immediately attracted to the stran
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CHAPTER II THE FIRST PROBLEM DEVELOPS
CHAPTER II THE FIRST PROBLEM DEVELOPS
Doctor Westbrook's offices were in the Nettleton Building in Court Street. It and its neighbor on the east, the Field Building, were of that solid old style of structure devoted to business, which knew not the elevator nor steam heat, nor any of the many devices that enter into the complexities, and often questionable conveniences, of the modern office edifice. They were not, and never had been, of an imposing appearance, boasting as they did only three stories; but they were nevertheless the bl
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CHAPTER III A SEARCH FOR CLUES
CHAPTER III A SEARCH FOR CLUES
By running a board partition down the centre of the room nearest the hall, Doctor Westbrook had by the simplest means given himself a place of reception; one where his patients could wait while he was engaged in the room overlooking Court Street, there being still another for his drugs and medicines. There was not much wasted space in the laboratory. Against the walls stood cases filled with bottles of many sizes and colors, and other cases displaying glittering, sinister instruments; in one cor
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CHAPTER IV MR. CONVERSE APPEARS AS CHORUS
CHAPTER IV MR. CONVERSE APPEARS AS CHORUS
Early the next morning Mr. Mountjoy, the district attorney, and the Coroner were seated in the former's office with a flat desk between them. Upon this set forth in orderly array, were the letters, papers, and other personal effects gleaned from the pockets of the dead man; dominating the whole was the sinister and grewsome little silver blade,—Doctor Westbrook's paper-knife. The regard of both officials rested upon it as they meditated and waited for the Captain. Remove those bloodstains and th
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CHAPTER V A TELEGRAM FROM MEXICO
CHAPTER V A TELEGRAM FROM MEXICO
"Your deductions seem natural," said Mr. Mountjoy, at length. "But this unknown woman? Is there any one in the city to whom you could ascribe a motive? Will you have to go into the past record of Señor de Sanchez? And Fairchild—Heaven knows there can't be anything between him and such a mysterious, blood-thirsty female. How are we to account for his participation in the crime? I think it well to secure such a record; also De Sanchez's association with General Westbrook in Mexico. There is no tel
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CHAPTER VI THE INQUEST
CHAPTER VI THE INQUEST
Mr. Merkel was not in readiness for the inquest into the Nettleton Building affair until the Monday following; and at the hour set for the hearing the outer of his two offices, which made a fairly large courtroom, was literally packed by a throng of gaping, perspiring spectators. In a corner by themselves sat the witnesses who were to testify. General Westbrook is of this group; also J. Howard Lynden, plainly ill at ease. The Doctor and his friend, Ferdinand Howe, are seated behind the General,
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CHAPTER VII THE VERDICT
CHAPTER VII THE VERDICT
Doctor Westbrook walked unhesitatingly and with a firm tread to the witness-chair; but once seated, it was more apparent than ever that his personal appearance had undergone a marked change. It was difficult to define: his head and beard appeared to be more shaggy and unkempt than usual; certain faint lines cast a vague and almost imperceptible shadow over his frank and open countenance; and without abating in the least their steady and unwavering glance, his eyes contained within their depths a
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CHAPTER VIII CHERCHEZ LA FEMME
CHAPTER VIII CHERCHEZ LA FEMME
The exterior of No. 18 Ash Lane did not present an inviting appearance. It was a dingy, battered, and weather-worn brick structure, marking a remote epoch in the past; and besides Mr. Converse, it contained one other tenant, a little old man whose entire body was so twisted and contorted into deformity by rheumatism, that one wondered what incentive could prevail upon him to move. A sign above the double door conveyed to the casual wayfarer the information that the busy, cheerful cripple's name
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CHAPTER IX THE SECOND PROBLEM
CHAPTER IX THE SECOND PROBLEM
The fact that John Converse was not given to betraying either surprise or astonishment only enhanced the effect of the involuntary step he took backward in the face of the intelligence flung at him by the Chief of Police. For a minute, perhaps, he returned the gaze of the agitated official; then the indomitable tenacity of the man began to manifest itself in a setting and tightening of the solid jaw; and when he presently turned to the excited McCaleb, the stunning effect of the news had been en
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CHAPTER X FOOTPRINTS
CHAPTER X FOOTPRINTS
Although it is now the morning of November seventeenth, the mild and spring-like Southern autumn has not yet presented any wintry aspects, and the wide, old-fashioned fireplace in the Westbrook library gives no indication that it has been recently used. If any papers had been removed from the General's desk, they had not been destroyed here—unless, indeed, the fireplace had been cleaned since midnight, which was scarcely likely. Still, the Captain continued to scrutinize the bricks; and when McC
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CHAPTER XI A BURNT FRAGMENT
CHAPTER XI A BURNT FRAGMENT
When Mr. Converse so abruptly left the brother and sister in the hall, he proceeded directly to the library, whence the body had already been removed. Merkel had left the room, so he found himself quite alone with his own thoughts, which, for a time, turned sombrely upon what was to him entirely an unknown quantity:—Joyce. After a while he seated himself in the swivel-chair, and fell to contemplating the cryptic blotter. Under his methodical examination the tangled lines finally resolved themsel
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CHAPTER XII A DOOR IS OPENED
CHAPTER XII A DOOR IS OPENED
As Mr. Converse entered the library he stopped short almost on the threshold, conscious of a sudden shock. Could that nonchalant, self-possessed girl be the innocent— Before the thought was complete his feelings took a pendulum sweep backward: from extreme surprise and acute disappointment that his sympathies had been wasted, to admiration and pity, and a satisfying conviction that, after all, his sympathies were greatly needed. He bent upon her a keener, more discerning look, and all at once co
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CHAPTER I MISS CHARLOTTE WAITS IN THE HALL
CHAPTER I MISS CHARLOTTE WAITS IN THE HALL
Somewhat more than a score of years before the opening of this story, Richard Fairchild, after quietly contemplating the parcelling of his once fair estate among a horde of clamoring, quarrelling creditors, chief of whom was his erstwhile overseer, William Slade, the elder,—strolled leisurely into the country, as quietly placed a pistol to his head and blew out his brains. He did not leave behind property of sufficient value to defray his modest burial expenses. This succession of disasters at o
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CHAPTER II MISS CHARLOTTE ENTERTAINS A CALLER
CHAPTER II MISS CHARLOTTE ENTERTAINS A CALLER
It will be remembered that when Mr. Converse's last tête-à-tête with Mr. Follett was interrupted by the summons to appear at headquarters, he had just terminated a long period of reflection with the announcement that he at last knew the means of finding young Mr. Fairchild. Despite the night's turbulent events, when he left the Westbrook home in charge of McCaleb and another plain-clothes man detailed from headquarters, it was in pursuance of a plan that had been incubating in his mind during th
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CHAPTER III "PAQUITA—WHAT DO YOU SPELL?"
CHAPTER III "PAQUITA—WHAT DO YOU SPELL?"
Presently Charlotte reappeared, composed and listless, her pale countenance subdued with sorrow. "You must pardon my having left you so unceremoniously," she began, her quiet voice even quieter than usual; "but your news was so shocking—my rest has been so broken—that I was not strong to bear it. It is appalling, Mr. Converse; I don't fully realize it yet. It troubles me greatly to be so situated that I cannot go to Joyce." "I, too, regret that you cannot," he returned, with a meaning hidden fro
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CHAPTER IV MISS CHARLOTTE BECOMES A FACTOR
CHAPTER IV MISS CHARLOTTE BECOMES A FACTOR
That Joe's errand had carried him to the Westbrook home in search of the Captain, and thence to the cottage, could signify only a matter of the utmost emergency; so Converse watched his approach with some curiosity, wondering why his friend, Mr. Follett, should be in such haste to find him. He thought of the advertisement seeking information concerning the unknown woman. The negro approached and handed him a much-soiled envelope; and this is what he read: Slade was here this A.M. Claims to have
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CHAPTER V A DECISION AND A LETTER
CHAPTER V A DECISION AND A LETTER
If Mr. Converse departed from the cottage with a feeling of depression, it was based, as we know, upon a formidable number of reasons. If the sensation was incompatible with his profession, it at least proved that, as a human being, he was not so utterly devoid of feeling as his grim exterior continually indicated; and when the irresistible logic of the present investigation singled out again and again a beautiful girl as the author of a monstrous assassination; when the amorphous figure of Paqu
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CHAPTER VI FAINT RAYS FROM STRANGE SOURCES
CHAPTER VI FAINT RAYS FROM STRANGE SOURCES
Meanwhile the Captain narrowly escaped missing a car, and as he ran for it he fancied he heard a newsboy crying an extra edition of some evening paper. Idly wondering what could call forth an additional issue so soon after the regular evening edition, he took his seat, and straightway forgot the incident. His cogitations in a little while assumed the form of a resolution to avail himself of the present opportunity to ask Mrs. Westbrook several questions which had been restrained only by the circ
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CHAPTER VII A VOICE IN THE NIGHT
CHAPTER VII A VOICE IN THE NIGHT
The woman who presently turned to Mr. Converse was a very different woman from the one who had met him but a few minutes previously. As soon as the brief emotional outburst had exhausted itself her admirable poise and self-possession returned, and with it all the frigid reserve, the air of aloofness and apparent unconcern. But there was this immense difference:—where her attitude had been condescending and inflexibly hostile, it now conveyed a subtle suggestion of surrender, by recognizing some
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CHAPTER VIII THE CORONER'S COUP
CHAPTER VIII THE CORONER'S COUP
Possibly ten minutes elapsed before Miss Westbrook entered the room; had she been a witness of her mother's departure, she would have known that Mr. Converse had not stirred during that time. His attention was evidently drawn forcibly back from distant spaces and fixed upon her with an effort. In seeking this meeting she had prepared for an ordeal, but now she became sensible of the fact that other concerns besides her own might occupy his mind, and that those unwavering, piercing eyes, the scru
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CHAPTER IX THE LIGHT BRIGHTENS—AND DIMS
CHAPTER IX THE LIGHT BRIGHTENS—AND DIMS
Added to the tumultuous occurrences of that day, Lynden's advent with the published evidence of the Coroner's fatuity produced a condition in the Westbrook household amounting to consternation. For a time Joyce managed to infuse a semblance of calmness into her mien; but as the brutality of the narrative impressed itself upon her, as realization grew in her dazed mind of the callous indifference with which her own feelings were ignored in the light of the mere sensation, she seemed gradually to
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CHAPTER I OPENING WAYS
CHAPTER I OPENING WAYS
Before Converse and the District Attorney separated that night they had come to an agreement that considerably mystified Mr. Mountjoy. It was no less than the assertion of a determination by the former to disappear for a time, and an assurance by the District Attorney that he would keep the Captain informed about affairs local during the latter's absence. "Ah, and I am to provide the red fire?" inquired the lawyer, mildly, in his precise way, "to see to the braying of the trumpets and the clashi
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CHAPTER II FAIRCHILD REDIVIVUS
CHAPTER II FAIRCHILD REDIVIVUS
On the morning of the day on which the Captain of detectives chose to efface himself from the stage of the "Westbrook-De Sanchez Drama" to a position behind the scenes, two things came to his notice that had for him more than a passing interest. The first we may present as it appeared, set in modest and inconspicuous agate type, among the court notes of a certain newspaper. No. 26004. In re Estate of Peyton Westbrook, deceased. Report of appraisers approved and filed. The report shows that there
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CHAPTER III "THE THUNDERBOLT HAS FALLEN"
CHAPTER III "THE THUNDERBOLT HAS FALLEN"
The next Sunday morning was bright and frosty. Mr. Mountjoy was early abroad; his footsteps rang out, sharp and metallic, as he passed briskly down the artificial stone walk of the Mountjoy residence; ignoring clanging trolley cars, he set his face toward the city, striding along with the firmness and ease of one whose vitality is in entire accord with the crystalline day. As he walked, he meditated. What would Mrs. Westbrook and Joyce do, now that they were impoverished? Would this news prove o
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CHAPTER IV SOME LOOSE ENDS
CHAPTER IV SOME LOOSE ENDS
As may be imagined, Captain John Converse, in the steady, unostentatious performance of his duty, was not the only one to whom success signified a reward as large as the twenty thousand dollars offered by the De Sanchez estate. About the time of his quiet leave taking there was a great gathering of soi-disant specialists, investigators, and detectives, like corbies to a feast. But they only created, for a time, a distracting tumult, and were soon forgotten—with a single exception. The man Adams,
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CHAPTER V MR. SLADE RESIGNS
CHAPTER V MR. SLADE RESIGNS
The third incident has to do with Mr. William Slade. With the cold days of January, there came over him a noticeable change; quite suddenly—in a day—he seemed to have aged, to have shrunk and become doddering. It was an effort for him to climb the one flight of stairs to Room 6, and when once there, a still greater effort to go about his business. He began to be late of mornings and to commit trifling irregularities which, it was obvious, were due to a failing memory; the beady eyes—though with
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CHAPTER VI AN ARREST
CHAPTER VI AN ARREST
It is in life's supreme moments that destiny calls the loudest. Miss Charlotte stands in the Westbrook morning-room, her demeanor plainly indicating nervousness and irresolution. From time to time she looks in a hesitating way at Doctor Westbrook's broad back, as he stares out of the window. Presently she speaks, as if with an effort; but her deliciously soft and gentle voice in its free and expressive play falls upon the listener's ears so like a harmony struck from silver strings, that to say
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CHAPTER VII "SLADE'S BLESSING"
CHAPTER VII "SLADE'S BLESSING"
To begin with, I was unfortunate in being born the son of an overseer. The generation that has come since the war recks little how pregnant this simple statement is. It bestowed upon me an ethic value somewhat lower than that possessed by the meanest nigger on Richard Fairchild's plantation. They had a place; I had none. Besides, my father was a rascal and a thief, possessing not a single leavening trait or characteristic; for he was without any refinement or culture, impenetrable to any noble s
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CHAPTER I "THAT IS PAQUITA"
CHAPTER I "THAT IS PAQUITA"
When Mr. Nettleton came to the end of the extraordinary composition from the hand of William Slade, his listeners were sitting in a tense stillness that was fairly galvanic with many mingled emotions. Doubtless, Converse realized the conflicting feelings animating the three individuals most concerned; he arose immediately, and began speaking with an assumption of brisk determination designed to hold their attention to the programme as he intended it should be carried out. "I have taken the liber
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CHAPTER II THE SERPENT STRIKES
CHAPTER II THE SERPENT STRIKES
As in its last outburst a dying volcano is said to vomit forth its hottest flow of lava, so did the perfervid words pour from the lips of Vargas. But the malevolence and implacable hate revealed in the man's look and tone, in the bitter denunciation of his utterance, were so intense that the scene amounted at times to an almost unendurable ordeal. The tale he unfolded was one of wrong and betrayal, of a heartlessness unbelievable, and it was plain that years of brooding had made of revenge an ob
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CHAPTER III WHICH IS THE LAST
CHAPTER III WHICH IS THE LAST
As for General Westbrook, Castillo protested that he had meant in the end to spare his life, but that the former had himself precipitated the tragedy. On the night the two met in the lobby of the La Salle House, Castillo overheard Slade cursing the General beneath his breath, and at once the idea dawned in his mind to use the abstracter as a tool. Irrefutable evidence of the one-time banking firm's illegal disposition of Don Juan's estate had been prepared by Castillo, and this evidence was plac
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