Evening Star Newspaper, June 19, 1932, Page 74

. RSP - — THE SUNDAY STAR, WAS The Stranger in the Party—iui+ Magazine’s First Run Stories, Com- plete in One Issue. W atch for Another Story Next Sunday. One of The Star ILL PARDEE'S penchant for asking queer questions at unpropitious times completely changed the character of what was developing into a dull first evening at the hunting lodge. We-=had been talking in a desultory manner about crimes. Jack Reynclds, a news- paper editor, recalled some unusual cases he had covered in reportorial days; Judge Wilson contributed some reminiscences from his legal experience, and Amos Knowlton told how his drug store had cnce figured in a notorious mur- der, as the place at which the murderer had bought poison. I listened. and so did Bill and Dr. Carlton, Amos' guest and the stranger ia the party. In spite of the drama of the narratives, how- ever, nobody seemed greatly interested in them. The fact was that on the long drive to the lodge in the judge's car we had talked and listened all we wanted to for one day, or thought we had. We had got acquainted with Dr. Carlton and we had renewed those friend- ships that required renewal. The hunting trip had been an annual event for years for Bill, Amos and myself. Jack came when he could and the judge hadn't been with us for 20 years. In fact, we hadn't seen the judge for that length of time; after earning a really enviable reputation as a criminal lawyer, he had given up his practice almost overnight, and gone to St. Lcuis where he joined a firm of corporation lawyers. Natu- rally he had a lot to tell us and we had a lot to tell him. HE rid¢, however, had been long enough for us to get ourselves up to date with each cther. So now we sat by the fireplace, killing time rather stupidly. We were steadily becom- ing more dull than we were drowsy when Bill interjected his question. “What would happn,” he asked, “if two per- sons, acting independently and from different motives, should kill the same person at the same time?"” For a moment no one attempted an answer., Then, to my surprise, Dr. Carltcn spoke, “I know what happened in one case in which two persons killed the same man at the same time,” he said. “It was a strange and fascinating story. Some of you may remember it. The Warrener case?” The judge nodded and Jack recalled that he had written one or two stories about it. “Go ahead and tell us about it, doctor,” urged Bill. “Sure,” said Jack. “I remember it vaguely as a most unusual story. Let’s hear it.” “Most of the business of the drama took place not far from here, less than a hundred miles over the State line in the village of Clovelly,” the doctor began, “and one scene may have been enacted in this very pleasant room. “There were four principal characters: Her= bert Warrener, Dr. Walter Gordon, Nellie Lind- say and Sara Lee. I knew them all and watched the drama develop step by step into tragic climax. I was young, impressionable, and each detail is still clear in my mind. “Warrener was an important man in the town. He had plenty of money, which he had inherited, and he carried on a big stock farm with success. “Nellie Lindsay was the niece of Warrener’s housekeeper; a slim, vivid, little girl, whown Warrener had loved. Indeed, his affair with the girl had advanced to the stage at which he planned matrimony. Then the aunt stepped in and told Warrener there was insanity in the family of Nellie's mother. That ended the romance. Warrener loved the girl sincerely enough, I think, but he was afraid of hereditairy insanity. He had great pride in his name and in his family and he wouldn't risk injecting into it a strain of madness. “She sent Nellie away to the home of another relative and Warrener settled down to a few months’ steady work on his farm. Then, in June, Sara Lee was graduated from college and returned to Clovelly for the first time in four years, her vacations having been spent trav- eling. "Sgara Lee was the most beautiful girl I ever saw. I won't try to describe her. The judge probably has seen her and others of the party may recall her pictures as they appeared in the papers when the Warrener case Was news. So I'll let memory and imagination deplet her for you; neither can paint too attractive a picture.” The doctor paused and relighted his cigar with a hand that, it seemed to me, trembled a bit. Amos took advantage of the intermission to throw another log on the fire. The living room in which we were gathered was large and exposed to the northeast wind which was driving a cold, autumnal rain with howling violence against window and wall. A goodly supply of firewood and the energy to keep piling it on were necessary to repel the chill camp- ness that, given a chance, would make the room feel like a tomb. HEN the doctor’s cigar was burning evenly and freely he leaned back in his chair and stared at the cloud of smoke about him; and he spoke for a moment slowly, almost dreamily: “The most—beautiful—girl—I ever—saw and” (he sat erect abruptly, looked at each of.us auickly and resumed his narrative) “the most beautiful Warrener ever saw. After Sara came to town, his farm managed itself; he had mind and time only for her. And he must have been irresistible. Sara was no ignorant child likely to become c¢namored of the first man who showed special interest in her. She was cultured and she had seen the world—and she loved Warrener.” “Their engagement was announced in September. A few days before the announce- ment two things happened: Nellie Lindsay returned to Clovelly and Dr. Gordon came to town for a few weeks to take over the practice of Dr. Lind, who was ill. “Nellie insisted on re- turning, told her aunt she was homesick and gaive the idea that banishing her because a romance had been smashed was silly. “Walter Gordon was as unlike the typical vilage doctor as you can imag- ine. He was young and rich and had learned that he was more than ordi- narily attractive in ap- pearance. He was competert encugh, but he was not a real doctor in the sense that he was devoted to his profession. Ine deed, he hated medicine and prac- ticed it only because his family in- sisted—the family from which his money came. Doctors were a sort of family tradition. “Gordon thought he had genuine artistic talent and really longed to be a painter. But he didn’t paint, wouldn’t paint, even to amuse himself. He renounced art when he embraced medicine. If he couldn't have art wholly he wouldn’t have it at all. “He came to Clovelly partly because he knew and liked Lind and partly because he was in- stinctively postponing the definite establishment of himself in practice.” The doctor directed this analysis of Gordon almost altogether to the judge and before it was completed most of his auditors were watch- ing the judge, too. The doctor's conduct puz- zled me a bit, but I explained it by recalling that the judge had been defense counsel in the Warrener case and, as such, probably knew Gordon, who, I concluded, must have been in- volved in the affair. Carlton coughed, examined the gfowing tip of his cigar and again directed his narra- tive toward the group about him: “Gordon hadn't been in town long before he met Sara Lee, met her with Warrener at some social af- fair, fell madly in love with her. “A great measure of that passionate interest in life that would have been directed toward his work, had he permitted himself a life that would have been normal to him, was directed toward Sara. The moment he saw her she sprang into full being as the vital factor in his life. His thoughts were continually of her. He saw her face in the smoke that he puffed from his cigar—as I puff this; he saw her face in the firelight—in gold and red flames like those; he heard her voice even in the wind on stormy nights—on nights like this—it made music in the wildness and in the terror. He desired her with an earnestness, a singleness of purpose, 8 truly fierce intensity that literally possessed his whole being. Without her life was incredible— but he must live without her. He must live without her! So two madnesses contended for possession of his soul—the madness of love and the madness of despair. “Then one night a patient who rang his office bell proved to be—Warrener. “The man you hate, hate because he stands between you and that you most desire, coming to you, sick; what would you do? “Gordon did what anybody would have done in his place; examined Warrener thoroughly— and dispassionately; he thought so, anyway. Warrener, it seems, wasn't aware that he was really ill when he called on the doctor. But Gordon found his condition truly alarming and made a diag- nosis that crammed him with ex- ultation. This man whom he hated with the terrible intensity “Gord| desk and mildly a envelope each wil them o fully as “I wouldn’t bother lying to a thing like you,” he said quietly. “I repeat. She is dead—dead to you—and has been for at least eight years.” reserved for insurmountable obstacles between us and the object of our desire—this man was doomed! But he spoke quietly to Warrener. ‘You may live three months,’ he said. “Warrener stared at him a bit blankly for a moment. ‘You're not speaking seriously,” he said. “'I never was more serious in my life,’ replied Gordon. ‘That pain is pretty severe, isn't it?’ He placed his hand high on his stomach. °‘In the epigastrium; a truly grave prognosis. You have angina, Mr. Warrener, a disease for which medicine has no cure.’ “Warrener actually couldn't believe Gordon for a second. He listened to Gordon's opinion with a grin and the next day he joked with friends about what he called his ‘dismal fate.’ “‘That cub who's taking Lind's place says I've got three months to live. He's crazy. I'm going to make a tour of the specialists and show him up.’ I'M\URING Warrener's absence, Gordon sought Sara Lee as often as she would see him and he counted months and days until he would feel free to tell her of his passion. “Then, one wild, black night in October, night like this, while Gordon sat with his pleag ant thoughts before the fireplace in Lind's li ing room, the docrbell rang. Gordon admitto Warrener. In his visitor's eyes he saw a smi ing, triumphant light that cisturbed him. “‘Well,” said Warrcner. ‘I've seen them al and all agree. You were wrong, Gordon. operation will cure me. Nct angina, but t! gall bladder bothcrs me. But the pain is he at times. Give me something for it—if yo think yourself comretent.’ “Then Gordon went mad. This man, Wi had taken meaning from his life, now askdg him to ease his pain. . . . “He gazed at the fire and saw Sara’s face the smoke wreaths. She leaned over the ar of his chair and her breath warmed his che A cool draft enveloped him and he felt the e hilaration which he knew in Sara's presend “He turned quickly toward the windg through which the chill air seemed to co Some one was looking up at him, one who 4 so swiftly he glimpsed only a slight form ar a white face. Or was it fancy? He found window raised an inch and lowered it. Food Penalty Severe penalties under the Federal food and drugs act usually go no further than a fine and confiscation of the products in shipment found to be in violation of the provisions of the law. Recently, however, a shipper was detected sending out oleomargine labeled as pure cream- ery butter. Three men invelved in the de- ception felt the heavy hand of the law in much more severe penalties. The principal offender was sentenced to six months in prison, another was given a two-month sentence and the third was let off with a suspended sentence of two years. Another butter shipper who sold misbranded and aduiterated butter was let off with a fine of $300, the extenuating circumstance in h case being that the product was butter, least. Another of the “cld Indian remedies” alsi ran afoul of the law recently. This particula; remedy was good for the kidneys, liver, stom. ach, blood, indigestion, rheumatism, or wha have you? Altogether, in a recent month, there were 74 consignment of foods and drugs seized. They not only included the articles mentioned abovd but also shipments of rabbits found to havd gone a trifie beyond even a “gamey” flavar salmon that had been too long out of the watex and figs which were wormy and otherwisd spoiled. \