The Corpus Delicti by Melville D. Post
Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5]
his eyes contradicted . they were red and restless .

in_the private dining- room the dinner party was in_the best of spirits . Samuel Walcott was happy . across the table from_him was miss Virginia St .Clair, radiant, a tinge of color in her cheeks . on either side, Mrs Miriam Steuvisant and Marshall St .Clair were brilliant and lighthearted .Walcott looked at_the young girl and_the measure of_his worship was full . he wondered for_the thousandth time how she_could possibly love him and by what earthly miracle she had come to accept him, and how it would_be always to_have her across the table from_him, his own table in_his own house .

they were about to rise from_the table when one_of_the waiters entered the room and handed Walcott an envelope . he thrust it quickly into his pocket . in_the confusion of rising the others did_not notice him, but his face was ash white and_his hands trembled violently as he placed the wraps around the bewitching shoulders of miss St .Clair .

" Marshall," he_said, and despite the powerful effort his voice was hollow, " you_will_see the ladies safely cared for, I_am called to attend a grave matter ."

" all right, Walcott," answered the young man, with cheery good nature, " you_are too serious, old man, trot along ."

" the poor dear," murmured Mrs Steuvisant, after Walcott had helped them to_the carriage and turned to_go up the steps of_the club,-- " the poor dear is hard hit, and men are such funny creatures when_they are hard hit ."

Samuel Walcott, as his fate would, went direct to_the private writing- room and opened the door . the lights were_not turned on and in_the dark he_did_not_see mason motionless by_the mantel- shelf . he went quickly across the room to_the writing- table, turned on one_of_the lights, and, taking the envelope from_his pocket, tore it open . then he bent down by_the light to read the contents . as his eyes ran over the paper, his jaw fell . the skin drew away from_his cheekbones and_his face seemed literally to sink in . his knees gave way under him and he_would_have gone down in a heap had it not been for mason's long arms that closed around him and held him up . the human economy is ever mysterious . the moment the new danger threatened, the latent power of_the man as an animal, hidden away in_the centers of intelligence, asserted itself . his hand clutched the paper and, with a half slide, he turned in mason's arms . for a moment he stared up at_the ugly man whose thin arms felt like wire ropes .

" you_are under the dead- fall, aye," said mason ." the cunning of_my enemy is sublime ."

" your enemy ? " gasped Walcott ." when did you come into_it ? how in god's name did you_know it ? how your enemy ? "

mason looked down at_the wide bulging eyes of_the man .

" who_should know better than I ? " he_said ." haven't I broken through all the traps and plots that she_could set ? "

" she ? she trap you ? " the man's voice was full of horror .

" the old schemer," muttered mason ." the cowardly old schemer, to strike in_the back; but we_can beat her . she did_not count on my helping you--I, who_know her so_well ."

mason's face was red, and_his eyes burned . in_the midst of it all he dropped his hands and went over to_the fire . Samuel Walcott arose, panting, and stood looking at mason, with_his hands behind him on_the table . the naturally strong nature and_the rigid school in_which_the man had_been trained presently began to_tell . his composure in_part returned and he thought rapidly . what did this strange man know ? was he simply making shrewd guesses, or had he some mysterious knowledge of this_matter ? Walcott could_not know that mason meant only fate, that he believed her to_be his great enemy .Walcott had never before doubted his own ability to meet any emergency . this mighty jerk had carried him off his feet . he_was unstrung and panic- stricken . at any rate this man had promised help . he_would take it . he put the paper and envelope carefully into his pocket, smoothed out his rumpled coat, and going over to mason touched him on_the shoulder .

" come," he_said, " if_you_are to help me we_must go ."

the man turned and followed him without a word . in_the hall mason put on_his hat and overcoat, and_the two went out into_the street .Walcott hailed a cab, and_the two were driven to_his house on_the avenue .Walcott took out his latchkey, opened the door, and led the way into_the library . he turned on_the light and motioned mason to seat himself at_the table . then he went into another room and presently returned with a bundle of papers and a decanter of brandy . he poured out a glass of_the liquor and offered it to mason . the man shook his head .Walcott poured the contents of_the glass down his own throat . then he set the decanter down and drew up a chair on_the side of_the table opposite mason .

" sir," said Walcott, in a voice deliberate, indeed, but as hollow as a sepulcher, " I_am done for . god has finally gathered up the ends of_the net, and it_is knotted tight ."

"Am I not here to help_you ? " said mason, turning savagely ." I_can beat fate . give_me the details of her trap ."

he bent forward and rested his arms on_the table . his streaked gray hair was rumpled and on end, and_his face was ugly . for a moment Walcott did_not answer . he moved a little into_the shadow; then he spread the bundle of old yellow papers out before him .

" to_begin with," he_said, " I_am aliving lie, a gilded crime- made sham, every bit of me . there_is not an honest piece anywhere . it_is all lie . I_am a liar and a thief before men . the property which I possess is_not mine, but stolen from a dead man . the very name which I bear is_not my own, but is_the bastard child of a crime . I_am more than all that-- I_am a murderer; a murderer before_the law; a murderer before god; and worse than a murderer before_the pure woman whom I love more than anything that god could make ."

he paused for a moment and wiped the perspiration from_his face .

" sir," said mason, " this_is all drivel, infantile drivel . what you_are is of no importance . how to_get out is_the problem, how to_get out ."

Samuel Walcott leaned forward, poured out a glass of brandy and swallowed it .

" well," he_said, speaking slowly, " my right name is Richard warren . in_the spring of 1879 I_came to New_York and fell in with_the real Samuel Walcott, a young man with a little money and some property which his grandfather had left him . we became friends, and concluded to_go to_the far west together . accordingly we scraped together what money we_could lay our hands on, and landed in_the gold-mining regions of California . we were young and inexperienced, and_our money went rapidly . one April morning we drifted into a little shack camp, away up in_the sierra Nevadas, called Hell's elbow . here we struggled and starved for perhaps a year . finally, in utter desperation, Walcott married the daughter of a Mexican gambler, who ran an eating house and a poker joint . with_them we lived from hand to mouth in a wild god- forsaken way for several years . after a time the woman began to_take a strange fancy to_me .Walcott finally noticed it, and grew jealous .

" one night, in a drunken brawl, we quarreled, and I killed him . it_was late at night, and, beside the woman, there were four of us in_the poker room,-- the Mexican gambler, a half- breed devil called cherubim Pete, Walcott, and myself . when Walcott fell, the half- breed whipped out his weapon, and fired at me across the table; but the woman, Nina San Croix, struck his arm, and, instead of killing me, as he intended, the bullet mortally wounded her father, the Mexican gambler .I shot the half- breed through_the forehead, and turned round, expecting the woman to attack me . on_the contrary, she pointed to_the window, and bade me wait for her on_the cross trail below .

" it_was fully three hours later before_the woman joined me at_the place indicated . she had a bag of gold dust, a few jewels that belonged to her father, and a package of papers .I asked her why she had stayed behind so_long, and she replied that_the men were_not killed outright, and_that she had brought a priest to_them and waited until they had died . this_was the truth, but not all the truth . moved by superstition or foresight, the woman had induced the priest to_take down the sworn statements of_the two dying men, seal it, and give it to her . this paper she brought with her . all this I learned afterwards . at_the_time I_knew nothing of_this damning evidence .

" we struck out together for_the pacific coast . the country was lawless . the privations we endured were almost past belief . at times the woman exhibited cunning and ability that were almost genius; and through it all, often in_the very fingers of death, her devotion to_me never wavered . it_was doglike, and seemed to_be her only object on earth . when we reached San_Francisco, the woman put these papers into my hands ." Walcott took up the yellow package, and pushed it across the table to mason .

" she proposed that I assume Walcott's name, and_that we come boldly to New_York and claim the property .I examined the papers, found a copy of_the will by_which Walcott inherited the property, a bundle of correspondence, and sufficient documentary evidence to establish his identity beyond the shadow of a doubt . desperate gambler as I now was, I quailed before_the daring plan of Nina San Croix .I urged that I, Richard warren, would_be known, that_the attempted fraud would_be detected and would result in investigation, and perhaps unearth the whole horrible matter .

" the woman pointed out how_much I resembled Walcott, what vast changes ten years of_such life as_we had led would naturally be expected to_make in men, how utterly impossible it would_be to trace back the fraud to Walcott's murder at Hell's elbow, in_the wild passes of_the sierra Nevadas . she bade me remember that we were both outcasts, both crime- branded, both enemies of man's law and god's; that we had nothing to lose; we were both sunk to_the bottom . then she laughed, and said that she had_not found me a coward until now, but that if I had turned chicken-hearted, that was_the end of it, of_course . the result was, we sold the gold dust and jewels in San_Francisco, took on_such evidences of civilization as possible, and purchased passage to New_York on_the best steamer we_could find .

" i_was growing to depend on_the bold gambler spirit of_this woman, Nina San Croix; I_felt the need of her strong, profligate nature . she was of a queer breed and a queerer school . her mother was_the daughter of a Spanish engineer, and had_been stolen by_the Mexican, her father . she herself had_been raised and educated as best might_be in one_of_the monasteries along the Rio Grande, and had there grown to womanhood before her father, fleeing into_the mountains of California, carried her with_him .

" when we landed in New_York I offered to announce her as my wife, but she refused, saying that her presence would excite comment and perhaps attract the attention of Walcott's relatives . we therefore arranged that i_should go alone into_the city, claim the property, and announce myself as Samuel Walcott, and_that she should remain under cover until such time as we_would feel the ground safe under us .

" every detail of_the plan was fatally successful .I established my identity without difficulty and secured the property . it had increased vastly in value, and I, as Samuel Walcott, soon found myself a rich man .I went to Nina San Croix in hiding and gave her a large sum of money, with_which she purchased a residence in a retired part of_the city, far up in_the northern suburb . here she lived secluded and unknown while I remained in_the city, living here as a wealthy bachelor .

" I_did_not attempt to abandon the woman, but went to her from_time to_time in disguise and under cover of_the greatest secrecy . for a time everything ran smooth, the woman was still devoted to_me above everything else, and thought always of_my welfare first and seemed content to wait so_long as i_thought best . my business expanded . i_was sought after and consulted and drawn into_the higher life of New_York, and more and more felt that_the woman was an albatross on my neck .I put her off with one excuse after another . finally she began to suspect me and demanded that i_should recognize her as my wife .I

Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5]