SUDDEN DEATH
Though Godfrey French's habits could not be called studious his private
room was known as his "study," which possibly was as good as any other
name. The furnishings of the room were of comfortable solidity. Since
the room served as an office in which he transacted such business as he
had, there was a desk with many pigeon holes, and backed against the
wall stood a small safe.
Outside it was dark, and the rising wind was beginning to sigh with a
promise of breeding weather. But in the study, lit by a shade lamp, its
owner and Mr. Braden were comfortably seated. Beside them stood a small
table bearing a decanter, a siphon and a box of cigars.
Mr. Braden helped himself to the whiskey. His drinking was strictly
private, but he indulged rather more frequently than of old, and in
larger doses. Somehow he seemed to require them. As for Godfrey French,
he took his Scotch as he took his tea, as he had been taking it all his
life, and with no more visible effect.
But as Mr. Braden looked at French he seemed to have aged in the last
few weeks. The features seemed more prominent, the keen face leaner and
more deeply lined, the cold, blue eyes more weary and more cynical.
"You look a little pulled down," Mr. Braden commented. "Perhaps a change
would do you good."
"If I could change the last thirty years for the next thirty, it might,"
French agreed grimly.
"None of us get younger," said Mr. Braden. "I myself begin to feel
the--er--burden of the years."
"You're not old. It's the burden of your fat."
"Ha-ha!" Mr. Braden laughed without much mirth. "But what seems to be
the matter with you?"
"The life that is behind me," French replied. "You can't eat your cake
and have it. But what the devil is the use of cake if you don't eat it?
I've eaten my cake and enjoyed it, and I'm quite willing to pay when the
times comes. All flesh is as grass, Braden--even such a quantity as
yours."
Mr. Braden shifted uneasily. Like many men he found any reference to his
ultimate extinction unpleasant.
"Oh, yes, yes, of course we must all pay our debt to nature. No hurry
about it, though. We have a number of things to do first."
"We merely think we have," French returned. "It wouldn't matter in the
least if we both snuffed out to-night."
"It would matter to me," Mr. Braden declared with evident sincerity.
"But to nobody else. Who would care a curse if _you_ died?"
Offhand, Mr. Braden could not answer this blunt question. French grinned
at the expression of his face. "You don't like to face the inevitable,
Braden. Well, since it is the inevitable it doesn't matter whether you
like it or not." He tossed three fingers of straight liquor down his
throat. A shade of color came into his lean cheeks and his eyes
brightened. "Have you heard anything fresh lately?"
Mr. Braden shook his head. "Nothing authoritative. I know the Airline
people are running trial lines east of here. I had a reply to my letter
from the head of their real estate department--McKinley, as near as I
could make out the signature--and he says just about half a page of
nothing."
"He doesn't want to tip their hand."
"That's what I think, I know they are coming through here, and when they
do it will kill this town, because they won't come within fifteen miles
of it. Well, in a week or so I'll own the Mackay ranch, and be in shape
to make them a definite townsite proposition whenever they do come.
There isn't a better natural townsite anywhere."
"No hold-up," French warned. "They won't stand for it. Give them a good
slice if they want it."
"I'll do that because I can't help myself. It's lucky I've been able to
bring on the sale so soon. You were wrong in thinking it would stop the
girl from marrying Mackay, though."
"I thought she would have more sense than to marry him under the
circumstances."
"You've heard nothing about the--er--deeds since you gave them to her?"
Mr. Braden asked.
"Nothing at all."
"Then I guess it's all right. When I sell out Mackay he'll get out of
the district likely. Just as well. He might find out something if he
stayed around here."
"He might," French agreed. "He suspects that we split up the biggest
part of the price that Winton was supposed to pay for the land."
"He can't prove it."
"And possibly he suspects that you are responsible for his failure to
get a new loan. He may even suspect that you had something to do with
what happened to his water supply.
"No; but when a man begins to suspect he interprets things which
otherwise would carry no meaning. So far he connects us only through the
original transaction with Winton. If he knew the truth he'd probably
twist your neck like a chicken's."
Mr. Braden moved that threatened part of his anatomy uneasily. "He
wouldn't dare to attempt physical violence."
French laughed. "You don't know that young man, Braden, because you're a
different breed. I know him, because I've seen his kind before. I made a
mistake in quarreling with him."
"I'd like to see him beaten to a pulp," said Mr. Braden viciously, "but
after all, it's the money we want. I'm having a devil of a time to keep
my head above water, and you're broke."
"Yes, I'm broke," French admitted. "These things are the only chance I
see of getting money. When a man reaches my age and faces poverty to
which he is unaccustomed, he will do almost anything for money. I want
to see the cities and some of the men I knew thirty years ago, before I
die. For money to do that I'd give--give--I would--give--"
Something seemed to have gone wrong with Godfrey French's enunciation.
It resembled nothing so much as a phonographic record with a
running-down motor. He did not stammer, but the words came slowly and
then blurred, as if his tongue had lost power. His face, on which a look
of blank wonder had come, suddenly contorted, his hand caught at his
breast, he threw his head back, chin up, mouth open, gasping.
"What's the matter?" Mr. Braden cried, startled at this sudden
transformation. "Are you ill? What--"
"Get--" Godfrey French muttered indistinctly, "get--" He fell back in
his chair, inert, sagging arms loose, his face gray, unconscious.
For an instant Mr. Braden stared at his associate horrified. It was as
if he had been seized, struck down and throttled by an invisible hand
which might claim another victim. Recovering, he poured a glass of
liquor with a shaking hand, and shivered as the rim clinked against the
unconscious man's teeth. He ran to the door.
"Help!" he shouted wildly to the echoing darkness of the hall. "Come,
somebody! Help!"
His call was answered by Kathleen and young Larry.
"Your father!" Mr. Braden quavered. But Kathleen, pushing past him, ran
to her father's side.
"He has a hypodermic somewhere," she said. "Look in his room, Larry,
quick!" Young Larry bounded for the stairs. "He has had these attacks
before, but this is the worst."
"I'll go for the doctor," Mr. Braden offered.
"Larry will go. Your horse isn't fast enough. I wish you'd stay here, if
you don't mind. The other boys are out and I'm alone."
But in a moment Larry returned with a hypodermic syringe in its case and
a vial of tablets. Kathleen dissolved one of the latter, and baring her
father's arm administered the injection with a swiftness and steadiness
which commanded Mr. Braden's admiration. "We'd better get him up to his
room," she said.
Larry picked up his father's inert body and mounted the stairs. He laid
him on his bed.
"I'll look after him now," Kathleen said. "You won't mind waiting till
Larry comes back, Mr. Braden? And--_ride_, Larry!"
Mr. Braden returned to the study. In a few moments he heard the dancing
rataplan of the hoofs of an eager, nervous horse, a curse from Larry,
the hoof-beats clamored past, steadied to a drumming roar, and died in
the distance. Evidently Larry was riding at a pace which probably meant
a foundered horse.
Mr. Braden helped himself to a drink. Inadvertently he sat down in the
chair which had held Godfrey French, and suddenly realizing that fact
vacated it hastily. Outside the wind had increased to a gale, and with
it was rain. The window was open and the drawn blind slatted to and fro.
Mr. Braden selected another chair and sat down.
But in a moment he arose, went to the door and listened. Leaving it ajar
he went to the desk and proceeded to pull out drawer after drawer,
rooting among their contents. Not finding what he sought he turned to
the safe. He stared at the impassive face of the dial, shook his head,
half turned away, and then caught the handle and twisted it. To his
amazement the bolts snicked back. Apparently whoever had closed the safe
had neglected to turn the knob of the combination.
Mr. Braden burrowed in the safe's contents, and with an exclamation of
satisfaction seized a packet of legal-looking documents bound by a
rubber band. He stripped off the band and riffled the papers. Apparently
he found what he sought, for he selected two documents, replacing the
rest. Then, crossing the room to the light he opened the documents and
proceeded to verify them by glancing at their signatures.
As he stood he fronted the window; and as he raised his eyes from the
perusal the down blind bellied and lifted with a gust of wind. In the
enlarged opening thus made Mr. Braden saw or thought he saw, a face. It
was but the merest glimpse he had of it, white with the reflected light
of the lamp. For an instant it stood out against the darkness, and then
the blind dropped back into place, hiding it.
Hastily Mr. Braden shoved the papers in his pocket, while a gentle but
clammy perspiration broke out upon his forehead. But had he actually
seen a face, or was it some freak of vision? He went to the window,
raised the blind and peeped out. It was pitch dark and raining hard, but
across from him there was a glint of white, and in a moment he
identified it as merely a painted post of a fence glistening in the
rain. So that was the "face." Mr. Braden's heart resumed its normal
action. He closed the safe, spun the combination, sat down and picking
up a paper began to read.
It was more than an hour later when Dr. Wilkes arrived. He came alone,
Larry having gone in search of his brothers. Mr. Braden listened to the
sound of low voices, of footsteps coming and going on the floor above.
Finally Wilkes came down.
"And how is the patient?" Mr. Braden asked.
"Gone out."
"Gone out? You don't mean--"
Dr. Wilkes nodded. Between him and Mr. Braden there was little
cordiality.
"What was the--er--cause of death?"
"Valvular cardiac disease of long standing."
"Poor fellow, poor fellow!" Mr. Braden sorrowed, his hand involuntarily
caressing the papers in his inside pocket. "You never can--or--that is
in the midst of life we are in death. Why, only an hour or so ago he was
planning for a trip abroad."
"He's on a longer trip," Wilkes said grimly.
But the pounding of hoofs outside indicated that Larry had found his
brothers. In a moment he entered with Gavin and Gerald. Dr. Wilkes did
not soften his reply to Gerald's quick question. They stared at him,
stupefied. It seemed to Mr. Braden that he should express his sympathy.
"My dear boys," he said, "I assure you that I feel for you in this dark
hour. Providence in its inscrutable wisdom has seen fit--"
But Gavin interrupted him.
"Cut it out!" he growled. "We don't want any stuff like that from
_you_!"
Shortly afterward Mr. Braden found himself driving homeward. The rain
had turned the road into mud, and was still coming down. It drove though
the lap-robe, wetted his knees and trickled down the back of his neck.
He was thoroughly uncomfortable. Nevertheless he reflected that
Providence in its inscrutable wisdom sometimes arranged things well.
Once more his hands pressed the papers in his pocket. Arriving at his
apartments he placed them in an old-fashioned iron safe which was
operated by a key instead of a combination. There were two keys. One Mr.
Braden carried with others on a ring. The other hung upon a single nail
driven into the wall immediately behind and concealed by the safe
itself. As it was dark there and as the safe was very close to the wall,
it seemed a very secure hiding place. On this occasion Mr. Braden used
the latter key, because he had changed his wet garments and left his
key-ring with them.
But Mr. Braden's trust in Providence might have lessened--or
increased--had he known that outside, chinning himself against the
window-sill which he had just managed to reach from the rickety steps,
hung Turkey Mackay; and that, further, the said Turkey had been a
witness to the manner in which the papers had come into the possession
of Mr. Braden.