The Dream Doctor

taking a new treatment under Dr. Thompson Lord. No one having answered her bell in the present state of excitement of the house, she stopped short at the piv

The valet had found the kitchen a veritable slaughter-house, with, the negro chef,

tiseptic or rather aseptic kitchen, with its white tiling and enamel, its huge ice-bo

f. On its blade and haft were huge coagulated spots of blood. The body of Sam bore marks of his having been clutched violently by the throat, and in his head was a single, deep wound that penetrated

s head in confirmation of his own opinion, "Tha

ess gun?"

et and no powder are used in it. But when it is placed directly over a vital point of the skull so that th

ere so far from the place where the valet had discovered the body of the chef that there could be no dou

d with a large light cloth. Beneath the table a

?" he mused aloud. "The

a moment. Then he unlo

as created and ble

e table as the door was opened. The chances are all that it came

odstains about the room were such as to indicate

g up the bloody knife and looking about at the stains, comparatively few of w

e, shape, and location might throw some light on what had occurred. "Walter," he said fina

n-cut young fellow of much

s I have not yet got

the body, exactly, whe

de of the kitchen toward the door leading out

ked Kennedy, to all appearances very

sir," he answe

esty and faithfulness of the servant. At last he

the young fellow wa

as much as he can see of the visitors, the messengers that come here this morning. It

hastily to his laboratory and had found one of his students there. He had orde

rd to Pitts that he wanted to s

attached to the inside. From it ran a tube which ended in another gra

er the brachial artery of P

Mr. Pitts," he apologised, "but i

I began to see what he was after. The reading on the graded scale of the height of the column of mercury indicated, I knew, bloo

sed himself, although as we went back to

asked. "What di

ry high. The large life insurance companies are now using this instrument. They would tell you that a high pressure like that indicates apoplexy. Mr. Pitts, young as he really is, is actuall

, that it is due to microbic poisons secreted in the intestines and penetrating the intestinal walls? Well

icroscope slides and test-tubes, and from here and there in the masses of blood spots Kennedy was taking an

work Edward join

g happened?"

boy for Mrs. Pitts,

d she do

e it

the p

ve hidden th

you can

odded an

nd. I notice, for one thing, Craig, that Edward shows no such marks, nor does any one else in the house as far as I can see. If it wer

her subject. "Before we go we must see Mrs

uld see us immediately in her sitting-room. The events of the morning had quite nat

suppose you are aware of the phy

upt to me at first, bu

ith real alarm, "i

adly, I fear, that it would not require much more excitement like to-day's to bring on

n before us was genuine or not. It certainly looked so. But then, I knew t

ean?" she aske

either regularly in or employed in this house or who had a ready means of access to it must have entered that kitchen last

suspected something of the sort she did not think that a

e of the servants," she murmured hastily; adding, "and

felt that it was no use to pursue the conversation furthe

g," remarked Kennedy to me as we l

rks of violence herself o

noon, and probably longer. However, drop in at dinner time, and in the meantime, don't say a word to any one

ue a statement, the net import of which was to let the public kno

im, a little late purposely, since I kne

, looking about me as I ente

investigation of criminal science, though I saw on a second glance that it was the same, that there was the usual hurly-burly of microscopes, test-tubes

fellows that extend all over the body and putrefy it. We nourish within ourselves microbes which secrete very virulent poisons, and when those poisons are too much for us-well, we grow old. At least that is the

t in his manner which told me that Kenne

the scientific slaying of human beings has far exceeded organised efforts at detection? Of course you expe

e kind of deadly bacilli. Authorities say, and I agree with them, that hundreds of murders are committed in this country every year and are not detected because the detectives are not scientists, while the slayers have used the knowledge of the scientists both

had ever seen him. Indeed it was one

u found?" I a

f all the ills of the cardiac and vascular systems nowadays seems to be arterio-sclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. It is possible for a

entage of persons than formerly. This fact cannot be denied, and it is attributed largely to worry, the abnormal rush of the life of to-day, and sometimes to faulty methods of eating and bad nutrition. On the surface, these natural causes might seem to be at work with Mr. Pitts. But, Walter, I

nnedy's hope had not been unfounded. I opened it and let in Edward,

that Mrs. Pitts seems more nervous than ever, and

after hunting through the house. It had been thrown into a fireplace in Mrs. Pitts's own room, and only by chance ha

ten the very morning on whi

hen there was a break. The last words were legible, and were,"… co

sender had perfectly understood

me one has succeeded in having him declared 'insane,' I should supply. If he is in an institution near

of all the institutions, both public and private, within a con

Kennedy had laid out to make sure that he was not going wrong in the line of inquiry he was pursuing, we started

as we did might almost think that the very world was going rapidly insane. There were literally thousands of names in the lists which we examined patien

Kennedy had hired after exhausting the city institutions, we came to a small private asylum up in Westchester. I had almost been willing to

-the-way, and guarded by a high brick wal

brought a sharp-eye

ed in such a way that if it were the last name he might com

day," she snapped ungraciously, "but you

tartness. "Could I-" he slipped a crumpled treasury no

alkaline. She opened the door a little further, and we fo

There was none of the raving, as far as I could make out, that I should have expected even

large and powerful hands and arms and slightly bowed, almost bulldog legs. Yet he was not of th

of Mr. Thornton?"

s the cur

e is all r

s all right," was the quick r

not know him, but I was in this part of Westchester visiting and having hear

e was here?" asked

y from a friend of

O

ccept the explanati

y?" asked Craig with

uced, "don't you go a-telling her, but if he says the name Minna once a

queried Craig. "Why

u, You come here saying you're friends of M

I should also tell you I am a fri

Thomps

e knows Dr. Lord very w

e opening, I hastened: "Is this Mr. Thornton violent? I think this is

shook

e drug fiends were violent and had

or a scratch on him,

n't our

repeated Kennedy thoughtfully.

e rules. Only your knowing so many he knows has got you this far. You'll

nnedy rise and move toward the door with a hearty "Thank you, for

od for the present as if we had seen him," he exclaimed. "Drug-

o silence as we sp

ter noting by his watch that it was after nine. Then to m

last she appeared. I thought she avoided Kennedy's eye, and I am sure that her intuiti

but as she sat nervously before us, I could see

e usual polite inquiries about her own and her husband'

"Have you come any

r eyes, and sh

better part of the day in going from one

her face told as plainly as word

an account of what we had done, saying nothing about the original letter which had started us on the

I do not need to tell you that I already know

r the woman who knew the truth, yet did not know how much Kennedy knew of it. Minna Pitts was pacing the floor wildly, all the assume

arless eyes. "It is only a question of time when you will worm it all o