"We have that note. What happened next? Did your uncle return?"

"No. I had a feelin' that somethin' was wrong. I looked into the
bedroom an' then opened the door into the small smoking-room. The odor
of chloroform met me. I found the button an' flashed on the light."

Except the sobbing breath of an unnerved woman no slightest sound could
be heard in the court-room but Lane's quiet, steady voice. It went on
evenly, clearly, dominating the crowded room by the drama of its
undramatic timbre.

"My uncle was sittin' in a chair, tied to it. His head was canted a
little to one side an' he was lookin' up at me. There was a bullet
hole in his forehead. He was dead."

The veiled woman in black gasped for air. Her head sank forward and
her slender body swayed.

"Look out!" called the witness to the woman beside her.

Before Kirby could reach her, the fainting woman had slipped to the
floor. He stooped to lift her head from the dusty planks--and the odor
of violet perfume met his nostrils.

"If you'll permit me," a voice said.

The cattleman looked up. His cousin James, white to the lips, was
beside him unfastening the veil.