Octavus Roy Cohen

“ I might understand the maid doing that, sir; but not the butler. He was a big, strapping man, sir.”
“He was that,” indorsed Denson. “I saw him last night, and he didn’t impress me as being the type of man to be frightened by a little shooting.”
“What’s all this talky-talk about the butler?” broke in Rollins roughly. “Whada we care where he’s gone? We got the guy that done the work, an’ we should worry if the butler never comes back.”
“No-o, on the face of it, we shouldn’t,” said Carroll slowly. ”

“ Carroll. I wasn’t slappin’ at you personal, y’understand; it’s just that you fellers ain’t used to the game, an’ y’ travel all around th’ block to git next door.”
“Well, as Rollins has said,” went on Carroll gravely, albeit he was not unconscious and not unamused at the glances of wonder on the faces of Hall and Denson at his reception of Rollins’ brusqueness, “that eliminates a need to interview the butler. Now for the living room.” ”

“ Honest, you private sleuths gimme a pain; if you was to see a guy shoot another one you’d go up an’ examine th’ footprints an’ the calibre of the revolver instead of chasin’ the feller that you seen do it.”
Instead of growing angry, Carroll threw back his head and laughed ringingly. ”

“ Y’see, about then I was fixin’ to reach for th’ light switch; but I do know this—that the revolver dropped before I turned off the lights!”
“A-a-ah!” A sigh escaped the rigid Denson. He turned sharply to Harrelson. “Is that the truth, Vincent?”
The young man coloured violently.
“I shot in the dark,” he persisted mulishly.
“I don’t believe you,” announced Denson finally, “although I wish to God I could. You have a good defence.”
Eunice flashed him a glance of appreciation.
“Thanks, Mr. Denson.”
Carroll strolled idly about the room, examining floors and ceiling. ”

“ Finally the young detective placed the characters in the little tragedy, himself assuming the role of the dead man; Hartigan stood behind the screen; Eunice took her place behind the portières; Harrelson and Carroll started into the library, adjoining the living room on the western side. ”