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His thirteenth wife, by Herbert Raymond
Carter. One with Jonas Bruckner, marriage

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had become a habit and a highly
profitable one. Under various aliases, he

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had led a dozen different wives to
the altar and later followed them to the

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grave. In each instance he had
survived to find himself a wiser and richer

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man. Naturally, the statutes concerning
bigamy had never troubled him. In every

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venture. He had been legally free
of his previous bride before contracting the responsibilities

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resulting from another wedding, and by
uncanny good fortune, the laws against murder

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had left him unscathed and unsuspected.
Since the days of his youth, Bruckner

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had worshiped Bluebeard as his hero.
In his teens, he had devoured newspaper

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accounts of doings of the modern Mania. Invariably, their unskilled slaying of successive

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spouses in order to collect insurance had
ended in their intimate association with the scaffold,

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the electric chair, or the guillotine. Bruckner would smile up his sleeve

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over their clumsiness, and, in
choosing his vocation, resolved that he,

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at least would never be so crude. Insurance companies, he had learned,

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were customarily curious, and the profession
which Bruckner proposed to enter made inquisitiveness on

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the part of others extremely undesirable.
In the first place, he determined never

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to give his name to any maiden
or widow who carried a policy on her

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life. Should his prospects be insured, they must allow that protection to lapse

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upon the assistance that the bridegroom possessed
plenty for two. Thus he eliminated one

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source of suspicion as to his motives. If, however, those who ensnared

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his accordion like heart happened to be
wealthy, Bruckner certainly could not be blamed.

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Besides, he always made it a
rule to state to license clerks that

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he was a bachelor, casually adding
that he was well to do and retired.

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This knowledge was also the bait he
persistently dangled in order to catch his

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intended victims. The plan had been
remarkably successful, to which Bruckner's worldly possessions

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bore mute testimony frequently money talks.
But Bruckner's was as silent as the graves

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from which it had been obtained.
Under each new alias, he maintained a

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modest bank account for current expenses.
None of them had been large enough to

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cause him any regret if he suddenly
found it inconvenient to cash another check or

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present himself in person to claim his
balance. The bulk of his fortune he

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kept in cash in several widely separated
safe deposit vaults to the banks where these

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sums were stored. He was known
under various names, and was understood to

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be an eccentric man who traveled extensively. The names he assumed for this purpose

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were never employed for any other form
of his activities. His long absences and

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semi occasional appearances caused no comment and
had never resulted in undue curiosity. In

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fact, the officials of these reserve
institutions as he turned them, were not

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aware of the contents of the boxes
Bruckner rented. Probably they imagined he used

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them for storing papers. One,
however, did contain something vastly different In

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it were the tools of his trade, poisons of varying natures, which he

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picked up at intervals in infinitesimly small
quantities in various part of the world.

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Being versatile, he liked to vary
his method of operation and took a genuine

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pride in his work. Mad he
undoubtedly was, but the man was an

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artist, and no manufacturer or financier
or creator of beautiful things ever took more

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satisfaction in his accomplishments than did Bruckner. The one fly in the ointment was

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the fact that he could never confide
in anyone just how clever he really was

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to atone for this, and by
way of diversion, he occasionally indulged in

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criminalities of a totally different nature,
in fields where he might share his triumphs

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with others. He had a smattering
of medicine and knew much chemistry, both

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of which he studied with sinister intent. He had played at being an amateur

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cracksman, and had been complimented upon
his skills in opening safes. Likewise,

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he had participated in several notorious black
hand outrage and was well and favorably known

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in those circles. That is,
the personality he assumed for this purpose was

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known to such associates. Thus Bruckner
had broadened his knowledge of the ways and

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means of producing death in secret,
and had familiarized himself with other branches of

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the trade upon which he might fall
back in case wife murder, ever became

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an unhealthy occupation. Bruckner flattered himself
that during the whole of his career he

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had never made a single mistake.
Not once had he been regarded as anything

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but a sincere mourner at the biers
of his dear departeds, never had he

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run a foul of coroner or police. At times, he chuckled over his

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remarkable capacities and congratulated himself upon his
caution and truly exceptional foresight. Perhaps his

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success was due to the fact that
he concentrated upon crime in its more subtle

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branch, and had never been addicted
to any vice, either petty or great,

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nor had a pretty face ever tempted
him. During the whole of his

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marital adventures, Bruckner had never once
been in love, not even the victim

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of a passing infatuation. Business before
pleasure was his motto, and he adhered

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to it strictly, because he found
the courtship stage of his engagements a trying

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ordeal. Marriage usually followed his proposals
swiftly with grim humor. He often boasted

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to himself that he had no heart, and in view of this fact,

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he was reluctant to indulge needlessly in
silly love making. Women of his choice

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were invariably rather mature and usually unromantic. The more homely they might be,

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the better satisfied he was. A
young and attractive wife might have admirers who

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would interfere with his plans. She
would also be more likely to have relatives

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who might have too much to say, and to whom her death would be

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a real bereavement. Widows with children
were banned. He had an aversion to

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step sons and daughters about the house
instead. This pseudo lonely bachelor always sought

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a matron similarly situated, each with
a tidy sum to support them, and

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both desiring a quiet, comfortable home. There was method in his rule.

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Not only was he assured of privacy
in the domicile about to be established,

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but he could not be accused of
the unpardonable crime of marrying for money.

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Bruckner was both sensitive and proud.
He valued the good opinion of the community

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because it was an asset in his
curious business. To pick out a bride

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of great wealth would mean additional difficulty
in collecting his inheritance after the obsequious such

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details would be bound to be annoying, and Bruckner loved simplicity In this respect.

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A few thousand dollars, always less
than his own nest egg, and

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perhaps a small property upon which no
other heirs had any claim, were to

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be readily gathered in without the formality
of court proceedings or the advice of counsel.

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After each deal, he cased in
his gains, opened a new bank

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account under a new name, and
stored his net profits in one of his

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safety deposit boxes. This had been
going on for years. It was true

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that such gradual means of accumulating wealth
necessitated many marriages. None of his wives

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had lived more than three years after
the wedding, but in no case did

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he cause a death under twelve months. He remained prudent rather than avaricious or

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hasty. He never sought a rapid
denouments at the risk of personal safety.

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Moreover, his wives all died seemingly
natural deaths and were fittingly interred. Bruckner

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would not countenance anything so crude as
to savor of murder. Also, Bruckner

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had a certain sentiment about proper burials. As a result, each simple ceremony

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was marked with unobstentatious respect. While
the countryside was dotted here and there with

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nicely cared for graves and tastefully adequate
tombstones. Everything he did was done very

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well. Sec. Two. When
analyzed, Bruckner's plan was as simple as

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it was practical and resultful. He
would go to a small town and take

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a comfortable room at a cheap hotel
or boarding house frequented only by men.

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Without undue heraldry, he would announce
that he was seeking a suitable place to

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end his days after he had attained
the age of fifty. This sounded reasonable,

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so he discarded the various fantastic stories
so successfully circulated during his youth.

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These had been ingenious, but rather
more risky. In fact, he now

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looked back with concern upon the chances
he had taken in connection with his first

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alliance, contracted when he was twenty. His initial venture had culminated admirably,

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however, and his four successive ones
covering a scant ten years, also paid

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him neat profits. Now, when
he was installed in a new and temporary

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residence, Bruckner would make it a
point to scrape up a speaking acquaintance with

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a few substantial but humble souls in
the neighborhood. He never associated with those

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who were prominent or overly endowed with
worldly goods. He could not afford to

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make a permanent name for himself.
He was always fading out of or into

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a picture. He was but a
passing incident in the life of each community.

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To his chosen cronies, he would
casually state that he was a plain

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man without frills. He regretted that
he had not settled down and taken unto

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himself a life companion before he had
grown too old to think of matrimony.

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Frequently this observation would bring forth good
natured chuckles and sly winks. Male matchmakers

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would pass on the word to their
immense hatching wives, and soon several no

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longer youthful hopefuls would begin to preen
themselves and press mister Bruckner to drop in

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for tea. Reluctantly, he would
accept and begin to judicious sound out the

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situation. If all seemed well,
he would guardedly hint of his state of

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mind and eventually suggest a married partnership
on the basis of mutual contribution to costs

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and common conuvial convenience. If the
proposition met with a favorable reception, and

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the recipient of his attention appeared pliable, the marriage would be solemnized at no

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distant date. When this portion of
the program was over, Bruckner would bide

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his time before springing the climax of
his little drama. There were several phases

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of the stage setting to be considered. If his newly acquired wife was not

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possessed of real property, and there
seemed no reason for their remaining where they

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were, he would find some good
incentive for moving to another city. The

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death of a middle aged matron caused
less commotion in a neighborhood where she was

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a stranger. Such a move made, he could proceed at his leisure without

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engendering gossip or unwelcome sympathy. Of
course, where a wife possessed valuable lots

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or houses, or perhaps a little
business, he must gradually make excuses to

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dispose of these, or else remain
on the spot and wait until he could

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do so. As sole executor practice
had made him perfect, no matter which

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course he was forced to take.
In any event, no sooner would the

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funeral be forgotten than Buckner would move
on. Invariably, those who had known

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him, expressed their regret and felt
genuinely sorry for the lonely, broken hearted

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man. Once or twice a second
candidate had coyly sought his attention, but

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such a woman had no chance whatever. Under no conditions would Buckner marry twice

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in the same town, or even
under the same name. His various ventures

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were widely separated as to scene.
He would shake his name together with the

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dust of the deserted community and assume
a new and equally commonplace one upon his

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arrival in the section selected for his
next proceeding. That little matter of choice

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of names indicated his extreme cleverness.
Never was he known by a distinct cognomen.

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His surname was likely to be the
most numerously mentioned in the local directory.

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Fortune favored Bruckner in that he was
a man whose appearance made his age

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seem uncertain. As he pleased,
he was readily able to subtract or add

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ten or twenty years from the truth. Then, too, he made a

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careful study of personal appearance, and, without resorting to artificial means of disguise,

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had in his box of tricks several
method of altering his looks little niceties

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of dress. A different manner of
brushing the hair. The time worn cultivation

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or destruction of mustaches, beards,
side whiskers, and imperials all served his

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purpose upon occasion. Possessed of an
excellent memory, a perfect capacity for forgetting

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the past, and a penchant for
looking into the future, Buckner was well

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equipped. He was devoid of conscience, insensible to sentiment, and looked forward

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to the day when he might safely
write his memoirs to be published posthumously.

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Three Such was the man who found
himself a widower for the twelfth time last

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fall. Upon casting up his accounts
after the final ceremonies of that funeral,

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Bruckner, as he had elected to
style himself, discovered his total fortune amounted

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to some two hundred thousand dollars.
It was safely stowed away in his safe

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deposit strongholds. He had, remaining
under the new name of Bruckner, sufficient

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capital to see him through his next
adventure. The surplus he did not mean

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to touch. As usual. Yet, in the weeks that followed the death

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and the settlement of the estate of
his most recent wife, Bruckner seriously considered

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the idea of remaining single. Like
many another prosperous man. After years of

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striving, he longed for a life
of indolence, broken of its monotony by

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such pursuits as might please him.
He hated the very thought of home.

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He had no wish to settle down. He had possessed a suffold of wives

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that he did not want in a
personal way. Bruckner had married them in

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the casual course of business, and
this gave him a thought in the nature

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of a vacation. Suppose he should
seek a spouse who actually pleased him.

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Thus far, he had not experienced
such a genuine pleasure. For a man

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married as much as he, The
situation was silly. Yet Bruckner had his

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doubts. If he paid court to
a young and beautiful girl, one whom

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he really admired, he might,
even after the passage of all these years,

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fall in love with her. That
would prove fatal. He had heard

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of idiots drunk with love who told
their wives everything that would never do in

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the first place. A lady might
not prove sympathetic. Also, he was

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certain that sooner or later he would
desire to kill her from the sheer force

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of habit, or perhaps from ennui. Since he no longer needed money.

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Such a situation would be awkward if
he became devoted to her, for then

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he would break the heart which had
been proof against Cupid's darts through all these

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years of many marriages. So he
relinquished the thought and went to New York

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to rest up a bit and think
the situation over. As usual, he

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went to a modest hotel. Yet
the days he spent alone were tedious,

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and like a fish out of water, he longed to plunge once more into

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the matrimonial sea. For a time, he had whiled away some of his

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hours in the company of a Russian
who claimed to have been a watchmaker to

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the late Czar. This gentleman still
made time pieces, but he made them

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to put in bombs, and made
them very well. His genius appealed to

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Bruckner, and the two became quite
friendly, although Bruckner was slightly nervous lest

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the police should visit the bomb maker's
place while he was present. However,

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he had no other company. His
safe cracking friends were all in jail,

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and the others were safe beyond the
reach of the law, or else had

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been reached by it and removed from
this veil of tears. So he found

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himself craving for action and the further
exercise of his remarkable talents. Then he

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met missus Mary Corkran, a healthy, husky lady who was doomed to become

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his wife from the first moment he
saw her. Missus Corkran was a widow

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of just the proper age, not
too wealthy, Bruckner thought, although she

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was possessed of a trifle more than
her predecessors. She owned a place by

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00:19:56,720 --> 00:20:02,000
the seashore and was extremely fond of
bathing. She had a little motor boat,

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00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:04,839
and at the time when Bruckner entered
her life, was about to open

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her bungalow for the season. The
situation appealed to Bruckner. He needed a

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00:20:11,079 --> 00:20:15,440
rest and a change of clime,
and a stay by the sea would be

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welcome. It would do him good
and build up his health while he planned

208
00:20:21,480 --> 00:20:25,799
how to break down hers. So
he mentioned to the widow as much of

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00:20:25,839 --> 00:20:30,559
his plan as was fitting for a
lady to know. She proved entirely agreeable,

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even eager Brucknor thought. In fact, he was rather afraid that she

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was in love with him. That
might prove awkward, but it could not

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00:20:41,079 --> 00:20:47,640
be helped, so he married her
and took a solemn oath that when this

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00:20:47,759 --> 00:20:53,119
adventure was over, he would never
again tempt fate. The bungalow was on

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00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:57,759
a little sandy point, some miles
from the nearest town and the railroad station.

215
00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:04,160
Missus Bruckner knee Corkran, taxied back
and forth from the village in her

216
00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:12,160
motor boat when her fancy suggested such
journeys or purchases required them. Bruckner spent

217
00:21:12,319 --> 00:21:15,839
much of his time sitting on the
beach with his pipe and his thoughts,

218
00:21:17,519 --> 00:21:22,359
and practically lived the life of a
married hermit. They got on together beautifully,

219
00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:27,200
and Bruckner thanked his stars that the
woman did not desire him to be

220
00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:34,720
eternally complimenting or petting her. Her
sole aim was his comfort, and never

221
00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:41,599
in all of his thirteen marital ventures
had he lived so pleasantly and contentedly.

222
00:21:42,039 --> 00:21:48,160
It almost seemed a shame to terminate
such an ideal arrangement. In fact,

223
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it would be little short of a
crime. Four. But just as he

224
00:21:55,720 --> 00:22:00,880
knew he would, Bruckner reverted to
type. He simply could could not resist

225
00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:04,720
the temptation to kill the woman.
She did not annoy him. He had

226
00:22:04,759 --> 00:22:10,400
nothing against her, and he did
not wish her money. Just the same,

227
00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:12,279
he wanted to kill her, and
he wanted to do it in some

228
00:22:12,519 --> 00:22:18,880
new and original way. For days
he thought it over and grew more perplexed.

229
00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:23,519
With the passage of time. He
could not sleep at night, and

230
00:22:23,599 --> 00:22:30,559
he found himself nervous and restless.
His appetite began to fail, a condition

231
00:22:30,759 --> 00:22:34,839
unheard of before, and even his
pipe and tobacco failed to sulace him.

232
00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:41,039
Once or twice, he wondered whether
it would not be wise if he went

233
00:22:41,079 --> 00:22:45,960
out and got drunk. He vetoed
the idea, however, for he had

234
00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:51,000
always made it a rule to keep
his head clear and his brain unfuddled.

235
00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:56,640
Drunken men and women, Bruckner always
said, are inclined to talk too much,

236
00:22:56,119 --> 00:23:02,240
and he was a man of silence. Besides, the whoch lately available

237
00:23:02,559 --> 00:23:10,200
had in cases proved fatal. During
all his meditation and perplexity, Missus Bruckner

238
00:23:10,559 --> 00:23:15,440
remained in blissful ignorance of the thing
which was troubling him. It was true

239
00:23:15,519 --> 00:23:21,079
that she seemed to suspect that something
was wrong, but when she pressed for

240
00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:26,839
an explanation, he naturally put her
off. She appeared to be alarmed about

241
00:23:26,839 --> 00:23:32,759
his health and was consistently urging him
to go and consult a physician. He

242
00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:37,480
flatly refused and told her he had
never been sick a day in his life.

243
00:23:37,519 --> 00:23:41,000
Of course, he knew what was
the matter, and also knew very

244
00:23:41,039 --> 00:23:48,359
well that no physician's prescription would cure
his ailment. His wife made more frequent

245
00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:52,440
trips to the little village, and
even went to New York to bring back

246
00:23:52,559 --> 00:23:59,160
dainty viance to tempt his appetite.
Apparently, her sole ambition in life was

247
00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:03,839
to prepare a dish that would tickle
his palate, and Bruckner was not without

248
00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:08,759
some appreciation of her kindness and concern. At times, he almost resolved to

249
00:24:08,799 --> 00:24:14,920
put away his idea and let the
woman live, But in patience to have

250
00:24:15,039 --> 00:24:18,559
it over with and to be at
peace with the world mastered him. At

251
00:24:18,640 --> 00:24:26,720
last. His intentions crystallized into action
on the morning when she announced her intention

252
00:24:26,839 --> 00:24:32,599
of going over to Calder's Point to
attend a pinnuckle party. Bruckner never played

253
00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:37,480
cards and said he would not go. However, he even urged that she

254
00:24:37,680 --> 00:24:42,000
indulge in this pleasant diversion. You
stay around me too much, he pressed

255
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:48,759
her tenderly. You are wearing yourself
out looking after my health. Stop worrying

256
00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:52,680
and have a good time while you
may. I mean while you're still young

257
00:24:52,759 --> 00:24:56,279
and have your health, he added, realizing that he had almost made an

258
00:24:56,319 --> 00:25:02,119
unfortunate slip. All right, I
will, if you really don't mind.

259
00:25:02,319 --> 00:25:06,839
She agreed and explained that the party
would occur on the following Monday night.

260
00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:11,720
She proposed to take the motor boat
over, leaving at seven o'clock, remaining

261
00:25:11,759 --> 00:25:18,000
for the night, and chug chugging
back again the following morning. Ruckner was

262
00:25:18,039 --> 00:25:23,240
delighted. A sudden inspiration had plunged
him into an ecstasy of joy. At

263
00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:27,440
last, like a bolt from the
blue, he had hit upon a plan

264
00:25:27,599 --> 00:25:33,440
to do away with the woman.
It was entirely possible that the thing had

265
00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:37,279
been done before, but it was
new to Bruckner. It could not possibly

266
00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:42,200
savor of design, and it would
happen while she was away. He would

267
00:25:42,279 --> 00:25:48,440
be presumed to know nothing of the
accident until the heartrending news should be brought

268
00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:53,279
to him. Then he would be
stunned. Ruckner was a past master of

269
00:25:53,359 --> 00:26:00,079
registering grief, surprise, anguish,
but after the funeral he could spend the

270
00:26:00,319 --> 00:26:06,799
entire summer at the bungalow in undisturbed
peace. He was glad that he could

271
00:26:06,799 --> 00:26:11,480
accomplish his purpose so early in the
spring, for, unlike the average ban

272
00:26:11,039 --> 00:26:17,160
his thoughts did not lightly turn to
love in that entrancing period. The thought

273
00:26:17,279 --> 00:26:21,079
necessitated a visit to his friend,
the clockmaker, to the former czar,

274
00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:26,400
he made it and outlined his needs
minutely. That is, he told the

275
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:32,960
clockmaker precisely the sort of box he
desired, how long and how wide it

276
00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:37,279
should be, and explain just how
its timepiece was to be set. It

277
00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:41,119
was to be put up in a
candy box and tied neatly with ribbon.

278
00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:48,200
It should weigh five pounds and bear
the wrapping of a small confectioner. On

279
00:26:48,359 --> 00:26:52,279
the day he meant to use it, Bruckner would call for the box.

280
00:26:52,039 --> 00:26:56,839
It must be ready, and everything
must be fixed so that he would not

281
00:26:56,960 --> 00:27:02,279
need to unwrap it. Missus Broucko
was going away in her little sea taxi

282
00:27:02,279 --> 00:27:07,480
at seven o'clock. He would arrive
from the city an hour before. He

283
00:27:07,519 --> 00:27:11,559
planned to reach the bungalow via a
hired launch, timing himself to get there

284
00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:17,960
a little late for supper, but
in time to bid her goodbye. When

285
00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:22,319
he did so, he would thoughtfully
put the box of candy in his wife's

286
00:27:22,359 --> 00:27:27,079
motor boat, calling her attention to
it and laughingly instructing her not to nibble

287
00:27:27,119 --> 00:27:32,559
at its contents during the journey.
He wished her to save it for the

288
00:27:32,599 --> 00:27:37,519
party and present it to her hostess. He hoped she would obey. The

289
00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:41,400
trip would take her a little more
than an hour. She did not mind

290
00:27:41,440 --> 00:27:45,160
that, since she loved the sea
and could handle her craft as well as

291
00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:49,799
any man. But if everything went
well, missus Bruckner would never land at

292
00:27:49,839 --> 00:27:56,039
the wharf at Calder's Point. Just
about fifteen minutes before she was due to

293
00:27:56,079 --> 00:28:00,920
reach the settlement, the little clock
would tick its final tick, and missus

294
00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:07,319
Bruckner would proceed to eternity instead of
the Pinnuckle party. The complete simplicity of

295
00:28:07,359 --> 00:28:12,440
the scheme appealed to him strongly.
He would put the bomb near the gasoline

296
00:28:12,519 --> 00:28:18,279
tank. Its explosion would destroy that
container, and every one would surmise that

297
00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:23,480
the blowing up of the fuel store
had caused the tragedy. No one but

298
00:28:23,559 --> 00:28:27,599
the dead woman would know about the
candy box. That is, no one

299
00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:33,440
but the clockmaker of the Czar that
gentleman would not be likely to speak.

300
00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:41,480
Secrecy was also essential to the success
of his profession, and in such matters

301
00:28:41,519 --> 00:28:47,359
he was strictly honorable and thoroughly reliable. He need not know for whom the

302
00:28:47,359 --> 00:28:51,799
box was intended, and for reasons
of his own, he would not inquire

303
00:28:51,839 --> 00:28:57,839
too deeply into the matter. Five
everything went as planned. On Monday,

304
00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,759
mister Bruckner announced that it would be
necessary for him to go to the city

305
00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:07,200
in connection with some business at his
broker's. He promised to return as speedily

306
00:29:07,200 --> 00:29:11,920
as he could, but told his
wife not to wait for him if he

307
00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:17,279
should not be home by the time
she intended to leave. That was camouflage,

308
00:29:17,759 --> 00:29:22,720
carefully planned. He always thought of
little details like that in order to

309
00:29:22,720 --> 00:29:27,640
turn away suspicion from the minds of
his victims. Besides, he wanted to

310
00:29:27,759 --> 00:29:33,519
establish an alibi and have it known
that he was away all day. Moreover,

311
00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:37,839
he always disliked to be around his
victims just before the climax of his

312
00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:45,720
cunning. Their very confidence and trust
in him always tended to annoy him.

313
00:29:45,119 --> 00:29:49,880
But he knew very well that he
would be back on time. Otherwise,

314
00:29:49,920 --> 00:29:53,480
of course, he could not place
the candy box in the little lunch.

315
00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:59,920
The clockmaker was ready for him,
and the box itself was a beauty,

316
00:30:00,759 --> 00:30:04,400
as creditable a piece of work as
Bruckner had ever seen. It did not

317
00:30:04,519 --> 00:30:10,119
weigh too much nor too little,
and while he was assured that the watch

318
00:30:10,319 --> 00:30:15,240
was perfect in its mechanism and timing, it did not give forth the slightest

319
00:30:15,279 --> 00:30:21,680
sound. The watchmaker beamed when he
saw the look of admiration in Bruckner's eyes,

320
00:30:22,160 --> 00:30:26,920
and told him that he might trust
the little bomb. Implicitly, it

321
00:30:26,039 --> 00:30:32,920
is worthy to blow up a prime
minister, enthused its author. Unfortunately,

322
00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:40,000
these days kings are few, and
trade is far from good. The war

323
00:30:40,119 --> 00:30:45,599
seems to have caused an unreasonable dislike
for explosives on the part of my very

324
00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:52,039
best customers. Bruckner condoled with the
little man and took his departure. He

325
00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:56,720
had received the professional word of the
watchmaker that the bomb would not go off

326
00:30:56,839 --> 00:31:00,920
if he dropped it, and that
it would not explode until eight fifteen.

327
00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:07,759
Precisely that was Bruckner's wish. The
detonation would be heard just as the motor

328
00:31:07,799 --> 00:31:12,279
boat was entering the waters around Calder's
Point, and would startle those on shore

329
00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:18,480
waiting for his wife. In all
probability, the bomb would tear her to

330
00:31:18,519 --> 00:31:23,640
pieces and wreck the boat completely.
At least it would utterly destroy itself and

331
00:31:23,799 --> 00:31:30,960
the gasoline tank that was of course
essential, for there must be no remaining

332
00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:36,880
evidence, even though no clue could
possibly point to him. But because the

333
00:31:36,920 --> 00:31:41,000
time schedule of the railroad had been
changed without his knowledge, Bruckner did not

334
00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:48,480
arrive at the bungalow until almost seven
o'clock. It had been a narrow escape

335
00:31:48,559 --> 00:31:52,359
from being too late, and the
incident made him nervous. Yet in a

336
00:31:52,400 --> 00:31:59,200
way he thought it was fortunate missus
Bruckner was down at the landing, dressed

337
00:31:59,240 --> 00:32:01,599
in her best bit ub and tucker, and she greeted him with a smile

338
00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:07,480
and an inquiry as to his health. You look tired, my dear,

339
00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:12,079
she sympathized, in a motherly sort
of fashion. I really hate to go

340
00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:16,759
away and leave you. I am
tired, Bruckner confessed. I guess I'm

341
00:32:16,799 --> 00:32:21,359
not as young as I used to
be and haven't been right pert for the

342
00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:24,920
last few weeks. I'll soon be
better, however, he added, cheerfully.

343
00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:29,960
Just you go on and have a
good time and don't give a thought

344
00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:34,440
to me. Then he produced the
candy box and displayed it to her.

345
00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:37,839
The boatman who had brought him was
gone by this time, and he had

346
00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:43,119
not seen the package, which Bruckner
had kept wrapped in a newspaper until this

347
00:32:43,400 --> 00:32:47,480
very moment. Now, missus Bruckner
took it in her hands and plucked at

348
00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:51,720
the ribbon, But he shook his
finger at her, as he might do

349
00:32:51,839 --> 00:32:57,359
to a naughty child. Now,
don't be impatient or selfish, he reproved.

350
00:32:58,119 --> 00:33:00,759
Keep it until you get to the
party, then offer some to the

351
00:33:00,839 --> 00:33:06,880
others with my compliments. I suppose
I should do that. She agreed with

352
00:33:06,960 --> 00:33:09,680
him. But now I must be
going. There's a light under, the

353
00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:14,759
coffee on the stove, and your
suppers on the table. You won't mind

354
00:33:14,759 --> 00:33:19,200
a cold snack, will you,
No, Ruckner said, And then one

355
00:33:19,279 --> 00:33:22,599
flaw in his plan occurred to him. How could he make sure she would

356
00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:29,160
put the candy box where it would
certainly destroy the gasoling tank? He could

357
00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:32,640
not. If he left it in
her possession, of course, it would

358
00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:37,920
kill her. But that was not
enough. His plan must work out exactly

359
00:33:37,960 --> 00:33:44,000
as he had intended, and the
only way to ensure this perfect success was

360
00:33:44,039 --> 00:33:49,079
to go along in the boat that, in a way was a risk,

361
00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:53,799
but Bruckner was equal to the situation. It required quick thinking, but he

362
00:33:53,920 --> 00:34:00,599
had a bright idea on the spot. Well, he reproached himself. If

363
00:34:00,640 --> 00:34:04,799
I didn't forget my tobacco, I
guess I'd better go back as far as

364
00:34:04,839 --> 00:34:07,360
the station with you and then get
one of the public launches to bring me

365
00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:12,840
home. It won't take more than
half an hour, and I'll eat supper

366
00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:17,280
later. So he took the candy
box from his wife's hand and helped her

367
00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:22,480
into the boat. She went directly
to the little engine and started it as

368
00:34:22,519 --> 00:34:28,000
he stepped aboard. The bomb would
not blow up for about an hour.

369
00:34:28,679 --> 00:34:31,760
In twenty minutes, he would be
at the station landing. When he got

370
00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:36,639
out, he would put the candy
box by the gasoline tank and lay a

371
00:34:36,719 --> 00:34:39,960
tarpaulin over it, with the explanation
that he did so to keep it from

372
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:45,000
being wetted by the spray. Missus
Bruckner would think nothing of that, and

373
00:34:45,079 --> 00:34:51,679
would probably forget all about the candy
until it reminded her of itself. Forcibly

374
00:34:52,199 --> 00:34:57,679
Speedily, the little boat chugged away
from the wharf and cut the waves like

375
00:34:57,719 --> 00:35:01,360
a knife as it shot off toward
the safe pier. It was twilight,

376
00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:07,440
growing gradually darker, and the lights
began to twinkle from the group of cottages

377
00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:13,360
ahead. Perhaps Bruckner suggested to his
wife, I'll stay over at the post

378
00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:16,280
office for a while. Maybe I
can get some of the men to play

379
00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:22,119
a game of pool and go home
about ten o'clock supper being cold, it

380
00:35:22,159 --> 00:35:27,960
won't make any difference, and I'll
take some fresh But he never made it.

381
00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:32,519
There was a terrific crash. The
little motor launch was rent asunder.

382
00:35:34,639 --> 00:35:38,440
When the detonation died away, there
was nothing left but a few pieces of

383
00:35:38,519 --> 00:35:45,679
floating wreckage and curiously, a red
ribbon floating on the surface of the sea.

384
00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:52,079
Bruckner and his wife had been blown
to atoms. The clock binker had

385
00:35:52,119 --> 00:35:54,800
worked well, and the bomb had
gone off precisely as he is planned,

386
00:35:55,559 --> 00:36:01,159
at the hour appointed by Bruckner himself. But the former creator of time pieces

387
00:36:01,159 --> 00:36:07,079
for the Czar was not a man
who read the daily papers. In preparing

388
00:36:07,119 --> 00:36:09,719
the bomb and setting the clock,
he had not known of the fact that

389
00:36:09,760 --> 00:36:15,440
the daylight savings law for the season
went into effect at the stroke of two

390
00:36:15,559 --> 00:36:21,800
that morning. Hence the explosion had
occurred one hour earlier than Bruckner had expected

391
00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:28,239
it would six. But simultaneously with
the crash that ended the lives of the

392
00:36:28,239 --> 00:36:34,679
Bruckners, two strange men appeared before
their little bungalow. The visitors on the

393
00:36:34,719 --> 00:36:38,760
beach looked out to see, not
knowing that the criminal they sought was now

394
00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:45,119
beyond their reach. Gosh. One
of them exclaimed that gasoline certainly made a

395
00:36:45,119 --> 00:36:50,239
thorough job of it. It won't
even be worthwhile to send out a rescue

396
00:36:50,239 --> 00:36:54,920
boat. The other detective shrugged.
I'm more interested in what we're likely to

397
00:36:54,960 --> 00:37:00,400
find inside the house, he said, Since nobody seems to be home,

398
00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:06,039
suppose we go right in. They
did, and they made a thorough search,

399
00:37:06,639 --> 00:37:10,119
including a chemical analysis of the coffee
on the stove and the cold snack

400
00:37:10,199 --> 00:37:15,800
on the table. It was a
delicious looking little layout of tempting morsels,

401
00:37:16,519 --> 00:37:22,920
but the chemist who tested it whistled
loudly in amazement when his task was finished.

402
00:37:23,159 --> 00:37:27,599
The old girl seems to have been
in a hurry to finish this chap,

403
00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:31,320
he announced. She's put enough poison
in all this stuff to kill an

404
00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:39,039
elephant. Funny too, because she
always worked slowly before before, questioned his

405
00:37:39,159 --> 00:37:44,760
companion Is she one of those fiends
who marries a lot of men and murders

406
00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:50,840
them for their insurance? The chemist
nodded. She was tried twice and acquitted

407
00:37:50,880 --> 00:37:55,000
for lack of convincing proof, But
we've been watching her ever since, and

408
00:37:55,159 --> 00:38:02,119
her mugs in the Rogues Gallery under
the alias of our neck Annie. The

409
00:38:02,199 --> 00:38:07,719
End of his Thirteenth Wife by Herbert
Raymond Carter