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Speaker 1: His thirteenth wife, by Herbert Raymond Carter. One with Jonas Bruckner,

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marriage had become a habit and a highly profitable one.

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Under various aliases, he had led a dozen different wives

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to the altar and later followed them to the grave.

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In each instance he had survived to find himself a

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wiser and richer man. Naturally, the statutes concerning bigamy had

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never troubled him. In every venture. He had been legally

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free of his previous bride before contracting the responsibilities resulting

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from another wedding, and by uncanny good fortune, the laws

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against murder had left him unscathed and unsuspected. Since the

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days of his youth, Bruckner had worshiped Bluebeard as his hero.

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In his teens, he had devoured newspaper accounts of doings

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

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spouses in order to collect insurance had ended in their

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intimate association with the scaffold, the electric chair, or the guillotine.

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Bruckner would smile up his sleeve over their clumsiness, and,

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in choosing his vocation, resolved that he, at least would

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never be so crude. Insurance companies, he had learned, were

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customarily curious, and the profession which Bruckner proposed to enter

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made inquisitiveness on the part of others extremely undesirable. In

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the first place, he determined never to give his name

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to any maiden or widow who carried a policy on

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her life. Should his prospects be insured, they must allow

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that protection to lapse upon the assistance that the bridegroom

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possessed plenty for two. Thus he eliminated one source of

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

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his accordion like heart happened to be wealthy, Bruckner certainly

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could not be blamed. Besides, he always made it a

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rule to state to license clerks that he was a bachelor,

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casually adding that he was well to do and retired.

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This knowledge was also the bait he persistently dangled in

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order to catch his intended victims. The plan had been

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remarkably successful, to which Bruckner's worldly possessions bore mute testimony

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frequently money talks. But Bruckner's was as silent as the

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graves from which it had been obtained. Under each new alias,

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he maintained a modest bank account for current expenses. None

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of them had been large enough to cause him any

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regret if he suddenly found it inconvenient to cash another

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check or present himself in person to claim his balance.

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The bulk of his fortune he kept in cash in

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several widely separated safe deposit vaults to the banks where

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these sums were stored. He was known under various names,

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and was understood to be an eccentric man who traveled extensively.

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The names he assumed for this purpose were never employed

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for any other form of his activities. His long absences

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and semi occasional appearances caused no comment and had never

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resulted in undue curiosity. In fact, the officials of these

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reserve institutions as he turned them, were not aware of

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the contents of the boxes Bruckner rented. Probably they imagined

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he used them for storing papers. One, however, did contain

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something vastly different In it were the tools of his trade,

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poisons of varying natures, which he picked up at intervals

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in infinitesimly small quantities in various part of the world.

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Being versatile, he liked to vary his method of operation

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and took a genuine pride in his work. Mad he

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undoubtedly was, but the man was an artist, and no

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manufacturer or financier or creator of beautiful things ever took

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more satisfaction in his accomplishments than did Bruckner. The one

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fly in the ointment was the fact that he could

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never confide in anyone just how clever he really was

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to atone for this, and by way of diversion, he

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occasionally indulged in criminalities of a totally different nature, in

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fields where he might share his triumphs with others. He

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had a smattering of medicine and knew much chemistry, both

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of which he studied with sinister intent. He had played

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at being an amateur cracksman, and had been complimented upon

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his skills in opening safes. Likewise, he had participated in

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several notorious black hand outrage and was well and favorably

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known in those circles. That is, the personality he assumed

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for this purpose was known to such associates. Thus Bruckner

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had broadened his knowledge of the ways and means of

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producing death in secret, and had familiarized himself with other

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branches of the trade upon which he might fall back

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in case wife murder, ever became an unhealthy occupation. Bruckner

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flattered himself that during the whole of his career he

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had never made a single mistake. Not once had he

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been regarded as anything but a sincere mourner at the

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biers of his dear departeds, never had he run a

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

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his remarkable capacities and congratulated himself upon his caution and

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truly exceptional foresight. Perhaps his success was due to the

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fact that he concentrated upon crime in its more subtle branch,

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and had never been addicted to any vice, either petty

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or great, nor had a pretty face ever tempted him.

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During the whole of his marital adventures, Bruckner had never

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once been in love, not even the victim of a

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

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adhered to it strictly, because he found the courtship stage

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of his engagements a trying ordeal. Marriage usually followed his

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proposals swiftly with grim humor. He often boasted to himself

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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.

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Women of his choice were invariably rather mature and usually unromantic.

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The more homely they might be, the better satisfied he was.

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A young and attractive wife might have admirers who would

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interfere with his plans. She would also be more likely

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to have relatives who might have too much to say,

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and to whom her death would be a real bereavement.

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Widows with children were banned. He had an aversion to

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step sons and daughters about the house instead. This pseudo

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lonely bachelor always sought a matron similarly situated, each with

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a tidy sum to support them, and both desiring a quiet,

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comfortable home. There was method in his rule. Not only

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was he assured of privacy in the domicile about to

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be established, but he could not be accused of the

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unpardonable crime of marrying for money. Bruckner was both sensitive

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and proud. He valued the good opinion of the community

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because it was an asset in his curious business. To

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pick out a bride of great wealth would mean additional

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difficulty in collecting his inheritance after the obsequious such details

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would be bound to be annoying, and Bruckner loved simplicity

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In this respect. A few thousand dollars, always less than

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his own nest egg, and perhaps a small property upon

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which no other heirs had any claim, were to be

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readily gathered in without the formality of court proceedings or

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the advice of counsel. After each deal, he cased in

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his gains, opened a new bank account under a new name,

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and stored his net profits in one of his safety

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deposit boxes. This had been going on for years. It

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was true that such gradual means of accumulating wealth necessitated

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many marriages. None of his wives had lived more than

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three years after the wedding, but in no case did

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he cause a death under twelve months. He remained prudent

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rather than avaricious or hasty. He never sought a rapid

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denouments at the risk of personal safety. Moreover, his wives

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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,

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Bruckner had a certain sentiment about proper burials. As a result,

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each simple ceremony was marked with unobstentatious respect. While the

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countryside was dotted here and there with nicely cared for

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graves and tastefully adequate tombstones. Everything he did was done

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

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simple as it was practical and resultful. He would go

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to a small town and take a comfortable room at

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a cheap hotel or boarding house frequented only by men.

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Without undue heraldry, he would announce that he was seeking

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a suitable place to end his days after he had

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attained the age of fifty. This sounded reasonable, so he

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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,

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he now looked back with concern upon the chances he

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had taken in connection with his first alliance, contracted when

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he was twenty. His initial venture had culminated admirably, however,

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and his four successive ones covering a scant ten years,

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also paid him neat profits. Now, when he was installed

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in a new and temporary residence, Bruckner would make it

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a point to scrape up a speaking acquaintance with a

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few substantial but humble souls in the neighborhood. He never

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associated with those who were prominent or overly endowed with

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worldly goods. He could not afford to make a permanent

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name for himself. He was always fading out of or

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into a picture. He was but a passing incident in

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the life of each community. To his chosen cronies, he

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would casually state that he was a plain man without frills.

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He regretted that he had not settled down and taken

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unto himself a life companion before he had grown too

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old to think of matrimony. Frequently this observation would bring

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forth good natured chuckles and sly winks. Male matchmakers would

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pass on the word to their immense hatching wives, and

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soon several no longer youthful hopefuls would begin to preen

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themselves and press mister Bruckner to drop in for tea. Reluctantly,

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he would accept and begin to judicious sound out the situation.

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If all seemed well, he would guardedly hint of his

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state of mind and eventually suggest a married partnership on

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the basis of mutual contribution to costs and common conuvial convenience.

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If the proposition met with a favorable reception, and the

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recipient of his attention appeared pliable, the marriage would be

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solemnized at no distant date. When this portion of the

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program was over, Bruckner would bide his time before springing

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the climax of his little drama. There were several phases

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of the stage setting to be considered. If his newly

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acquired wife was not possessed of real property, and there

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seemed no reason for their remaining where they were, he

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would find some good incentive for moving to another city.

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The death of a middle aged matron caused less commotion

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in a neighborhood where she was a stranger. Such a

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move made, he could proceed at his leisure without engendering

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

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valuable lots or houses, or perhaps a little business, he

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must gradually make excuses to dispose of these, or else

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remain on the spot and wait until he could do so.

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As sole executor practice had made him perfect, no matter

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which course he was forced to take. In any event,

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no sooner would the funeral be forgotten than Buckner would

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move on. Invariably, those who had known him, expressed their

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regret and felt genuinely sorry for the lonely, broken hearted man.

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

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but such a woman had no chance whatever. Under no

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conditions would Buckner marry twice in the same town, or

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even under the same name. His various ventures were widely

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separated as to scene. He would shake his name together

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with the dust of the deserted community and assume a

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new and equally commonplace one upon his arrival in the

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section selected for his next proceeding. That little matter of

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choice of names indicated his extreme cleverness. Never was he

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known by a distinct cognomen. His surname was likely to

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be the most numerously mentioned in the local directory. Fortune

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favored Bruckner in that he was a man whose appearance

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made his age seem uncertain. As he pleased, he was

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readily able to subtract or add ten or twenty years

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from the truth. Then, too, he made a careful study

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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

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his looks little niceties of dress. A different manner of

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brushing the hair. The time worn cultivation or destruction of mustaches, beards,

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side whiskers, and imperials all served his purpose upon occasion.

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Possessed of an excellent memory, a perfect capacity for forgetting

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the past, and a penchant for looking into the future,

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Buckner was well equipped. He was devoid of conscience, insensible

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to sentiment, and looked forward to the day when he

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might safely write his memoirs to be published posthumously. Three

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Such was the man who found himself a widower for

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the twelfth time last fall. Upon casting up his accounts

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after the final ceremonies of that funeral, Bruckner, as he

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had elected to style himself, discovered his total fortune amounted

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to some two hundred thousand dollars. It was safely stowed

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away in his safe deposit strongholds. He had, remaining under

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the new name of Bruckner, sufficient capital to see him

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through his next adventure. The surplus he did not mean

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

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the death and the settlement of the estate of his

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most recent wife, Bruckner seriously considered the idea of remaining single.

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Like many another prosperous man. After years of striving, he

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longed for a life of indolence, broken of its monotony

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by such pursuits as might please him. He hated the

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very thought of home. He had no wish to settle down.

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He had possessed a suffold of wives that he did

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not want in a personal way. Bruckner had married them

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in the casual course of business, and this gave him

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a thought in the nature of a vacation. Suppose he

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should seek a spouse who actually pleased him. Thus far,

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he had not experienced such a genuine pleasure. For a

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man married as much as he, The situation was silly.

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Yet Bruckner had his doubts. If he paid court to

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a young and beautiful girl, one whom he really admired,

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

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00:17:36,119 --> 00:17:40,960
fall in love with her. That would prove fatal. He

238
00:17:41,039 --> 00:17:44,960
had heard of idiots drunk with love who told their

239
00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:50,599
wives everything that would never do in the first place.

240
00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:54,920
A lady might not prove sympathetic. Also, he was certain

241
00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,599
that sooner or later he would desire to kill her

242
00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:01,839
from the sheer force of habit, or perhaps from ennui.

243
00:18:02,519 --> 00:18:06,680
Since he no longer needed money. Such a situation would

244
00:18:06,759 --> 00:18:10,119
be awkward if he became devoted to her, for then

245
00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:12,799
he would break the heart which had been proof against

246
00:18:12,839 --> 00:18:18,680
Cupid's darts through all these years of many marriages. So

247
00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:21,799
he relinquished the thought and went to New York to

248
00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:27,119
rest up a bit and think the situation over. As usual,

249
00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:31,000
he went to a modest hotel. Yet the days he

250
00:18:31,039 --> 00:18:35,079
spent alone were tedious, and like a fish out of water,

251
00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:39,880
he longed to plunge once more into the matrimonial sea.

252
00:18:41,079 --> 00:18:43,400
For a time, he had whiled away some of his

253
00:18:43,519 --> 00:18:46,480
hours in the company of a Russian who claimed to

254
00:18:46,519 --> 00:18:51,400
have been a watchmaker to the late Czar. This gentleman

255
00:18:51,519 --> 00:18:54,920
still made time pieces, but he made them to put

256
00:18:54,920 --> 00:19:00,440
in bombs, and made them very well. His genius appealed

257
00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:04,759
to Bruckner, and the two became quite friendly, although Bruckner

258
00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:07,759
was slightly nervous lest the police should visit the bomb

259
00:19:07,759 --> 00:19:13,400
maker's place while he was present. However, he had no

260
00:19:13,559 --> 00:19:17,759
other company. His safe cracking friends were all in jail,

261
00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:21,400
and the others were safe beyond the reach of the law,

262
00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:25,400
or else had been reached by it and removed from

263
00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:30,000
this veil of tears. So he found himself craving for

264
00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:36,279
action and the further exercise of his remarkable talents. Then

265
00:19:36,319 --> 00:19:40,359
he met missus Mary Corkran, a healthy, husky lady who

266
00:19:40,480 --> 00:19:43,400
was doomed to become his wife from the first moment

267
00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:47,319
he saw her. Missus Corkran was a widow of just

268
00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:51,799
the proper age, not too wealthy, Bruckner thought, although she

269
00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:55,680
was possessed of a trifle more than her predecessors. She

270
00:19:55,880 --> 00:19:59,039
owned a place by the seashore and was extremely fond

271
00:19:59,079 --> 00:20:02,440
of bathing. She had a little motor boat, and at

272
00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:05,559
the time when Bruckner entered her life, was about to

273
00:20:05,599 --> 00:20:10,759
open her bungalow for the season. The situation appealed to Bruckner.

274
00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:14,720
He needed a rest and a change of clime, and

275
00:20:14,799 --> 00:20:18,359
a stay by the sea would be welcome. It would

276
00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:20,960
do him good and build up his health while he

277
00:20:21,079 --> 00:20:24,759
planned how to break down hers. So he mentioned to

278
00:20:24,799 --> 00:20:27,279
the widow as much of his plan as was fitting

279
00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:32,519
for a lady to know. She proved entirely agreeable, even

280
00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:37,119
eager Brucknor thought. In fact, he was rather afraid that

281
00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:40,839
she was in love with him. That might prove awkward,

282
00:20:41,359 --> 00:20:44,960
but it could not be helped, so he married her

283
00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:48,680
and took a solemn oath that when this adventure was over,

284
00:20:49,319 --> 00:20:54,119
he would never again tempt fate. The bungalow was on

285
00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,160
a little sandy point, some miles from the nearest town

286
00:20:57,519 --> 00:21:03,599
and the railroad station. Missus Bruckner knee Corkran, taxied back

287
00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:06,279
and forth from the village in her motor boat when

288
00:21:06,319 --> 00:21:12,839
her fancy suggested such journeys or purchases required them. Bruckner

289
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:15,279
spent much of his time sitting on the beach with

290
00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:19,279
his pipe and his thoughts, and practically lived the life

291
00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:24,079
of a married hermit. They got on together beautifully, and

292
00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:27,519
Bruckner thanked his stars that the woman did not desire

293
00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:33,119
him to be eternally complimenting or petting her. Her sole

294
00:21:33,279 --> 00:21:36,599
aim was his comfort, and never in all of his

295
00:21:36,759 --> 00:21:41,599
thirteen marital ventures had he lived so pleasantly and contentedly.

296
00:21:43,039 --> 00:21:46,559
It almost seemed a shame to terminate such an ideal arrangement.

297
00:21:47,559 --> 00:21:53,599
In fact, it would be little short of a crime. Four.

298
00:21:54,759 --> 00:21:58,359
But just as he knew he would, Bruckner reverted to type.

299
00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:02,079
He simply could could not resist the temptation to kill

300
00:22:02,079 --> 00:22:06,079
the woman. She did not annoy him. He had nothing

301
00:22:06,119 --> 00:22:09,920
against her, and he did not wish her money. Just

302
00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,279
the same, he wanted to kill her, and he wanted

303
00:22:12,319 --> 00:22:16,519
to do it in some new and original way. For

304
00:22:16,839 --> 00:22:20,200
days he thought it over and grew more perplexed. With

305
00:22:20,319 --> 00:22:23,880
the passage of time. He could not sleep at night,

306
00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:29,000
and he found himself nervous and restless. His appetite began

307
00:22:29,119 --> 00:22:33,480
to fail, a condition unheard of before, and even his

308
00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:37,599
pipe and tobacco failed to sulace him. Once or twice,

309
00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:40,759
he wondered whether it would not be wise if he

310
00:22:40,839 --> 00:22:45,119
went out and got drunk. He vetoed the idea, however,

311
00:22:45,359 --> 00:22:47,799
for he had always made it a rule to keep

312
00:22:47,799 --> 00:22:53,359
his head clear and his brain unfuddled. Drunken men and women,

313
00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:57,240
Bruckner always said, are inclined to talk too much, and

314
00:22:57,359 --> 00:23:01,640
he was a man of silence. Besides, the whoch lately

315
00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:08,000
available had in cases proved fatal. During all his meditation

316
00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:12,680
and perplexity, Missus Bruckner remained in blissful ignorance of the

317
00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:16,880
thing which was troubling him. It was true that she

318
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:20,480
seemed to suspect that something was wrong, but when she

319
00:23:20,559 --> 00:23:25,359
pressed for an explanation, he naturally put her off. She

320
00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,839
appeared to be alarmed about his health and was consistently

321
00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:33,319
urging him to go and consult a physician. He flatly

322
00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:35,839
refused and told her he had never been sick a

323
00:23:35,920 --> 00:23:38,839
day in his life. Of course, he knew what was

324
00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:43,039
the matter, and also knew very well that no physician's

325
00:23:43,079 --> 00:23:48,359
prescription would cure his ailment. His wife made more frequent

326
00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,200
trips to the little village, and even went to New

327
00:23:51,279 --> 00:23:56,799
York to bring back dainty viance to tempt his appetite. Apparently,

328
00:23:57,119 --> 00:24:00,160
her sole ambition in life was to prepare a dish

329
00:24:00,160 --> 00:24:03,839
that would tickle his palate, and Bruckner was not without

330
00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:08,559
some appreciation of her kindness and concern. At times, he

331
00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:11,799
almost resolved to put away his idea and let the

332
00:24:11,839 --> 00:24:15,680
woman live, But in patience to have it over with

333
00:24:16,359 --> 00:24:19,440
and to be at peace with the world mastered him.

334
00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:25,359
At last. His intentions crystallized into action on the morning

335
00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:28,160
when she announced her intention of going over to Calder's

336
00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:33,079
Point to attend a pinnuckle party. Bruckner never played cards

337
00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:37,160
and said he would not go. However, he even urged

338
00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:41,240
that she indulge in this pleasant diversion. You stay around

339
00:24:41,279 --> 00:24:45,000
me too much, he pressed her tenderly. You are wearing

340
00:24:45,039 --> 00:24:49,519
yourself out looking after my health. Stop worrying and have

341
00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:53,079
a good time while you may. I mean while you're

342
00:24:53,119 --> 00:24:56,200
still young and have your health, he added, realizing that

343
00:24:56,279 --> 00:25:00,559
he had almost made an unfortunate slip. All right, I will,

344
00:25:00,759 --> 00:25:04,440
if you really don't mind. She agreed and explained that

345
00:25:04,440 --> 00:25:08,079
the party would occur on the following Monday night. She

346
00:25:08,279 --> 00:25:11,680
proposed to take the motor boat over, leaving at seven o'clock,

347
00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:15,559
remaining for the night, and chug chugging back again the

348
00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:20,960
following morning. Ruckner was delighted. A sudden inspiration had plunged

349
00:25:21,039 --> 00:25:25,599
him into an ecstasy of joy. At last, like a

350
00:25:25,640 --> 00:25:28,440
bolt from the blue, he had hit upon a plan

351
00:25:28,599 --> 00:25:32,519
to do away with the woman. It was entirely possible

352
00:25:32,640 --> 00:25:35,279
that the thing had been done before, but it was

353
00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:39,400
new to Bruckner. It could not possibly savor of design,

354
00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:43,200
and it would happen while she was away. He would

355
00:25:43,279 --> 00:25:46,400
be presumed to know nothing of the accident until the

356
00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:50,920
heartrending news should be brought to him. Then he would

357
00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:57,759
be stunned. Ruckner was a past master of registering grief, surprise, anguish,

358
00:25:59,200 --> 00:26:02,039
but after the funeral he could spend the entire summer

359
00:26:02,079 --> 00:26:06,440
at the bungalow in undisturbed peace. He was glad that

360
00:26:06,519 --> 00:26:10,000
he could accomplish his purpose so early in the spring, for,

361
00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:13,799
unlike the average ban his thoughts did not lightly turn

362
00:26:13,839 --> 00:26:18,119
to love in that entrancing period. The thought necessitated a

363
00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:21,079
visit to his friend, the clockmaker, to the former czar,

364
00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:26,200
he made it and outlined his needs minutely. That is,

365
00:26:26,759 --> 00:26:30,400
he told the clockmaker precisely the sort of box he desired,

366
00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:34,880
how long and how wide it should be, and explain

367
00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:38,480
just how its timepiece was to be set. It was

368
00:26:38,519 --> 00:26:41,119
to be put up in a candy box and tied

369
00:26:41,200 --> 00:26:45,559
neatly with ribbon. It should weigh five pounds and bear

370
00:26:45,599 --> 00:26:49,839
the wrapping of a small confectioner. On the day he

371
00:26:49,920 --> 00:26:52,279
meant to use it, Bruckner would call for the box.

372
00:26:53,039 --> 00:26:56,240
It must be ready, and everything must be fixed so

373
00:26:56,279 --> 00:26:59,920
that he would not need to unwrap it. Missus Broucko

374
00:27:00,319 --> 00:27:03,160
was going away in her little sea taxi at seven o'clock.

375
00:27:04,119 --> 00:27:07,480
He would arrive from the city an hour before. He

376
00:27:07,519 --> 00:27:11,400
planned to reach the bungalow via a hired launch, timing

377
00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:14,640
himself to get there a little late for supper, but

378
00:27:14,799 --> 00:27:18,480
in time to bid her goodbye. When he did so,

379
00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:21,880
he would thoughtfully put the box of candy in his

380
00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:26,279
wife's motor boat, calling her attention to it and laughingly

381
00:27:26,319 --> 00:27:30,079
instructing her not to nibble at its contents during the journey.

382
00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,559
He wished her to save it for the party and

383
00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:37,640
present it to her hostess. He hoped she would obey.

384
00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:40,640
The trip would take her a little more than an hour.

385
00:27:41,519 --> 00:27:44,200
She did not mind that, since she loved the sea

386
00:27:44,359 --> 00:27:46,680
and could handle her craft as well as any man.

387
00:27:47,519 --> 00:27:50,640
But if everything went well, missus Bruckner would never land

388
00:27:50,680 --> 00:27:55,039
at the wharf at Calder's Point. Just about fifteen minutes

389
00:27:55,079 --> 00:27:58,000
before she was due to reach the settlement, the little

390
00:27:58,039 --> 00:28:01,920
clock would tick its final tick, and missus Bruckner would

391
00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:07,480
proceed to eternity instead of the Pinnuckle party. The complete

392
00:28:07,519 --> 00:28:11,640
simplicity of the scheme appealed to him strongly. He would

393
00:28:11,680 --> 00:28:15,799
put the bomb near the gasoline tank. Its explosion would

394
00:28:15,839 --> 00:28:19,480
destroy that container, and every one would surmise that the

395
00:28:19,519 --> 00:28:22,640
blowing up of the fuel store had caused the tragedy.

396
00:28:23,799 --> 00:28:26,039
No one but the dead woman would know about the

397
00:28:26,079 --> 00:28:29,680
candy box. That is, no one but the clockmaker of

398
00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:34,440
the Czar that gentleman would not be likely to speak.

399
00:28:35,680 --> 00:28:39,920
Secrecy was also essential to the success of his profession,

400
00:28:40,319 --> 00:28:44,839
and in such matters he was strictly honorable and thoroughly reliable.

401
00:28:45,799 --> 00:28:48,359
He need not know for whom the box was intended,

402
00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:51,799
and for reasons of his own, he would not inquire

403
00:28:51,839 --> 00:28:57,440
too deeply into the matter. Five everything went as planned.

404
00:28:58,119 --> 00:29:01,599
On Monday, mister Bruckner announced that it would be necessary

405
00:29:01,640 --> 00:29:03,960
for him to go to the city in connection with

406
00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:07,720
some business at his broker's. He promised to return as

407
00:29:07,759 --> 00:29:10,640
speedily as he could, but told his wife not to

408
00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:13,039
wait for him if he should not be home by

409
00:29:13,079 --> 00:29:18,839
the time she intended to leave. That was camouflage, carefully planned.

410
00:29:19,559 --> 00:29:22,559
He always thought of little details like that in order

411
00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:27,359
to turn away suspicion from the minds of his victims. Besides,

412
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:31,119
he wanted to establish an alibi and have it known

413
00:29:31,200 --> 00:29:35,920
that he was away all day. Moreover, he always disliked

414
00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,720
to be around his victims just before the climax of

415
00:29:38,759 --> 00:29:43,720
his cunning. Their very confidence and trust in him always

416
00:29:43,839 --> 00:29:47,799
tended to annoy him. But he knew very well that

417
00:29:47,880 --> 00:29:51,880
he would be back on time. Otherwise, of course, he

418
00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:54,480
could not place the candy box in the little lunch.

419
00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:59,279
The clockmaker was ready for him, and the box itself

420
00:29:59,359 --> 00:30:02,759
was a beauty, as creditable a piece of work as

421
00:30:02,759 --> 00:30:06,240
Bruckner had ever seen. It did not weigh too much

422
00:30:06,519 --> 00:30:09,720
nor too little, and while he was assured that the

423
00:30:09,759 --> 00:30:13,559
watch was perfect in its mechanism and timing, it did

424
00:30:13,559 --> 00:30:18,880
not give forth the slightest sound. The watchmaker beamed when

425
00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:22,240
he saw the look of admiration in Bruckner's eyes, and

426
00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:25,440
told him that he might trust the little bomb. Implicitly,

427
00:30:26,839 --> 00:30:30,279
it is worthy to blow up a prime minister, enthused

428
00:30:30,359 --> 00:30:37,079
its author. Unfortunately, these days kings are few, and trade

429
00:30:37,279 --> 00:30:41,400
is far from good. The war seems to have caused

430
00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:45,079
an unreasonable dislike for explosives on the part of my

431
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:50,079
very best customers. Bruckner condoled with the little man and

432
00:30:50,119 --> 00:30:54,039
took his departure. He had received the professional word of

433
00:30:54,079 --> 00:30:57,000
the watchmaker that the bomb would not go off if

434
00:30:57,039 --> 00:31:00,000
he dropped it, and that it would not explode until

435
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:06,319
eight fifteen. Precisely that was Bruckner's wish. The detonation would

436
00:31:06,359 --> 00:31:08,720
be heard just as the motor boat was entering the

437
00:31:08,759 --> 00:31:13,279
waters around Calder's Point, and would startle those on shore

438
00:31:13,480 --> 00:31:18,000
waiting for his wife. In all probability, the bomb would

439
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:21,720
tear her to pieces and wreck the boat completely. At

440
00:31:21,799 --> 00:31:25,799
least it would utterly destroy itself and the gasoline tank

441
00:31:27,079 --> 00:31:30,319
that was of course essential, for there must be no

442
00:31:30,519 --> 00:31:35,400
remaining evidence, even though no clue could possibly point to him.

443
00:31:36,039 --> 00:31:38,920
But because the time schedule of the railroad had been

444
00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:42,799
changed without his knowledge, Bruckner did not arrive at the

445
00:31:42,799 --> 00:31:47,920
bungalow until almost seven o'clock. It had been a narrow

446
00:31:48,079 --> 00:31:52,119
escape from being too late, and the incident made him nervous.

447
00:31:52,759 --> 00:31:56,960
Yet in a way he thought it was fortunate missus

448
00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:59,720
Bruckner was down at the landing, dressed in her best

449
00:31:59,759 --> 00:32:02,160
bit ub and tucker, and she greeted him with a

450
00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:06,960
smile and an inquiry as to his health. You look tired,

451
00:32:07,039 --> 00:32:10,240
my dear, she sympathized, in a motherly sort of fashion.

452
00:32:11,079 --> 00:32:14,599
I really hate to go away and leave you. I

453
00:32:14,640 --> 00:32:18,359
am tired, Bruckner confessed. I guess I'm not as young

454
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:21,039
as I used to be and haven't been right pert

455
00:32:21,119 --> 00:32:24,880
for the last few weeks. I'll soon be better, however,

456
00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:28,160
he added, cheerfully. Just you go on and have a

457
00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:31,960
good time and don't give a thought to me. Then

458
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,440
he produced the candy box and displayed it to her.

459
00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:38,000
The boatman who had brought him was gone by this time,

460
00:32:38,359 --> 00:32:40,759
and he had not seen the package, which Bruckner had

461
00:32:40,839 --> 00:32:45,559
kept wrapped in a newspaper until this very moment. Now,

462
00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:48,480
missus Bruckner took it in her hands and plucked at

463
00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:51,160
the ribbon, But he shook his finger at her, as

464
00:32:51,200 --> 00:32:54,920
he might do to a naughty child. Now, don't be

465
00:32:55,039 --> 00:32:59,359
impatient or selfish, he reproved. Keep it until you get

466
00:32:59,359 --> 00:33:02,359
to the party, then offer some to the others with

467
00:33:02,440 --> 00:33:06,759
my compliments. I suppose I should do that. She agreed

468
00:33:06,799 --> 00:33:09,880
with him. But now I must be going. There's a

469
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:12,720
light under, the coffee on the stove, and your suppers

470
00:33:12,759 --> 00:33:17,279
on the table. You won't mind a cold snack, will you, No,

471
00:33:17,680 --> 00:33:20,720
Ruckner said, And then one flaw in his plan occurred

472
00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:23,839
to him. How could he make sure she would put

473
00:33:23,839 --> 00:33:27,599
the candy box where it would certainly destroy the gasoling tank?

474
00:33:28,799 --> 00:33:31,440
He could not. If he left it in her possession,

475
00:33:32,559 --> 00:33:35,640
of course, it would kill her. But that was not enough.

476
00:33:36,599 --> 00:33:40,039
His plan must work out exactly as he had intended,

477
00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:44,000
and the only way to ensure this perfect success was

478
00:33:44,039 --> 00:33:48,000
to go along in the boat that, in a way

479
00:33:48,519 --> 00:33:51,640
was a risk, but Bruckner was equal to the situation.

480
00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:56,119
It required quick thinking, but he had a bright idea

481
00:33:56,200 --> 00:34:01,000
on the spot. Well, he reproached himself. If I didn't

482
00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:04,440
forget my tobacco, I guess I'd better go back as

483
00:34:04,480 --> 00:34:06,839
far as the station with you and then get one

484
00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:10,119
of the public launches to bring me home. It won't

485
00:34:10,119 --> 00:34:13,159
take more than half an hour, and I'll eat supper later.

486
00:34:14,679 --> 00:34:17,119
So he took the candy box from his wife's hand

487
00:34:17,599 --> 00:34:21,239
and helped her into the boat. She went directly to

488
00:34:21,280 --> 00:34:24,360
the little engine and started it as he stepped aboard.

489
00:34:25,639 --> 00:34:28,000
The bomb would not blow up for about an hour.

490
00:34:28,679 --> 00:34:31,159
In twenty minutes, he would be at the station landing.

491
00:34:32,159 --> 00:34:34,599
When he got out, he would put the candy box

492
00:34:34,639 --> 00:34:37,599
by the gasoline tank and lay a tarpaulin over it,

493
00:34:38,079 --> 00:34:40,760
with the explanation that he did so to keep it

494
00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:44,719
from being wetted by the spray. Missus Bruckner would think

495
00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:47,880
nothing of that, and would probably forget all about the

496
00:34:47,960 --> 00:34:54,280
candy until it reminded her of itself. Forcibly Speedily, the

497
00:34:54,360 --> 00:34:57,079
little boat chugged away from the wharf and cut the

498
00:34:57,119 --> 00:34:59,760
waves like a knife as it shot off toward the

499
00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:04,880
safe pier. It was twilight, growing gradually darker, and the

500
00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:07,800
lights began to twinkle from the group of cottages ahead.

501
00:35:09,119 --> 00:35:12,960
Perhaps Bruckner suggested to his wife, I'll stay over at

502
00:35:12,960 --> 00:35:16,079
the post office for a while. Maybe I can get

503
00:35:16,079 --> 00:35:18,079
some of the men to play a game of pool

504
00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:22,119
and go home about ten o'clock supper being cold, it

505
00:35:22,159 --> 00:35:26,960
won't make any difference, and I'll take some fresh But

506
00:35:27,119 --> 00:35:31,400
he never made it. There was a terrific crash. The

507
00:35:31,519 --> 00:35:36,280
little motor launch was rent asunder. When the detonation died away,

508
00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:39,880
there was nothing left but a few pieces of floating

509
00:35:39,920 --> 00:35:44,840
wreckage and curiously, a red ribbon floating on the surface

510
00:35:44,880 --> 00:35:48,920
of the sea. Bruckner and his wife had been blown

511
00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:53,239
to atoms. The clock binker had worked well, and the

512
00:35:53,280 --> 00:35:56,760
bomb had gone off precisely as he is planned, at

513
00:35:56,800 --> 00:36:01,239
the hour appointed by Bruckner himself. But the former creator

514
00:36:01,280 --> 00:36:03,880
of time pieces for the Czar was not a man

515
00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:07,760
who read the daily papers. In preparing the bomb and

516
00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:10,559
setting the clock, he had not known of the fact

517
00:36:10,599 --> 00:36:13,639
that the daylight savings law for the season went into

518
00:36:13,719 --> 00:36:17,760
effect at the stroke of two that morning. Hence the

519
00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:21,800
explosion had occurred one hour earlier than Bruckner had expected

520
00:36:21,840 --> 00:36:27,480
it would six. But simultaneously with the crash that ended

521
00:36:27,480 --> 00:36:31,440
the lives of the Bruckners, two strange men appeared before

522
00:36:31,480 --> 00:36:35,800
their little bungalow. The visitors on the beach looked out

523
00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:39,480
to see, not knowing that the criminal they sought was

524
00:36:39,559 --> 00:36:44,559
now beyond their reach. Gosh. One of them exclaimed that

525
00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:48,119
gasoline certainly made a thorough job of it. It won't

526
00:36:48,159 --> 00:36:51,880
even be worthwhile to send out a rescue boat. The

527
00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:55,800
other detective shrugged. I'm more interested in what we're likely

528
00:36:55,840 --> 00:36:59,719
to find inside the house, he said, Since nobody seems

529
00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:04,000
to be home, suppose we go right in. They did,

530
00:37:04,639 --> 00:37:08,280
and they made a thorough search, including a chemical analysis

531
00:37:08,320 --> 00:37:11,119
of the coffee on the stove and the cold snack

532
00:37:11,199 --> 00:37:15,239
on the table. It was a delicious looking little layout

533
00:37:15,519 --> 00:37:19,920
of tempting morsels, but the chemist who tested it whistled

534
00:37:19,960 --> 00:37:24,599
loudly in amazement when his task was finished. The old

535
00:37:24,639 --> 00:37:26,960
girl seems to have been in a hurry to finish

536
00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:30,880
this chap, he announced. She's put enough poison in all

537
00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:35,480
this stuff to kill an elephant. Funny too, because she

538
00:37:35,639 --> 00:37:41,760
always worked slowly before before, questioned his companion Is she

539
00:37:41,920 --> 00:37:44,199
one of those fiends who marries a lot of men

540
00:37:44,239 --> 00:37:48,800
and murders them for their insurance? The chemist nodded. She

541
00:37:49,079 --> 00:37:52,519
was tried twice and acquitted for lack of convincing proof,

542
00:37:53,079 --> 00:37:56,800
But we've been watching her ever since, and her mugs

543
00:37:56,840 --> 00:38:00,840
in the Rogues Gallery under the alias of our neck Annie.

544
00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:07,719
The End of his Thirteenth Wife by Herbert Raymond Carter