No."

"Or his business with her?"

"No. But he seemed to be annoyed." Mr. Blanton also seemed to be
annoyed. He had considered not mentioning this appointment, but his
conscience would not let him hide it. None the less he resented the
need of giving the public more scandal about a fellow club member who
was dead. He added an explanation. "My feeling was that it was some
business matter being forced on him. He had been at Colorado Springs
during the day and probably had been unable to see the lady earlier."

"Did he say so?"

"No-o, not exactly."

"What did he say to give you that impression?"

"I don't recall his words."

"Or the substance of them?"

"No. I had the impression, very strongly."

The coroner reproved him tartly. "Please confine your testimony to
facts and not to impressions, Mr. Blanton. Do you know at what time
Mr. Cunningham left the City Club?"

"At 8.45."

"Precisely?"

"Precisely."

"That will do."

Exit Mr. Blanton from the chair and from the room, very promptly and
very eagerly.

He was followed by a teller at the Rocky Mountain National Bank. He
testified to only two facts--that he knew Cunningham and that the
promoter had drawn two thousand dollars in bills on the day of his
death.

A tenant at the Paradox Apartments was next called to the stand. The
assistant district attorney examined him. He brought out only one fact
of importance--that he had seen Cunningham enter the building at a few
minutes before nine o'clock.

The medical witnesses were introduced next. The police surgeon had
reached the apartment at 10.30. The deceased had come to his death, in
his judgment, from the effect of a bullet out of a .38 caliber revolver
fired into his brain. He had been struck a blow on the head by some
heavy instrument, but this in itself would probably not have proved
fatal.

"How long do you think he had been dead when you first saw him?"

"Less than an hour." Answering questions, the police surgeon gave the
technical medical reasons upon which he based this opinion. He
described the wound.

The coroner washed the backs of his hands with his palms. Observing
reporters noticed that he did this whenever he intended taking the
examination into his own hands.

"Did anything peculiar about the wound impress you?" he asked.

"Yes. The forehead of the deceased was powder-marked."

"Showing that the weapon had been fired close to him?"

"Yes."

"Anything el