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The Brussels Post, 1927-5-4, Page 7pqrrykall..•••••1101111 E 1311 Mildu Copyr'ght 1913. By MARY ROBERTS RINEHART 1 e" ,The• newspapers had boon full of tlfe diaap MMS: of Jennie Brice, tbr disappearance it proved to be. So far as could be learned she had not left the city than nesht or since, and as she was a strik,ing looking woman, very blond, as I haw: said, with a full yoke and a languidman- nor, sho could hardly have taken re- fuge anywhere without being diss covered. Tho morning, after her dis- allimaranso a Young w!,mrlo, tall like Jennie Brice, and fair, had been soen in the Union station. But as she was accompanied by a young man, who bought her magazines and papers and bade her an excited fare- well, sending his love to various members of a family and promising to focal the canary, this was not ser- iously considered. A sort of generel aktrin went over the country. When she was younger she had been prof, to Well known at the Broadway theatres in New York. Ono way or another the Liberty theatre got a lot of free advertising from the ease, and, I believe, Miss Hope's snlary was raised. Tho police communicated with Jennie Price's pooplo—she had 3 els- ter in Olean, N. Y., but she had not hoard from her. The sister \aroma - 1 heard later—that Jennie had boon unhappy with Philip Ladley, and at - raid ho would hill her. And 'Miss Hope told the same story. But— there WaS 00 corpus, us the lawyers say, and finally the police had to free Ladloy. Beyond making an attempt to get bail, and failing, he had done moh- ing. .A4ked- t:hot his wife. he m-sse- ly Almost his shoulders and scald ehe had t him and would Oen up all right. He was unconcerned, smoked 4'1m:rates an gay, ate and slept well and looked beter since he had had nothing to drink. And two or throe days after the ai•rost he smnt for the manuscript or his play.• Mr. Howell came for it on the Thursday of that week. I was on my knees scrubbing ties parlor floor when he rang the boll. I let him in, and it seemsd te that he looked tired and pale. Well, Mrs. Pitman," he said, smil- ing, "what diol you find In the cellar when the water went down?" "I'm glad to say that I didn't find what 1 feared, Mr, Howell." "Not even the onyx clock?" "Not even the clock," T replied. "And I feel as if I'd lost n friend. A clock is a lot of company," "Do you know what I think?" he said, looking at me closely. "I think you put that clock away your- self in the excitement end have for- gotten all about it." "Nonsense." "Think hard." He was very much in earnest. "You knew the water was rising and the Ladleys would have to be moved up to the second floor front, where the clock stood. You went in there and looked round to see if the room was ready, and you saw the clock. And knowing that the Ladleys quarreled now Find then and were apt to throw things—" "Nothing but a soap dish, and that only once." -L"you took the clock to the attic and put it, say, in anold trunk." "I did nothing of the sort. I went in, as you say, and I put up an old "solasher, because of the way he throws ink about. Then 1 wound the clock, put the key under it and went out." "And the key is gone, tool" he said, thoughtfully. "I wish I could find that clock,. Mrs. Pitman." "So do I." "Ladley went out Sunday after- noon about 3, didn't he—and got back at 5?", I turned and looked at him, "Yes, Mr. Howell," I said. "Perhaps you know .something about that," "I?" He changed comer. Twenty 111,0,001.41011011111.1101•101ea Letterheads Envelopes Billheads And all kinds of Business Stationery printed at The Post Publishing House. Wo will do a job that will do credit to your business. Look over your stock of Office ,Stationery, and if it requiresreplenishing call us by telephone 31. The (tic Pupil -shill House LurPlir6ViiiiimEtinets..,164,atnionentorostom.....eamenne. years of dunning boarders has made me pretty sharp at reading awes, and he looked ns uncomfortable as J' lug owed MO ln 00:i4. "I!" I anew then that 1 had been right about the voiee. it had been hint. "You!" I retorted. "You wore here Sunday morning and speak some time with the Ladleys. 1 am the old she devil. I notice you didn't tell your friend, Mr. Holcombe, about beidg here Sunday." He was quick to recover, "I'll tell you all about; it, Mrs. Pittuan," ;u: said smilingly. "You see, all my life I have wished for an onyx clock. It has been my ambition, my great desire. Leaving th0 house that Sun- day morning and hearing the tick- i.ng of ths clock upstairs I reeognis- ed it was an onyx clock, clambered from my boat through an upper window and so rcoiched it. The clock showed fight, but after stun- ning it with a chairs—" THE BRUSSELS POST eooking Mr, Ileynobtasopeem•• - the chance that 1 night havr, Mr. Igulley again mot the.woman at Dor- nor. For it had come -to me like a flash ne Mr, Graves 14.ft ill 41, the "Horn----" un the paper• slip might have been "Horner," 0 0 0 sa After all, there was nothing solo sational abont 151' 1 solley's return. 11 eame :11 Is &Hock that n 1aht, rresh shaved and with his heir cut, end, although lie had a latehlem, ho rang the doorbell. I knew his ring, nnd I thought it no harm to onrry an old razor of Mr. Pitman's with the blade open and Sable(' back on the handle, the way the colored people use 1,110111, in my left hand. But I sew at once that be meant. 710 rill:011er. "Good evening," he said, and put out his hand. I jumped back until sew there was nothing in it and that he only meant to shake hands. I olidn't do it. I might have to take him in and make his bed and cook his meals, but I did not have to sheke hands with him. "You, too!" he said, looking at mo with what I suppose he meant to be reproachful look. But he could xio more put an expression of that sort 10 Ma f!y08 than a fish could. "I sup- pose, then, thorn is no use asking' if may have my old room ---the front room. I won't need two." "Exactly!" I said. "Then tho thing Mrs. Ladley said she would not do was probably to wind the clock?" Ho dropped his bantering manner at once. "Mrs. Pitman," he said, "I don't know what you heard or did not hear. But I want you to give me a little time before you tell any- body that I was here that Sunday morning. And in return I'll find your clock." I hesitated, but however put out: ho was he didn't look Ince a criminal. Besides, he was a friend of my nies- cos cant blood is thicker than flood water, "There was nothing wrong about btiog hese," he went on, "but I don't want It known. Don't spoil a good story, Mrs. Pitman." I did 'not suite understand that, al- though those who followed the trial carefully may do so. Poor Mr. How- ell! I am sure he believed it was only a good story. He got tita, de- scription of my onyx clock and wrote it down, and 1 gave him the manu- script for Mr. Ladley. That was the last I saw of him for some time. That Thursday proved to be an ex- citing day, for late in the afternoon, Terry, digging the mu cs out of the cellar, came across my scassing gray false front near the coal vault and brought it up, grinning, and just be- fore 6 Mr. Graves, the detective, rang the bell and then lot himself. in. I found him in the lower hall looking around. Well, Mrs. Pitman," he said, "has our friend come back yet?" "She was no friend of mine." "Not she—Ladley. "e'11 be out Hits evening, and he'll probably be around for his clothes." I felt my knees waver, as they al- ways did when he was spoken of. "He may want to stay here," said Mr. Graves. "In fact, I think that's just what he will want," "Not here," I protested. "The very thought of him makes me quake." "If he comes here better take him in. I want to know where he is." I tried to say that I wouldn't have him, but She old habit or the ward asserted itself. From taking a bot- tle of beer or a slice of pie to telling one where one might or might not live the police were autocrats in that neighborhood, and, respectable WOM- an that I sun, my neighbors' fears oJ' the front orce have infected me. "All right, Mr. Graves," 1 said. Ho pushed the parlor door open and looked in, whistling. "This is the place, isn't i,t?" • "Yes. But it was upstairs that he—" "I see, Tall 100111101, Mrs. Lad- , ley?" "Tall and blond. Very airy in • her manner." He nodded and stood looking in and whistling. At the door, howov- er, ho stopped and turned, "Look anything like this?" ne asked and held out olle of his hands with a small kodak picture on the palm. It was a snapshot of a children's frolic in a village street, with some onlookers in the background. Around one of the heads had been drawn a circle in pencil. I took it to the gas jet and looked at it close- ly, It was a tall woman with a hat on, not unlike Jennie Brice. She was looking over the orowd, and I could see only her face, and that in shadow. I shook my head. "I thought not," he said, "We have a lot of stage pictures of her, hut, what with false hair and their being retouched beyond recognition, they don't amount to 11111011." He started out and stopped on the door- step to light a cigar. "Take him in if be comes," be said-, "And keep your eyos open. Feed him well and he won't kill you!" I had plenty to think of *ben 1 didn't Want him, and he meat have 80011 it. But I took him. "'fou may hero it, as far as I'm concern - o31," I said. "ria you'll have to let the paper hanger in to -morrow." "Assuredly." He came into the hall and stood looking around him, and I fancied lie drew a breath of relief. "It Int much yet," he said, "but it's better to look at than six feet of muddy water." "Or than stone walls," I saicl.• He looked at mts and smiled. "Or 'disci storm W'( 1,' 11,, remlted, bow- ing, and went into his room, So I had him again, and if I gave him only the dull knives and locked up the bread knife the moment I had finished with it, who 1011 blame int? I took all the precaution I could think of—had Terry put an ex- tra bolt on every door and hid the rat poison and carbolic acid in the cellar. Peter would not go near him. Ho hobbled around on his three legs, with the splint beating a tattoo 011 the floor, but ho stayed back in the kitchen with me or in the yard. It was Sunday night or early Monday morning that Jennie Brice disappeared. On Thursday eveping her husband came back. On Friatty the body of a woman was washed lights and went to the cellar. Tho meter was going around." "Fine!" he said. "Every murderer fears the dark, and our friend of the parlor bedroom is a murderer, Mrs. Pitman. Whether he hangs or not, he's a murderer." The mirror affair, which Mr. Hol- combe called a periscipe was put in that day and worked amazingly well. I went with him to try 11 out, and I distinctly saw the paperhanger talcs a cigarette from Mr. Ladley's case and put it in his pocket. Just after that, Mr. Ladley sauntered into the room and looked a the new paper. I .could both see and hear him. It was 'rather weird... "Gee, what a wall paper!" he said. - CHAPTER Vil That was Friday afternoon. All that evening and most of Saturday and Sunday Mr. Holcombe sat on the floor with his eye to the reflecting mirror and his notebook beside him. I have it before me. On the first page is the "dog meat —$2" entry. On the next, the de- scription of what occurred on Sun- day night, March 4, and Monday March 5th. Following that came 33' sketch, made with a carbon sheet of the torn paper behind the washs stand. And then came the entries for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday evening, 6.30—Eating hearty slipper. 7—Lights cigarette on paces the floor. Notice that when ltfrs. P. knocks he goes to desk and pretends to be writing. 8—Is examining book. Looks like a railway guide. 8.30—It is a steamship guide, 8.45—Tailor's boy brings box. Gives boy 50 cents. query; Where does he get money now that J. B. gone? 9—Tries on new suit (brown). 0.30—Has- been spending a quer- ter of an hour on his knees looking behind furniture and examining the baseboard. 10:15—He has just thrown key or similar small article outside window into scatd. 11—Has gone to bed. Light burn- ing. Shall sloop here on floor. 11:30-113 cannot sleep, Is up walking the floor arid sinokiag. 2 cum—Saturday. Disturbance. below. Ho had nightmare and was calling "Jennie!" He got up, took a drink and is 310W reatitig, 8 a.m.—Mus( have slept Ho is shaving, 12 in.—Nothing this • He as.* 00+0+0+0+044+0+04+00 0+00 • 0 4. 4.0 WANTED 0 •s 4. Ittaleat meraet price1 for oth- '41; er hens. 4. 4410+04 grre{.0013-e4,1,0,', Well, Mr. Holcombe came in that night about 10 o'clock, and I told him Ladley was back. He was al- most wild with excitement, wanted to have the back parlor, so he -could watch hint through the keyhole. and Was terribly upset when I told him there was no keyhole, that the door fastened with a thump bolt. On learning that the room WM to bo papond the next morning he grew - calmer, however, and got the paper- hanger's address from me, He went nut just after that. Friday, as I say, was very quiet. Mr. Ladles, moved to the back parlor to let the paperhanger in the front room, smoked and fussed with his Papers all day, and Mr, Holcombe stayed in his room, which was unus- ual. In the afternoon Molly Ma- guire put on the striped fur coat and went out, going slowly past the house so that I would be sure to eve her, Beyond banging the window down, I gave her no satisfaction. wrote for four hours, sometimes reading almel what ho had written. p.m. ---He has a visitor, a 111:111. Cannot hear aid—word now and then, "Llewellyn is the very man." "Doril of a 11...kt, ow,sn y 11,',, ugh." "Lost the slip." "Than't em to ti,' hotel. She wont to a orb, vato house." "Eliza SchaefTer." Who wont to a private hon'? teliets Briees 2.30---Canoot hoar. Aro whisper - Me. Tiw visitor has givou belies' a roll .of bills. the visitor. a tall man with a 101)11 '1 beard. He wont to the Liberty theatre. Founl it was Bronson, business manager there. Who is Llewellyn, and who is Eliza Sohaeffer? 4;15—Had Mrs, P. bring tele- phone book; six news:pis in the book; 00 Eliza Sehaeffcg, Ladley aPpettr.,: more elmerful shale -Bron- son's visit. He has bought till the evening papers and is searching for s:mmthing. Has not found it. 7—At. well. Have :based ?1,'s. to take my pIace here until I inter- vie71_114e,rrssi,:s Pr.'17rt vt;ollrYnssa quiet even- ing. He read and smeged, Hag on:' to bed. 'Light burning. Saw five Llewellyns. None of them knew Bronson or Ladley. Sixth—a lawyer —out at revival meeting. Went to the church and walked home with him.. Ho knows something. Aek- nowledged he know Bronson. Had met [sulky. Did not 'believe Mrs. Ladley dead. Regretted 1 had not been to the meetkig, Good sermon. Asked 1111: for a dollar for missions. 0 a.m.—Sunday. Ladley in bad At 4 o'clock Mr. Holcombe came shape. Apparently been drinking 311 to my kitchen, rubbing his hands to- night. Cannot eat. Sent out early gether. Hu had a pasteboa0 tube for papers and has searched them 1n his hand about a foot long, with all. Found entry on second page, an arrangement of small mirrors in stared at it, then thane; sne paper it. He said it was modeled after the away. Have sent tor :came paper. something or other that is used on a 10 a.m.--Paper says: "Bral- of submatine, fool tleg; the :1110 v-ornan Va.4.3110d. ashuIe yo.,terday erhangor had fixed a 'dace for it be- Sewickley. Much mutilated by flood tween his floor and the ceiling of Mr. debris." Ladley in bed, staring at Ladley's room, so that the chandelier gelling. Wonder it he sees tube? He would hide it from below. He thought lie could watch Mr. Ladley through it, and as it turned oat lie could. "I want to iskt.1 his weak mom- ent," he said excitedly. "I want to know what he does when the door is closed and he can take off his mask. And I want to know if he sleeps with a light." "If he does," I replied, "I hope you'll let me know, Mr. Holcombe. The gas bills are a horror to me as it is. I think he kept it 011 all last night. I turned off all the other (whore at Beaver, but turned out to be that of a stewardess who had fall- en overboard from one of the Cin- cinnati packets. Mr. Ladley himself showed me the article in the 100111- 11 30 paper when I took in his break- fast "Public 'hysteria has killed a man before this," he said when I had aced it. "Suppose that woman had been mangled or the screw of the steamer had cut her head off! How many people do you suppose would have been willing to swear that it was my •—was Mrs. Ladley?" "Even without a head I should know Mrs. Ladley," I retorted. He shrugged his shoulders. "Lot's trust she's still alive, for may sake," he said. "But Pm glad, anyhow, that this woman had a head. You'll allow me to be glad, won't you?" "You can be anything you want as far as I'm concerned," I snapped and wont out. Mr. Holcombe still retained the second story front room. I think, although lie said nothing more about it, that he was still "playing hase." He wrote a good bit at the wash- stand, and, from the loose sheets of manuscript he loft, 1 believe actual- ly tried to begin a play. But mostly he wandered along the water front or stood on one or intoner of the bridges, looking at the water and thinking. It is certain that he tried to keep in the part by smoking cig- arettes, but he hated them, and us- ually ended by throwing the cigar- ette away and lighting an old pipe he carried. On that Thursday evening he came home and sat down to supper with Mr. Boyne/cis . He ate little and seemed much excited. The talk ran on crime, as it; always did When he was around, and Mr. hoscombe quot- ed Spencer a great 0eal—Herbert Spencer. Mr. Reynolds was impres- sed, not knowing much beyond silks and the Nittional league. "Spencer," Mr. Holcombe would say—"Spencer shows that every oc- currence is the Inevitable result of whta has gone before and carries in its train an equally inevitable series of results, Try to interrupt this chain 111 the smallest degree and what follows? Chaos, in3, dear sir, chaos." "We see that at the store," Mr. Reynolds would gay. "Accustom a lot of money tO a 51114 sale on Fri. days and then in ke It tooth brushes. That's chaos, all eight." • is ghastly. That is the last entry in the potc- book for that day. Mr. Holcombe called me in great excitement short- ly after 10 and showed me the item. Neither of us doubted for a moment that it was Jennie Brice who had been found dead. Be started for Sewickley that same afternoon, and he probably communicated with the police before - he left, for once or twice I saw Mr. Graves, the detect - tee, sauntering past the house. Mr. Ladley ate no dinner. He went out at 4, and I had Mr. Rey- nolds follow him. But they were both back in a half hour. Mr. Rey- nolds reported that Mr. Ladley had bought some headache tablets and bromide to make him sleep. Mr.,Holcombe came back that ev- ening. He thought the body was that of Jennie Brice, but the head was gone. Ho was much depressed WEDNESI)AY, MAY 4, 1927. . -; asogsgoot-egrassgassetsasassogo=otoosom oasnago== and did not immediately go hack to the periscope. I asked if the head had been cut off or taken off by a steamer. He was afraid tho latter, as a hand was gone too. It was about 11 o'cloeic that night that the doorbell rang. It was Mr. Graves, with a small man unbind him. 1 kb,,v the roan, .He lived in 1101 fC0441 Iny hotime, a c1y1a0;, aTair with shelves full of dishes and tinware. In the icrisg- lea would be (33 3,1 up Si: Monemeheln a hundred miles or so end float down, tying up at different lendings and selling his wares. lint- othy Serift was his looms We edliod him T im. Mr. Graves motioned me to be ,ii! et. Both of us knew that behind flu: parlor door Ladley was probably his - 31)11130. "Sorry to get you up, airs. Pit• man," actisl Mr. Graves, "but this men says he has bought beer here to -day. That won't do, Mrs Pit- man." "Roam! I haven't such a thing in the house. Come in and look!" • snapped. And the two of them went back to the kitchen. "Now," oald Mr. Graves wlmi had shut the door, "where's the dog's meat man?" "'Upstairs." "Bring -him quietly." I called Mr. Holcombo, and he cam., eagerly, notebook and all. "Ah1" he said when he ail W Tim. "So vou've turned upi- "Yes. sir." "It seems, Mr. Docr's—Mr. Horn comb,," said Mr, Graves, "that you are right—partly anyhow. Tim hsre did help a man with a boat that night"— . "Threw him a rope, sir," Tim broke in. "He'd got out in the cur- rent and what with the ice and his not knowing much about a boat he'd have kept ge to 11'n' Orleans if 311 Is't con-' "Exactly. And what time did you say this was?" "Between 8 and 4 last Sunday night—or Monday morning. He said he couldn't sleop and went out in a boat, meaning to keep close to shore. But he got drawn out in the current." "Where did you see him first?" "By the Ninth street bridge." "Did you hail him?" 1 "He saw my light and hailed me. I was making fast to a coal barge after one of My ropes had busted." "You threw the line to him I there?" 1 "No, sir. He tried to work into I shore. I ran along River avenue to ! below the Sixth street bridge. He I got pretty close in thetc and 1 tIn...ts hint a rope. He was about clone up." "Would you know him again?" "Yes, sir. He gave me $5 and said to say nothing about it Ile I didn't want anybody to know he had I beva II.4b441 a fool.' • (To Be Continued.) "HE Industrial IVIlorcrgago and SaVide.s Company, of Sarnia, onf,An, . s.e ine•ey 78.r0.1140'1 04 ante I, 8111Ie • 11 riir,n niortalighs wit - "roily .11t11:, Oft on, Poilforth, 110 , 1. Will And 1331* tridontrial and SavInttr, Corn no nY W. J. DOWD AUCTIONEER ,r0r•rm Itt itt Olen tkr with 51. , 111,0e, 1,1.111 will ir,14re34 ,..e,Ife• 411 rIg1 3 1.14.77OWE1. .e. gilliatjeS Greatest Life Insurance Co. Assurance El Even r 00, of Oadanlit G. W. ABIRATrIAM District Representative C. C. RAMAGE, 1/„1).S., L.D.S. BRUSSELS, ONT. Graduate Royal College of Dental Surgeons and Honor Graduate Uni- versity of Toronto. Dentistry in all its branches. Office Over Standard Bank, Phone 200 Wall. SPENCE Ethel, Ont. Conveyance, Commissioner and C. 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(1011(5 0e aight eoIh 1 'Ince uppoo torr 0(111, EtAtel X=7,^2i:IgrakTralf444.-W4ELTSVIE.W.IMEnblapildla.:4364=734.1Mixkl-.14=raTelrailqc„,..44 sastratessfgatonterssessausspassionassosastaisstataomesse met tecsormenramenammsoo 00r. Y. A lathe Out f Mptt Firm usiness Just one of the news items which are appearing in papers quite too ofteti these days throughout the Dominion. Ana what is the recison? Thore is only one, and that is lack of loyalty to home institutions and the lure of the flashing publicity of the large city eatablichments. Many citizens, while earning their wages noel salaries' in one place, never- theless send a large proportion of this money out of the community for questionable bargains, dins depriving such community of that much necessary working capital.' usi' ess o the S riot en me They have lecal firms who are able and ready to supply them with all their requirements, yet for the most trivial reason or excuse they will consent to extend this patronage to outside firms, thus helping to build up distant cities at the expense of their home town, They seem to forget, that this money so sent out might otherwise have been largely returned to them by those with whom they should have left this business. Therefore, when in need of printed matter of any kind, whether farms; business man or professional man, always extend first consiieration to The Post Publishing Ho se