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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1932-08-18, Page 2Murder at Bridle By ANNE AUSTIN. SYNOPSIS. "Bonnie" Dundee, former member of Hamilton's homicide squad, now attach ed to the district attorney's office, drives 'i'enny" Crain, district attorney's secre- tary, to th Saturday bridge -luncheon of the Forsyte Alumnae Bridge Club, given by Juanita Salim. Dundee learns from Penny the story of her father's unfortunate attempt to start a subdivision in Primrose Meadows Addition, his failure. and subsequent rented by Thehouse sfrom had built airsha . When Dundee meets Nita she asks him In, but is frightened on hearing he Is a detective. Dundee is interrupted in his work late that afternoon at the nfflce Dy Penny, on the telephone, who informs him that Nita Selim has been murdered at bridge. CHAPTER II.—(Cont'd.) Bonnie saw the dress now, a low- cut, sleeveless, fluffy affair, but he really had eyes only for the brownish- red hole on the left side of the back of the bodice, about halfway between shoulder and waist—a waist so small he could have spanned it with his two hands, including its band of fuschia velvet ribbon. There also had been a 'bow of fuschia velvet ribbon on the • lace and straw hat she had swung so charmingly less than five hours ago. "Shot through the heart, I guess," Strawn commented. "Took a good marksman to find her heart, shooting her through the back.... Funny thing, too. Nobody heard a shot— leastways none of that crowd penned up in the living room will admit they did. They'll all hang together, and de like sixty to keep us from finding out anything that might point to one of their precious bunch. But if a gun with a Maxim silencer was used, as it must have been if that whole crew met lying, the gunman musta been good, because you can't sight with a Maxim screwed onto a rod, you know." "Have your men found the gun?" Dundee asked "Of course not, or Pd know whether it had a Maxim on it or not," Strawn retorted. "My theory is," he added imp essively, "that sumehody with a grudge against this dame hired a gun- man to hang around till he got her dead to rights, then—plop!" and he imitated the soft, thudding sound made by the discharge of a bullet from`a-gin equipped with a silencer. ""D`aesn'.t it seem rather strange that i;a 'iSrofessional gunman should have -chosen such a time—with men afeearerdvingein cars, and the house' afee. 'of w.bnieff who might wander into this rooni at any minute—to bump off his victim?" Dundee asked. "Well, there ain't no other explana- tion," Captain Strawn contended, flushing. "Outside of the fact that my men have gone over the whole house and grounds without finding the' gen, I've got other evidence it was an outside job.... Look!" Dundee followed the chief of the homicide squad to one of the two win- dows that looked out upon the drive- way. Both were open, since the May day was exceptionally waren, even for the Middle West, The window from which he obediently leaned was almost directly in line with the vanity dress- ing table across the room. "Look! See how them vines have been torn," Strawn directed, pointing to a rambler rose which hugged the outside frame of the window. "And look hard enough at the flower bed ARAIT CHEESE Almost an endless variety of luncheons can be pre- pared with Kraft Cheese. Sliced, it provides a royal meal with Crackers or bread s . it toasts temptingly and for flavouring cooked dishes, is unsurpassed. Get sono' to -day. 1 lb, packages or sliced from the famous 5 lb. loaf. Look for the nrinie "kraft" as the only posit ve• denti- ficatiiori of the genuine. Made to Canada iown below and you'll see big toot prints, . , . Of course we've measur- ed them and Cain, as you see, is guarding them till my man comes to make plaster casts of them. Yes, sir, he hoisted hissolf up to the win- dow ledge, aimed as best he could, then slipped down and bee.t it across the meadow." "Then," Dundee began slowly, "I wonder why Mrs, Selim didn't see that figure crouched in the window, since she must have been powdering her face and looking into the middle of the three mirrors—the one which reflects this very window?" "How do you know she was powder- ing her face, not locking for something in a drawer?" Strewn demanded truc- ulently. "For three reasons," Dundee an- swered almost apolc,getically. "First: her powder puff, as I'm sure you no- ticed, is still clutched in her right hand; second, there is no drawer open, and no drawer was open, unless some- one: has closed it since the murder, whereas on the other hand her pow- der box is open; third, the left side of her face is heavily and unevenly coat- ed oated with powder, while the other is heavily but evenly pcwdered. There- fore I can't see why she didn't scream, or turn around when she heard your gunman clambering up to her window, or even when he bad crouched in it. I don't see how she could help seeing him!" "Well—what do you think?" Strawn asked sourly, after he had tested the visibility of the window from the dressing table mirror. CHAPTER III. Bonnie Dundee terned toward the tiny, bowed figure of the dead woman and stared at it long and thought- fully before he answered: "I'm afraid, Captain Strawn, there are only two explanations s'ble. The first, of course, is Nita Selim was quite deaf ,sr near-sighted. I happen to know having met her today—" "You met her today?" Strawn inter- rupted incredulously. Dundee explained brieflly, then went on: "As I .was saying ;:I. have, good reason to'she ' res a31.4 tl tG� �ao „!tie ,14,1te4 e that poa- that very from ISSUE No, 25 + sighted, except that it is my observe- tion that people who are extremely near-sighted do not have very wide eyes and no creases between the brows. I am fairly sure she did not wear glasses at all, because glasses worn even a few hours a day leave a mark across the nose or show pinched red spots on each side of the base of the nose." "You must have had a good, hard look at her," Strawn gibed, his eyes twinklilg, and his harsh, thin-lipped mouth pulling down at one corner in what he thought was a genial smile. "I did," Dundee retorted, grinning back at his former chief, who well !.new the boy's weakness for a pretty girl. "Well, conceding that she was neither deaf nor hall' -blind, she would necessarily have heard and seen her assailant before he shot her." For Racers While on a visit in Germany, Phil Shafer, American auto speed-. ster, noticed this eye protection and promptly got one. It is made of cellophane. k begin don't we? No ase to pulling against each other." "Guess so," Strawn growled, but he vas obviously pleased and relieved. "Maybe you'd better have a crack at that crowd yourself. I hear Doc Price's car—always has a bum spark plug. I'll stick around with him until h' gets going good on his job, then, if you'll excuse ine for butting in, I'll join our arty in t e room.. . And good luck to you, Bonnie," he added, to take the sting out of the bit of thrown -in sarcasm. Dundee took the door he knew must lead into the central hall, but found himself in an enclosed section of it- a. small foyer between the main hall and Nita Selim's bedroom. There was room for a telephone table and its chair, as well as for a half-length sofa large enough for two to sit upon com- fortably. He paused to open the door across from the telephone table and found that it opened into a guests' closet, whose hangers and hat forms now held the outdoor clothing in which several women had arrived at the bridge -and -death party. Nice clothes —the smart but unostentatious hats and boats of moneyed people of good taste, he observed, a little enviously, before he opened the door which led out into the main hall which bisected the main floor of the house, until it reached Nita's room. Another door in the section behital the staircase leading to the • gahpa e: o . e • e .4eX :I The Forgiveness of Little Children Janet T. Van Osdel A. block away from home, returning from tin errand, Mrs. Elliott saw her six-year-old ClYde hurrying into the house as quickly as he could, holding ells fat little sister Eleanor by the hand, Mrs. Elliot thought, "There! After forbidding Clyde to step out of the house while I was away he has been Out playing and has taker Eleanor!" She noticed that Eleanor had her blue coat and beret on. For this she was glad, as it was a chilly spring day: but, too, it made her think that Clyde's leaving the house was not an impul- sive, and sL a forgetful -of -orders dash from the house and back again. It suggested deliberate disobedience. Es- pying his .mother in the distance, he was now hurrying, with Eleanor, into the house. When Mrs Elliott entered the„two children were on the floor of the sun - parlor with a box of building blocks. The only indication of their having been out of doors was the rosiness of their faces and the disorder of their red curls.. Mrs. Elliott did not question her children regarding the incident. Al- though she had never so phased it, she wished them, to attribute to her some- thing of omniscience—to ability to tell what they were about whether or not she were with them. So now she removed her new green spring...coat. and hat that the children so admired` and said, "Come here, Clyde." Clyde ran to the door of her room, J y p h livingI eargerly, for often when Mrs. Elliott had been obliged to leave the children alone she had brought home some lit- tle treat. But what• he saw in his mother's hands was the punishing ruler. He stopped short and his face puckered. "Come here and hold out your hands," commanded his mother. The boy obeyed. Had the half dozen spats with the ruler been given in fun, Clyde would have laughed at them, but now he sobbed convulsively. He was a child who never needed physical punish- ment—how many children do? For Clyde it was something of a spiritual injury. "Go now!" said his mother. "And the next time I tell you not to go out while I am away perhaps you will obey me!" Clyde, sobbing, stumbled away, and Mrs. Elliott hurried to the kitchen to prepare supper. Then she remember - e& that there was no milk. he glanced at the woe -begone Clyde. Really, after punishing him she disliked asking him to do this er- rand - for her, especially Since she "What's the explanation?" Strawn was becoming impatient. "That the person who killed her was so well known to her, and his—or her presence in this room was so na- t:.ral a thing that she paid no atten- tion to his—or her—movements and was concentrating on the job of pow- dering her very pretty face." "You mean—one of that gang of so- ciety folks in. there?" and Strawn jerked a thumb toward the left side of the house. "Very probably," Dundee agreed. "But where's the gun?" Strawn argued. "I tell you my men—" "This was a premeditated murder, ot course," Dundee interrupted. "The Maxim silencer—unless they are all lying about not hearing a shot— proves that. Silencers are damned hard to get hold of, but people with plenty of money can manage most things. And since the murder was premeditated, it is better to count on the fact that the murderer --or mur- deress—had planned a pretty safe hiding place for the gun and the sil- encer. . . il-encer.... Oh, not necessarily in the house or even near the house," he has- tened to assure Strawn, who was try- ing to break in. . By the way, how long after Mrs. Selim was killed was her death discovered? Or do you know?" "I haven't been able to get much. out of that bunch in there—not even out of Penelope Crain, who ought to be willing to help, seeing as how she works for the district attorney. But I guess she was waiting to spill it all you, if she knows anything, so you and Sanderson will get all the credit." allow, look here, chief," fiunclee protested, laying a hand on Strawn's shoulder as he reverted to the name by which he had addressed the head of the homieide squad for nearly a year, "we're going to be friends, aren't we? Same as always? We know prrttyr Well how to work together, tifulIy fitted guests' lavatory eche e was even a fully appointed dressing table for women's use, so that none her guests had had the slightest excuse to invade the privacy of Mrs. Selim's bedroom and bath, unless spe- cifically invited to do so. .Rather a well-planned house, this, Dundee con- cluded, as he closed the door upon the shining green porcelain fixtures, and walked slowly toward the wide arch- way that led from the hall into a large living room. 'G" He had a curious reluctance to in- trude upon that assembled and guard- ed company of Hamilton's "real so- ciety." They were all Penny's friends, and Penny was his friend. (To be continued.) Summer Rain Sweet summer rain, borne breezes light, How welcome is the murmur of falling, Your rich refreshment—setting birds calling, And blossoms trembling with renewed delight! A filmy veil, you float across the skies, Hiding their azure, yet, in tender care, Soft tears of gladness on the dream- ing', air, To fall and pass, as sometimes from our eyes, You turn to jewels the shingle on the beaches, conjure diamonds on the leaves of trees, gently sweep across the upland reaches, drop as nectar on the thirsty. leas: Like the cool breeze upon the heated brow At sunset, after following the plough. —Dudley Stow. upon your wild You You And One Improvement in 300 Years Building experts have determined that in the average house the amount of air -leakage around windows and window frames equals the total amount of air that would Come through one open Window. To overcome this inventors have been busy for years. One of the most effective develop. ments has just been introduced in the perfection of a new type window: which is more than five times as weathertight as the ordinary window, and which has the added advantage of easy operation without sash weights, cords �r pulley's, It is said that this new window is the first real improve- ment in double -hung sash in nearly three hundred years. e ere. `.13u he merely gulped down a big sob; and with two tears tracking down his freckled face, replied, "Yes, Mother." At' once he put on his jacket and cap, took the money and an empty bottle and went out. Then 'he put his head in to call, "Goodbye, Mother! Bye, Eleanor!" Something suddenly stirred in Mrs. Elliott's heart. She was overwhelmed by the beauty of Clyde's forgiving spirit—no sulking, no attempt at re- taliation, merely forgiveness! And then, more than anything else, more even than appearing omniscient in the eyes of her children, Mrs. Elliott wished that it night never be killed in him. When Clyde returned with the milk, she thanked him and then stopped The 40th Anniversary of ' A TEA t6S For 40 years SALADA has given the finest quality in tea. Present prices are the lowest in 15 years. answered Clyde.—Issued by the Na- tional I{indergarten Association, New York City. A series of these articles will appear weekly in our columns. Lamp Test A device by which anyone can test an electric lamp globe in the leader's store, at home or in a factory pur- chasing department, to make sure that it will deliver the proper amount of light for each cent's worth of electricity has recently been per- fected, writes Dr, E. E. Free in Daily Science News. The globe to be tested and another similar lamp known to be of good quality, are lit one after the other in front of a small light-sensiive cell. Meters ,_pare attached to measure the respec- tive amounts of electricity used by :the two lamps. At the same time the light-sensitive cell indicates on another meter the respective amounts of light which the two lamps emit. Thus the amount of light produced by each lamp for one unit of elec- tricity can be measured. The buy- er of electric lamp globes really in- tends, , Mr. Stanley points out, to buy light instead of mere glass and metal. It is not possible, however, to judge by eye the exact amount of light that an individual electric lamp emits nor does the customer usual- ly have any way of measuring the electricity that it uses. Many low- priced electric lamps really are ex- tremely expensive, lighting engineers declare, because the lamps consume more than the proper amounts of electricity and produce less than the proper amounts of light. Anything saved by buying such cheap globes is more than lost in the cast of ex- tra electricity used. Use of the new testing device is expected to de- crease this loss by enabling custom- ers to find out whether lamp globes that they buy are of proper quality or not. Canada May Bow A banadian editor, attempted to citizens, and found that the list was by no means a short one. The first long distance trials of the telephones were made in Canada where the idea of this instrument actually originated. The idea of standard time which is now used in every civilized coun- try also originated in Canada. Thefirst compound steam engine which doomed the sailing ship was built and demonstrated in Canada, as was the first submarine telegraph and the first electric stove. The idea of making paper from pulp wood, and building an all - electric radia came from this coun- try. The first steamboat sent across the Atlantic, and the first railway sleeping cars were also Canadian and kised him. His face was irradi- products. ated with a glad smile. As t contribution to American "Why did you disobey Mother, citizenship Canada presented several Clyde?" she asked, her tone in keep- hundred thousand of her sons and ing with her softened mood. daughters to her southern neighbor. "I didn't know just what to do, Perhaps it would be better to say Mother," he answered, leaning against her as she peeled some boiled pota- toes. "You know Scotty (Scotty was the dog belonging to the crippled wo- man next door) got out because some one left the gate open, and he ran down the street. Eleanor and me were playing on the porch and Mrs. Brown called over to know if I'd go after Scotty. He always will come for mo, you know. And you said I mustn't leave Eleanor alone even for a second, so I put on her coat and cap and we went and got Scotty for Mrs. Brown. I was going to tell you—" "Forgive me, Little Son! Forgive me!" whispered Mrs. Elliott, and now it was she who was crying. "Sure, Mother! That's all right!" Ile: "May 1 have the last dance' with you?" Silas "Y$'ve just had Makes and burns its own gas. No pipes or cords, It "Smooths the Way on Ironing Day" that these sons and daughters pres- ented themselves. At any rate, such citizens as Admiral Sims, Wil- son of packing house fame, Couzens of Detroit and Mary Pickford ot Filmland are welcomed in any coun- try. A New Era in Music By John Erskine, head of Juilliard Foundation of Music, before Barnard College Alumnae Association. A new movement in music is affect- ing the professional life. Five years before the depression, the musicians were discovering that concert tours were wearing out. Paganini and Liszt bad set a fashion for 100 years that every musician should have a concert career. To -day we are going back to the time of Bach, when a musician could play the organ, and frequently every instrument in the or chestre, A pub• tic is growing up who will go to hear, but also likes to play. They cannot so easily be dazzled. They are prepared to judge. Man is creative in art and agricul- ture only. It is thee that all true progress is made. In the vast area between, of business and the learned professions, we only think we see pro - the standard. Each man must be his tht standard. Each man must be his own expert. In the future a vast pro- portion of -the American people be as skilled in music as they are now in reading and writing, Bravery No man can be brave who considers pain to be the greatest evil of life, nor temperate, who oonsiders pleasure to be the highest good. The Public Health Next to the weather, there is no topic of conversation more popular than public and individual health. Hence the meeting in Toronto of the Canadian Public Health and Ontario Health Officers' Associations is of widespread interest. The delegates are discussing their subjects in a large way, as intimated by Dr. Gordon Bates's suggestion that a Royal Com- mission should investigate on a Do- minion -wide scade the whole question of public health. Undoubtedly the sub- ject is of national concern, and if the findings of such a body would lead to greater co-ordination in preventive methods the expense would be worth while. -There is force in the doctor's' claim that if but 'a traction of the financial loss caused by sickness and premature death were devoted to their prevention a great deal could be ac- complished. A startling feature of the ills that affiict humanity to -day is the increase of neurotic and mental disorders, due,' in large measure, to the high tension' at which the affairs of the world are conducted. This was recognized in an address by Dr. C. M. Hincks, of Tor-' onto, who stated that deviations from mental health are "much more Ere-' quent than previously supposed." And he continued: "The time has come when the medi. cal profession must bear a larger share of responsibility in regard to mental health than has been the case in the past. Many physicians have been prone to confine their attention to the physical factors connected with illness and have ignored, too largely, con- sideration onsideration of the human personality— of the emotions and ..: mental states that may be contributory to ill health.. Unless physicians and public health officers assume leadership in this field, progress will be slow in stemming the rising tide of mental maladies. This, unfortunately, is an enlarging field for the specialist, and one in, which early treatment is of the utmost importance. Undoubtedly many hu-, �aten c ailments :may beageleete4 ' preventive measures. 'In fact, b r= his . contention on Canadian statistics;. Dr. Bates claims that "more than half. of our disabling illnesses could be pre -1 vented." The difficulty in the way is that victims of disease in its incipient stages are prone to delay seekng ad- vice, and one of the greatest benefits of public discussions such as are being conducted at this convention of health officers is that they attract attention, and bring to man a realization that good health is a blessing to be guarded jealously. Thos. in sound mental and physical condition will not worry, greatly over the troubles of this rather; troublesome world. Consequently, there is food for thought in the sugges- tion that, to be really ' effective, mea -1 sures looking toward the preservation] of health should be given direction by, Federal. authority.—Toronto Mail and Empire. "Conversation doesn't exist America."—Andre Maurois. in // SOAP It's Best forYou andBaby foe Oil should clean and protect as well as lubricate — says household expert The oiling of household devices pre; cents a problem different from that oi4 factory equipment, says a nationally„ known housekeeping expert. House-, hold appliances are not used constant-) ly and therefore collect dirt and, rust', when idle. Consequeutl;', oil intended for general household use should clean and protect as well as lubricate. 3 -in -One, a scientific blend of min:;, eral, vegetable and animal oils, does!), these three things better than ant other oil. It costs alittle more3I buy but much less to use, for it w , save you many dollars in repairs ancjl replacements on sewing machines vacuum cleaners, lawn mowers, wash ers, the electric motors of fans, re= frigerators, ironers and similar house. hold devices. At good stores everyd' where. 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