Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-01
you" she sneered, and left me at the hes
table, VIII

head for some purpose. In the night
when everything is quiet, she slips behind
the curtains of lower ten, where the mans
breathing shows he is asleep. Didn't you
say he snored?"
He did" I affirmed. but I tell you-Ni
Now keep still and listen She gropes
cautiously around in the darkness, finally
discovering the wallet under the pillow.
Can't you see it yourself?"
He was leaning forward, excitedy and I
could almost see the gruesome tragedy he
was depicting.
"She draws out the wallet. Then, per-
haps she remembers the alligator bag, and
on the possibility that the notes are there,
instead of in the pocketbook, she gropes
around for it. Suddenly, the man awakes
and clutches at the nearest object, perhaps
her neck chain, which breaks. She drops
the pocketbook and tries to escape, but he
has caught her right hand.
TT is all in slence the man is still
stupidity drunk But he holds her I'm a
tight grip. Then the tragedy She must
get away; in a minute the car will he
aroused Such woman. on such an err
rand, does not go without some sort of a
weapon, in this case dagger, which, un-
like revolver, is noiseless.
with a quick thrust-shes a big woman
and bold one-she strikes. Possibly
Hotchkiss is right about the left-hand
blow. Harrington may have held her
right hand, or perhaps she held the dirk
in her left hand as she groped with her
right Then, as the man falls back and
his grasp relaXes, she straghtcns and at
tempts to get away. The swaying Of the
car throws her almost into your berth, and,
trembling with terror, she crouches behind
the curtains of lower ten until everything
is still. Then she goes noiselessly back to
her berth.
I nodded.
1T seems to fit partly, at least" I said.
'In the morning when she found that the
crime had been not only fruitless, but at
she had searched the wrong berth Hnd
killed the wrong man; when she, saw me
emerge, unhurt just as she was bracing
herself for the discovery Of my dead body,
Then she went into Mysteries. You -.
member, / gave her some whisky
1T really seems a tenabe theory. But
like the Sullivan theory there are one or |
two things that don't agree with the rest ,
For one thing how did the remainder OF
that chain get into Alison Vests possess |
son?"
she may have picked it up on the floor" /
"Well admit that ] said; "and I'm I
sure l hope so. Then how did the mur-
dered mans pocketboOk get into the seal /
skin bag? And the dirk how account for /
that, and the blood stans"'
Now what's the use" asked Mcknight /
aggrievedIy, "of my building up beautiful !
theories for you to pun down? Wen take
IT to Hotchl,iss. Maybe he can tell from
the blood stains II the murdcrers finger /
nails were square or pointed"
'IIotchkiss is no fool" 1 said warmly.
Under all his theories there's good
hard layer Of common sense And we must
remember, Rich, that neither of our
theories includes the woman at DR.. Van
Kinks hospital that the charming picture
you have just drawn docs not account for
Alison Vests connection with the case. or
for the hits Of telegram in the sullivan
fellows pajama pocket You are like
the man who put the clock together; you've
got half OF the works LETT over"
oh so home" said Mcknight. disgust
edly. I'm no Edgar Allan Poe. Mats
the use Of coming here and asking me
things II you're so particular"
With one Of his quick changes OF mood.
he picked up the guitar.
Listen To this" he said "It il A
Hawaiian song about tat lady. oh.
ignorant one and how she fen OFF her
mule"
But for all the lightness OF the words
me voice that followed me down the stairs
was anything but CHEEKY.
uheTe l,5e was q kanake in Balu did dwell.
fat girl
ne sang In HIS clear tenor. I paused on the
over hoof and listened. - had stopped
singing as abruptly as ne h6d begun
(ro BE Conunus'@