The Huttig news., 1910-06-25
,y f1ARY ROBfRIc RNETTARIl

! knows you have taken the notes to Pittsburg The probabilities are that she follows you there, on the chance of an opportunity to get them, either for Bronson or herself
 Nothing doing during 'he trip over or during the day in Pitts b~re: but she learns the number of your beth as you buy it at the Pullman ticket office in Pittsburg and she thinks she sees her chance. No one could have foreseen that that drunken fellow would have crawled into your berth Now. I figure it out this way: She wanted those notes desperately-doe still-not for Bronson, but to hold over his 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-'
 Now keep still and listen. She ness, finally discovering the wallet un. der the pillow. Can't you see it your self"
 He was leaning forward, excitedly. and l could almost see the grewsome tragedy he was depicting.
 "She draws out the wallet. Then perhaps she remembers the alligator bag and on the possibility that the notes are there, instead of in the pocketbook, she gropes around for it. 1 Suddenly, the man awakes and clutch es at the nearest object. perhaps her neck chain, which breaks.
 Tt is all in silence; the man is still a tight grip Then the tragedy She must get away; in minute the car will be aroused. Such a woman, on such an errand does not go without 1 some sort of a weapon, in this case a dagger, which, unlike revolver, is noiseless.
 With quick thrust-she's big woman and a bold one-she strikes. l Possibly Hotchkiss is right about the left-hand blow. Harrington may have 1 held her right hand. or perhaps she held the dirk in her left hand as she l groped with her right Then, as the man falls back and his grasp relaxes. she straightens and attempts to get away. The swaying of the car throws her almost into your berth. and. trem. l bling with terror, she crouches behind l the curtains of lower ten until every. thing is still Then she goes noise lessly back to her berth"
 I nodded
 'It seems to fit partly at least" said Tn the morning when she found that the crime had been not only fruit les, but that she had searched the wrong berth and killed the wrong man; when she saw me emerge. un- hurt. just as she was bracing herself for the discovery of my dead body. then she went into mysteries. You re member. I gave her some whisky
 ''It really seems tenabe theory. But. like the Sullivan theory. there are with the rest. For one thing, how did the remainder of that chain get into Alison Vests possession?"
 "She may have picked it up on the floor.
 Well admit that" said; "and I'm l dered mans pocketbook get into the sealskin bag? And the dirk. how ac- count for that. and the blood stains?"
 Now what's the use" asked Nc. Knight aggrievedly, "of my building up beautiful theories for you to pull down? We'll take it. to Hotchkiss. Maybe he can tell from the blood stains if the murderer's finger nails were square or pointed"
 "IIotchkiss is no fool" I said warm. ly. Under all his theories there's a good, hard layer of common sense. And we must remember, Rich, that neither of our theories includes the woman at Doctor Van Kirk's hospital. that the charming picture you have l just drawn ooes not account for Ali son Vests connection with the case, or for the bits of telegram in the Sul- livan fellows pajamas pocket You are like the man who put the clock to- gether; you've got half of the works left over"
 "Oh, go home" said Mcknight, dis | gustedly. I'm no Edgar Allan Poe. Whats the use of coming here and asking me things if you're so particu- lar?"
 With one of his quick changes of mood he picked up his guitar.
 Listen to this he said. "It is g Hawaiian song about fat lady. oh, ignorant one! and how she fell of her mule"
 But for all the lightness of the words, the voice that followed me down the stairs was anything but cheery.
 There was Kanaka in Balu did dwell Who had for his daughter monstrous
 fat girl
 he sang in clear tenor I paused on the lower floor and listened He had stopped singing as abruptly as he had begun.
 CHAPTER XXI.