The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-02-17

sees her cnance. NO one could have
foreseen that that drunken fellow
would have crawled into your berth.
Nov, figure It out this way: She
wanted those notes desperately
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," affirmed. But tell
you"
Now keep still and listen. She
gropes cautiously around in the dark
ness, finally discovering the wallet I'M
der the pillow. Cant you see It your
self"
He was leaning forward, excitedly.
and I 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.
Suddenly. the man awakes and clutch
es at the nearest object, perhaps her
neck chain, which breaks.
ut is all in silence; the man is still
stupidity drunk. But he holds her in
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
some sort of a weapon, in this case
dagger, which, unlike a revolver, is
noiseless.
with a quick thrust-she's a big
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
CROPPED with her right. Then, as the
man falls back and his grasp relaxes.
; she Strengthens and attempts to get
away The swaying Of the car throws
her almost into your berth, and, trem-
bling with terror she crouches behind
the curtains Of lower ten until every
thing is still. Then she goes noise
lessly back to her BERTH"
nodded.
ut seems to fit partly, at least"
said. "In the morning when she found
that the crime had been not only fruit
less, 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, gave her some whisky.
at really seems tenable theory
r But, like the Sullivan theory, there are
, one or two things that don't agree
with the rest. For one thing, how die
= the remainder Of that chain get int
, Alison Vests possession"
I "She may have picked it up on tn
q floor"
Y "WeIl admit that" said; land In
s sure hope so. Then how did the mul
r dered mans pocketbook get into tn
sealskin bag? And the dirk, how az
4 count for that. and the blood stains?
r "Now what's the use," asked Nj
e Knight aggrievedly, "of my buildin
j. up beautiful theories for you to pu
down? Well take it to Hotchkis.
r, Maybe he can tell from the bloc
+ stains If the murderer's finger nail
e were square or pointed"
"Hotchkiss is no fool" said warn
n ly. Under all his theories there's
& good, hard layer of common sens
y And we must remember, Rich, ths
neither Of our theories includes tn
C. woman at Doctor Van Kinks hospita
that the charming picture you hay
4. just drawn does not account for Al
d son Vests connection with the cas-
a or for the bits Of telegram in the Su
livan fellows pajamas pocket. Yo
10 are like the man who put the clock
t. gether; you've got half Of the worl
ID left over"
"Oh, go home" saio Mcknight, di
h gustedly. I'm no EDGAR Allan Pc
~ What's the use Of coming here an
:" asking me things IL yours SO partic
t, lar?"
I" With one Of his quick changes
b, mood he picked up his guitar.
Listen to this" he said. 1T IL
H. Hawaiian song about a fat lady, o
Mt ignorant one! and how she fell of h,
mule"
at But for all the lightness of Il
he words. the voice that !nliowed n
y down the stairs was anything b,
q. CHEEKY.
IT. There was Ksnaka In t3alu did dive
r. Who had for his daughter a monstro
he fat girl
til he sang in a clear tenor. paused {
e- the lower floor and listened. He hs
stopped singing as abruptly as he hs
n begun.
Of
IL CHAPTER XXI.