Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-13
CHAPTER XIII.
They Have No Heart.

They Have No Heart.
As to what occurred in the heart of the
fog on that night in November four years
ago. most of you, no doubt. will remem-
Der. Those who do not ] must refer to
the morning papers of the following day
A perfect harvest for journalists. Cos
sip and detail sufficient to fill column
upon column of newspaper-gossip that
grew as the hours sped on, and the sec
ond day of fog pursued its monotonous
course.
man had been found murdered in a
taxicab his throat stabbed through from
ear to ear. the jugular pierced. life abso-
luteIy extinct: the murderer vanished.
Drama i'm the midst of reality.
Such things are, you know. No amount
of so-caIled realistic literature no amount
of sneers at what is dubbed melodrama,
will prevent this fact occurring-and DC.
curing very frequently in the streets OF
a mighty city.
lust a man murdered and the murderer
disappeared A very real thing that. and
London has had to face such facts often
enough. more often than has an audience
at Drury Lane the Adelphi. The SUI
perjor- minded critic, who spells British
Drama with a capital r and d, and pro-
uounces 1t Pritish Trama. sat i'll the
stalls of a London thcater on TINS very
same foggy evening in November. -FOUR
wears ago. The play was one that did not
appeal TO the superior minded critic-lt
was Just a simple tale of jealousy, which
led to the breaking of that great com,
mandmcnt: Thou shalt do no murder!
And the superior minded critic yaWned
behind a we'll gloved hand and dubbed the
play mcIodramatic. unreal and STACEY;
quite foreign to the life of today. But
Just at that hour-between and lO
o'clock-a man was murdered in a taXicab
mud iirHn
London doesn't dub such events melo-
drama she does not sneer at them or call
them unreal She knows that they are
reai-there Is nothing STACEY or artificial
about them, they have even become COM
Inonplace.
They occur so often, And most often
while society dimes, or dances. and the
elect applaud with languid grace the new
est play by Mr.. Bernard Shaw
Only in this case the event gained ad-
ditional interest. The murdered man was
a personality Some one whom every
body that was anybody had talked about,
.ossiped and discussed for the past six
months Some one whom few had seen,
hut many had heard abOut-Philip de
Mountford-the son of the late Arthur de
Mountford-Radelyfte's newly found heir,
YOU know.
The news spread as only such news can
spread and when society poured out from
theaters, from houses ill GroSvenor
Square. or from the dining room of the
1t was as if the sprite of gossip had
been busy whispering in over-willing ears.
Phillip de Mountford has been muir
dered''
He was found in taxicab; his throat
was cut from ear TO ear"
Mo- no, not CUT understand. Pierced
through with sharp instrumental sti-
letto, presume.
How HORRIBLE
Poor Lord Radclyffe-such trag-
He'll never live through it,
He has looked very feeble lately
The scandal round the late Arthur's
name broke him UP, / think
1T seems Arthur de Mountford had
married a negress.
No. no! Philip did not look like half
Taste l saw him once or twice. He was
dark, but nice looking
the MARRIAGE
Nothing to what this scandal will be.'
What scandal?
Seek whom the crime benefits, you
know
Then you think - You really think
Luke de Mountford did it?''
Il thought so the moment 1 heard the
story
I've always thought that Luke de
Mountford queer sort of fellow
And he took his cousins advent very
badly
We'll, one can't wonder at that ex-
actly-to lose a future peerage all of
sunderland ne has no private fortune
either
Poor beggar'
Il heard there were awful rows between
the cousins until Lord Radcliffe himself
turned Luke and the others out of the
house"
And now Philip de Mouptford has been
murdered
And the police will seek him whom the
crime benefits
nj
a real cause celebre! Won't 1t be ex-
citing
Something to read about in ones morn
lng Fapers.
the trial. l hate crush. don't your"
VIII they hang him, do you Think"
IF he is found auilty-English justice
is no respecter of persons"
How awful
And tittle-tattle senseless talk, inane
remarks were waited On the grimy wings
of the fog. They penetrated everywhere
I'm the Hobbies OF the theaters the boudoir
OF madame and the smoking room of my
lord. They penetrated to the magnificent
reception rooms of the Danish legation,
and Louisa heard the remarks even be-
fore she knew the full details of the
story. Louisa had well trained con-
tralto voice, and had been asked to sing
in the course OF the evening. Just as she
stood In an outer room selecting her mu-
sic. she heard a group of idlers-men and
NOTWITHSTANDING over the mysterious muir
der in the taxicab
They had at first been unconscious of
her presence. She had her back toward
them. turning over the leaves of her song
Suddenly there was a hush in the con-
versation: one Of the chatterboxes must
have pointed her out to the others.
Whereupon Louisa, serene and smiling,
roll of music in her hand, joined the
merry group
Please she said, don't stop. / have
heard nothing yet. And, Of course,
want to know
One of the men laughed namely and
the ladies murmured silly nothings
OH" said some one, 1T mayn't be true.
such lots Of wild rumors get about"
What asked Louisa, placidly.
mayn't be true? Some one said just now
that Philip de Mountford has been MUIR
dered.'
Well murmured one of the ladies.
they say il was Mr.. de Mountford but
they can't be sure, can they?'
The group was dissolving-almost, it
cd Ind