Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-09-11
Initials Only" y By ANA KathsIlns Green
A Thrilling Mystery Story of Modern Times

Then | have made big mistake"
apologized the ever-courteous detective
VIII you pardon me? 1t would have
| settled very serious question if it could
he found that the object thus picked up
was the weapon which killed Miss Chal-
Toner. That is my excuse for the trou-
| BILE | have given you.
He was not looking at her: he was
| looking at her hand which rested on the
| table before which he himself stood
Did the fingers tighten little and dig
| into the palm they concealed? He thought
| so, and was very slow in turning limping-
| ly about toward the door Meanwhile
| would she speak? No. The silence was
so marked, he felt it an excuse for steal
| ing another glance in her direction She
was not looking his way bur at a door in
the partition wall on her right and the
| look was one very akin to anxious fear
The next moment he understood it. The
| door burst open, and young girl bound
ed into the room, with the merry cry:
| IAN ready, mother. I'm glad we are
going to the Clarendon. | hate hotels
where people die almost before your
| eyes
What the mother said at this outburst
is immaterial. What the detective did is
not. Keeping on his way he reached
the door. but not to open it wider; rath-
er to close it softly but with unmstak-
able decision. The cloak which envel-
oped the girl was RED and full enough
to be called volumiuous
'Who is this" demanded the girl. her
indignant glanccs flashing from one TO
the other.
81 don't know faltered the mother in
very evident distress. He says he has
right to ask Us questions and he has
been asking questions about-about-'
Not about me" laughed the girl. with
a toss of her head Mr. Gryce would have
| corrected in one OF his grandchildren.
! He can have nothing to say about me.
| And she began TO move about the room
/ in an aimless. half-nsolent way.
Mr. Gryce stared hard at the few re-
naming belongings of the two women.
living in heap ON The table. and half
musingly. half depreca tingly, remarked:
THE person who stopped wore a long
red CLOAK Probably YOU preceded your
daughter. Mrs Watkins"
The lady tEus 6roaErt to the point
made a quiet gesture toward the girl
who suddenly stood still and, with ris-
ing color in her cheeks, answered. with
! some show Of resolution on her own part:
you say your name is Gryce and that
You have a right to address me thus
pointedly on a subject which YOU evil
IDENTIFY regard as serious. That is not eX
act enough for me. Who are you. sir?
What is your business"
81 think YOU have guessed it, am a
detective from headquarters. What /
want of you have already stated
Perhaps this Young lady can tell me what
you can not. | shall be pleased if this
is so"
Caroline" Then The mother broke
down SHOW the gentleman what YOU
picked up from he lobby floor last night"
The girl laughed again, loudly and with
evident bravado before she threw the
cloak back and showed what she had
evidently been holding in her hand from
the first, a sharp pointed. gold handled
paper cutter
1t was lying there and | picked it up.
don see any harm in that"
you probably meant none. You
played in this tragic drama said the old
detective looking carefully at the cutter
| which he had taken in his hand, but not
/ so carefully that he failed to note that
the look of distress was not lifted from
/ the mothers face either by her daugh-
ter's words or manner
"You have washed this?" he asked.
"No. Why should | wash it? 1t was
clean enough. | was just going to give
it in at the desk | wasn't going to car
~ it away" And she turned aside to
the window and began to hum, as though
done with the whole matter.
The old detective rubbed his chin,
glanced again at the paper cutter, then
at the girl in the window, and lastly at
! the mother. who had lifted her head
n i'm
1T is very important" he observed to
the latter, that your daughter should
be correct in her statement as to the
condition of this article when she picked
il up Are you sure she did not wash it,
Il don't think she did. But I'm sure
she will tell YOU the truth about that.
Caroline. this is a police matter. Any
mistake about it may involve us in a
world of trouble and keep you from get
ting back home in time for your coming
out party Did you-did YOU wash this
cutter when you got upstairs, or-or-
she added with a propitiatory glance at
Mr. Grvce-"wipe it off at any time be-
tween then and now? Don't answer hast
ily. Be sure No one can blame you for
that act Any girl, as thoughtless as
you, might do that
Mother, how can l tell what DID!
flashed out the girl, wheeling round on
her heel till she faced them both. i don
remember doing thing to It, just
brought it up. A thing like that belongs
TO the finder. You needn't mold IL out TO-
wards me like that. l don't want it now
I'm sicl, of it. Such lot of talk about a
paItry thing which couldn't have cost ten
dollars" And she wheeled back
To Be Continued in Next Issue.