Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-06-25
THE PED RTJTTON BY WILL IRWIN
Naynhty Merrill Company
copyright by Robbs-Merrill Company

this-unless 1t was an inside Job
There's the landlady-well, it might
have been her as we'll as anybody, of
course-except she's kind of an old
fool She just don't look likely
Rosalie nodded.
you can count her OUT
THAT Professor Noll Is a harmless
old crank. Still they're the people
that do such things sometimes. Now
you've brought up that point about
fencers-he was educated in Ger
man university. Heid-well, what
ever you call it. They practise some
kind of Dutch sword game over there.
don't they? There wasn't any serv-
ant in the house. Mrs. Moore's
maids and furnace man were niggers,
and niggers sometimes use knives.
The furnace man is named fremont
Taylor. He CANDLES, and when coon
CANDLES he's likely to do worse That
gets us down to the women. Miss
Estrilla is up here from Caracas,
which Is in Venezuela, for her eyes.
Her brothers here with her. He's
the agent in New York for an inde-
pendent asphalt company of Caracas.
He lives in some apartment hotel
over on Thirty-seventh street.-The
forgotten the name. He called last
night, but he was out of the house
before this Wade came-before they
heard Wade and Hanska quarreling
land he didn't come in again until
they'd discovered the body. He was
In his rooms all that time, too
we've talked to the elevator man in
his apartment-hotel. Getting back
to the women; except Mrs Moore,
who's big and husky. there's not one
of EN- has the strength to hit a
blow like that--and women don't
use knives. anyhow. Miss Estrilla's
weak as cat. Those two stenog-
raphers'-he referred to his notes
Miss Harding and Miss Jones, are
just little city girls. with no great
muscle. Besides. where's the mo-
tive? I can't get a line yet on Han
ska-the body hasn't been claimed.
He's boarded there three weeks. Mo-
body liked him much, but / can't find
that any of the boarders knew him
well enough to hate him. forgot
to say we've looked over everybody
and everything for blood, and can't
find a drop"
you don't have to tell me that
responded Resale with some asperity,
"a set of your bullheaded detec-
tives has been ransackin' the suit
cases in my house all mornin'. Nearly
scared the life out of Miss Harding,
by tryin' to prove to her that the
fruit stains on her shirtwaist were
blood"
al
stains all right replied MCGEE.
Cant find any blood on wade's
things, either"
(Which is natural A wound like
that don't begin to bleed right off.
No necessity for gettin' bloody If the
murderer only kept his head, which
generally they don't. OF course,
you've tried to find where the knife
came from?'
MCGEE smiled on her.
Have caught you asleep at last?''
he asked
Nope replied Rosalie promptly
and cheerfully, "since you put 1t that
way. I saw the pile of junk on the
tabie-an' there was another knife in
it. What do you find about that
stuff?"
Nothing yet. But / bet I'll find
more when I put Lawrence Wade
through the third degree. I guess it's
Wade"
81 guess, probably" admitted Ro-
halie. Most mysteries amt mystic
ries at all, after the first day. Well,
now. I'm botherin' a busy man in
Office hours an I must run along.
Let's see-five minutes to four, an it's
bad luck to go before the hour. Sup
pose you tell me about yourself an
Row the worlds usin' your"
Inspector MCGEE sat back in his
office chair and waxed eloquent.
However, his narrative of pulls and
promotions and Tammany influence
was never finished. For before the
hour struck, the silent attentive
doorman entered and laid on his desk
card. Inspector MCGEE took it up.
glanced ut it perfunctorily, and sud
denly let out an exclamation which
had all the power and verve of an
oath.
by the great cats!" he exclaimed,
look at that-'Mrs. John H. Hans
ka'"
Rosalie took the card and fingered
it,
"The widow, / bet"
Thought he was SINGLE" remarked
the inspector Though, after all. I'd
just been taking it for granted"
Well" said Rosalie rising, that's
come-again-so for me-"
But the inspector was observing
her with eyes which held quizzical
invitation.
Honest, now" he said. wouldn't
you like to sit in on this interview"
Rosalie flashed her dimples and
contemplated him for a second Then,
with the unexpected lightness which
marked all her movements, she sat
down.
"See here, Martin McGee," she
said, you amt goin' to make a fool
of me, draggin' me into this case
but I'm dying to listen Just the
same"
''Show them in" said the inspector
on the instant, and as though fear
ing that she would pull back her per-
mission.