The Washington times., 1913-03-26

time it was a long way below. 1t came
very suddenly, SO that the river, which
that week over eight inches deep. and
the Ice people began cutting.
1T was early in January. about the
! 10th, I think, that an tce-cutter at Sill
yer Springs discovered body frozen
woman somewhere in her twenties.
Even in the pictures they took Of her
she was very, very beautiful. And what
| she must have been really-well, one
can imagine It! Because. you see. the
body wasn't changed at all 1t had
| frozen just exactly as II was. probably
| within few hours after 1t had been
put in the water"
Been putt" echoed jeffrey. Then she
No" said Gwendolyn. 1T was muir
der. She had been shot through the
heart"
STILL" interrupted jeffrey, why mur-
| der? Why not suicide with the revolver
| and a tumble into the river?'
| lyn had hesitated over the horror of the
mo powder marks around the wound.
suppose" suggested jeffrey Shot
| fired from distance"
nodded.
| How was she dressed?" he concluded.
He turned to Gwendolyn with that ques-
| ton.
That's one of the weirdest things
about it," said Gwendolyn. She was IN
! evening dress, dressed as II for q ball.
and her hair-perfectly wonderful hair.
it must have been from the picture
was done that way, too
And they haven't identified herr"
questioned jeffrey. If the body was
literally in perfect conditionw ~
even see the pressure marks OF the
rings on her fingers they said.
That points to robbery. doesn't IT."
said Jeffrey; Shed have worn her
She hadn't been at the ball." said
Gwendolyn. AT least, she wasn't In
| ball dress when she was murdered.
There was no bullet-hole in the bodice
Of her gown and no stain .Ha OF blood SS tha, on
way after she was killed. 30 you see 1t
wasn't robbery"
Il can't help thinking" Gwendolyn
concluded, that the murder was COM
mitted by some insane person. Surely
senses would have run that risk and
taken that trouble to do what. one
would think. must make the identihca-
| ton easier
1t is possible" said jeffrey. "th.t II
he'd read the weather reports. he
| wouldn't have done II.
The remark sounded perfectly hippant
to me, but I caught a sudden look of in
| telligence in Gwendolyn's eyes and saw
| that jeffrey had meant something by II.
In the same moment he saw the be-
| wilderment In mine.
Assuming" he explained, that the
person was still sane. he might almost
safely have counted on the current car
rying the body away altogether and its
| never being found And II he wanted to
| dispose Of the dress at the same time.
perhaps that was as good a way TO do
! II as any. But he didn't count on the
freeze. That must have caused him
| some pretty bad nights. I should think.
| and days hardly better. It's perfectly
| extraordinary. when you come to think
OF It, that she hasn't been identified.
You say the pictures were published
in the papers?'
"Everywhere"' I exclaimed. THE
country's been ringing with IT.
We'll" said jeffrey. in the tone OF
one who dismissed the subject. that's
very interesting"
Wait a minute! exclaimed Jack. II
can show you the picture. I cut it out
Of the paper and laid IT away some
where"
Don't bother" exclaimed Jeffrey.
NO bother at ALL" Jack already had
his hand on the door.
ITO tell you the TRUTH Jeffrey ad-
mitted, II don't believe / want to look
at II, Let's talk about something else.
Dead faces are beginning to get a little
on my nerves. OH it's nothing serious"
he went on seeing the look of surprise
on our faces. land no doubt it's silly of
me to feel that way about 1t. But-well.
I mean It just the same"
IT suppose said Madeline. that
you're loaded up with commissions after
your vacation. You must have sitters
three or four feet deep. clamoring at
your studio door,
Il don't know" said jeffrey. Il
otr 7
came back Haven't even been to my
studio. But hope to Heaven he doesn't
get me any more commissions like the
last one. You knew what that was.
didn't your" He turned to me. THE
thing I was at work on when I bolted?"
Il seem to remember" said l. that
you were doing some work for Miss
Meredith
The Miss Meredith" questioned
Jerfrey nodded. The same. The
queer rich, invisible Miss Meredith"
We all exclaimed over his last word
Invisible. Then what were you
painting? A spirit-picture Of herr"
The last question was Jacks. 1t
seemed to AFFECT jeffrey a little un-
pleasantly. for he gave little shake
to his head as one will when a fly is
buzzing about ones ear.
II wasn't doing portrait Of her" he
exclaimed. Il was painting from Il
venirs, what was meant for a portrait
OF a niece of hers-I think IL was a
niece-who. I understand. died several
years ago"
laughed. II knew some men did
that sort of work. It's rather a new
line for you, isn't it?''
Never before" said Jeffrey, "and
never arain, or course, they Offered
me a perfectly immoral price for II, but
even at that shouldn't have done il.
except for the fact that 1 found the
photograph they showed me rather al
tractive."