Mountain advocate., 1914-04-24

1
back and forth.
"How?" he asked in a voice from
which the buster had gone.
Rosalie established herself comfort
ably in her chair.
We'll. It's a funny thing for as 70
do-you an me-tell the truth. Not
quite the truth. either; the truth fixed
up a little, which is the best kind Of a
lie that IL. Give out what happened
but say your own smartness cleared
up the case not mine. Get DR.. Cleary
to certify that he found apoplexy at
more careful autopsy. made after
the Coroner's inquest. but that he sup
pressed the report at the request OF
the police. You can force him to do
that to save his skin; his work is get
tin careless enough SOS one more
slip would make his political hackers
drop him. Say the theory that a man
died Of apoplexy Just when a knife
was held at his breast ready for him
to fall on 1t, was so strange an I'M
usual that you couldn't believe 1t in
the beginnin'. So you held Lawrence
Wade until you made sure. Say you
suspected Miss Estrilla-Miss Perez
from the first, an learnin' that she
was superstitious, had her worked by
police stoolpigeon who played at
beln' a professional medium. Say
your men listened to the seances, an
broke in at the end an pulled the
whole story out OF her. An If that
amt awful near the truth, never
made up a lie that was"
Il fail to see how that excuses Us
for letting Estrilla-Perez-go." said
Inspector MCGEE. with a stir of sar-
casm
That point" said Rosalie, us the
best thing I've thought out-the very
best. Up to the confession-that's our
story-you hadn't the least idea but
Miss Estrilla done 1t all herself We'd
never thought about their changin'
clothes. An when you got the con-
fession, you sent out to arrest him,
but he was gone-probably tipped on
somehow. How, search me! haven't
thought out a good lie there. Maybe
you'll have to invent that yourself.
Otherwise it'll just be one OF the mys-
teriee of the New York Police De-
partment Reprimand you! Why,
they'll give you a medal"
MCGEE still looked down at the
paper-knife.
That amt ALL" he said: you
fooled me. that's what you did. You
made fool out of me-"
At this Resale fired. A light came
into her eyes that rolled ten years
from her age-the light of anger. A
color came into her cheeks that took
off another ten-the pink of contempt.
Make a fool Of you. Martin MCGEE!
l only made a fool of one person.
That's me, Rosalie LIE Grange. Who
took all the risks in this job? You?
Not a bit of II! Ne, Rosalie. And
what's more, Martin"-she paused and
gulped; and something came into her
face that reduced her to a girl-"who
did / do It for? Me, Resale?
guess not. What was there in It for
me? When this thing broke, was
independent and living my own life
an clean, self-respecting life. Do
you think | wanted TO do it? Well,
you can bet not. | started this job
mainly cause didn't want to see the
fine young fellow Wade go to the chair
an because l didn't want to see that
beautiful young thing broken for life
| mean Constance Hanska.
But after got into it. realized
that was workin' more for somebody
else than ! was for them. And that
somebody else was you, Martin Nc
Gee. I'd given IT up long ago II !
hadn't kept my mind on you. An I'd
become fond of that sick Estrilla wom-
an and of that little brother of hers.
But | went right on. Do you suppose
like to do what did to them? Well
you never made a bigger mistake. |
amt what ! used 10 be. When ]
brought back her father and mother
to trick that poor Miss Estrilla. Just
gagged. But after / found that she
wasn't guilty, nor HMM a manner
of speaking-I had TO hand them
square deal Just like the rest I'd
done everything | could think of, Mar
tin McGee-but couldn't kill a man
! liked and sympathized with. Just to
help your career. An go / done the
next best thing. ! fixed it so nobody
would be involved in II but me.
could have told you, an persuaded you.
maybe. that the right thing was TO
let Perez get away. But you'd have
been my accomplice. You couldn't
have gone on the stand an sworn
clean-as you can now-that you had
nothin' to do with IT, kept you
out Of II. I'm sure to take my medi.
cine. | never whimpered yet. an
won't now. An that. Martin MCGEE.
is why | fooled you'll"
Never had words poured so fast
from the lips OF Resale lie Grange,
And as they poured. many express
sions chased across Inspector Nc
Gees clean-shsven police face.
lis this the truth. Rose?" he said
and gulped. rs IL the TRUTH
TITS the truth II anybody ever told
II /" abe reDlied