The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1914-12-10

The Case Of /;
Jennie Brice
By
|. MARY ROBERTS RlNEHART
Copyright. 1918. by the Bobbs-
Merrill Company
SYNOPSIS


SYNOPSIS
Jennie Brice and her husband. Ladley.
quarrel. She disappears from Mrs. Pit
mans boarding house during Pittsburgh
food.
Mrs. fIrman tells Holcombe. an amateur
detective, that she believes Ladley has
killed Jennie Brtce.
Holcombe finds discriminating evidence
In Ladley's room. An onyx clock is miss
ing Mrs. Pitmans knife has been stolen
and hrokon
Mrs Pitman recalls that Howell. re-
porter, was with Jennie Brice and Ladley
shortly before Jennie disappeared.
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK }
Peter redoubled his noise. He never
barked for Mr.. Reynolds or the Lad
leys. stood still, hardly able to
breathe The door was thin and the
lock loose. One good blow, and
The doorknOb turned, and screamed
l recall that the light turned black and
that Is all do remember until came
to half hour later and saw Mr.. HOl-
combe STOPPING over me. The door,
with the lock broken, was standing
open. l tried to move, and then l saw
that my feet were propped up on the
edge of Peters basket
Better leave them up," Mr.. H0l-
come said. 1T sends the blood back
to the head. Half the - fool people
in the world stick pillow under a
fainting wOman's shoulders. How are
you now?'
"All right" said feebly. II thought
you We're Mr.. Ladley."
He helped ME up. and ! sat in a
chair and tried to keep my lips from
shaking. And then l saw that Mr..
! Holcombe had brought suit case with
him and had set it inside the door,
"Iadley is safe until he gets bail.
anyhow" he said. ''They picked him
up as he was boarding Pennsylvania
train bound east"
"For murder?'' asked.
"As a suspicious character" he re-
piled grimly "That does as we'll as
anything for time" He sat down
opposite me and looked at me intently
Mrs. Ptman." he said. did you
ever hear the story Of the horse that
wandered out of village and could
not be fOund?'
shook my head. --.'-
"Well. the best wit Of the village
failed to locate the horse. But one
day the village idiot walked into town
leading the missing animal by the
Bride When they asked him how he
had done it. he said well. l just
thought what I'd do If was a horse
and then went and did it."
~ see," | said. humorng him.
"You dent see. Now, what are We
trying to ido?"
Were trying to find body. Do you
intend to become cOrpse?
He leaned over and tapped on the
table between US. I'VE are trying to
prove crime l intend for the time
to be a criminal"
He looked so curious, bent forward
and glaring at me from under his
bushy eyebrows, with his shoes on his
knee-for he had taken them off to
wade to the stairs-and his trousers
rolled to his knees. that l wondered II
he was entirely sane. But Mr.. Hol-
combe, eccentric as he might be, was
sane enough.
Not really a criminal"
"As really as lies in me. Listen. Mrs.
Pitman. l want to put myself in Lad
ley's place for a day o. two, live as he
lived, if l can. | am going to sleep In
his room tonight. with your permits
sion"
| could not see any reason for object
ing, although thought it silly and use
less. l led the way to the front door.
Mr.. Holcombe following with his shoes
and suit case. l lighted lamp and
he stood looking around him.
II see you have been here since we
left this afternoon" he said.
Twice." l replied. First with Mr..
Graves, and later
The words died on my tongue. Some
one had been in the room since my last
visit there.
"He has been herep' l gasped. ~
left the room in tolerable order. Look
Mt it!'
w ncu WCiC yOu hSAO AoSS'
AT 7:30, or whereabouts"
"Where were you between 7:30 and
s:3O?"
"In the kitchen with Peter" told
him then about the dog and about find
ing him shut in the room.
The washstand was pulled out. The
sheets of Mr.. Ladley's manuscript, usu-
ally an orderly pile, were half on the
floor. The bed coverings had been
jerked off and flung over the back of a
chair.
Peter imprisoned might have moved
the washstand and upset the manu-
script Peter had never put the bed
clothing over the chair or broken his
own leg.
"Humphr he said. And, getting out
his notebook, he made an exact memo
rapdum of what had told him and Of
the condition of the room. That done,
he turned to me.
"Mrs. Pitman." he said, "1'll thank
you to call me Mr.. Ladley for the next
day or so. l am an actor out Of en-
ployment, forty-one years of age, short,
stout and bald. married to woman
would like to be quit Of, and l am
writing myself play in which the
Shuberts intend to star me or in which
| l intend the Shuberts to star ma"