Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1914-08-06

body"
Inspector MCGEE was now playing
with flexible paper-knife, his down
cast eyes fixed upon it as he twisted II
back and forth
How" he asked in a voice from
which the buster had gone.
Resale established herself comfort
ably in her chair.
Well it's a funny thing for US tc
do-you an ms--tel the truth. Not
quite the truth, either; the truth fixed
up little. which is the best kind of a
lie that is. Give out what huppened-
but say your own smartness cleared
up the case, not mine. Get DR.. CIeary
to certify that he found apoplexy at
q 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 man
died of apoplexy just when a knife
was held at his breast ready for him
to fall on it, 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
bein' 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 Niece, with stir of sar-
casm.
That point" said Resale, rs 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 it 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 off
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-
teries of the New York Police De-
partment. Reprimand you! Why,
they'll give you medal"
u.
paper-knife.
THAT amt ALL" he said; you
fooled me, that's what you did. You
made a fool out of me-"
At this Rosalie 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!
only made a fool of one person.
That's me, Resale LIE Grange Who
took all the risks in this job? You
Not a bit of it! Me, Resale. 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? l
guess not. What was there in it for
me? When this thing broke, was
independent and living my own life
an clean, selfrespecting life. Do
you think l wanted to do it? Well, !
you can bet not. l started this job
mainly cause l didn't want to see the
fine young fellow Wade go to the chair
an because / didn't want to see that
beautiful young thing broken for life
mean Constance Hanska.
But after / got into it, realized
thatJ was workin' more for somebody |
else than | was for them. And that
somebody else was you, Martin NC
Gee. I'd a given 1t up long ago II l
hadn't kept my mind on you. An I'd |
become foAd of that sick Estrilla wom-
an and of that little brother Of hers.
But l went right on. DO you suppose
like to do what did to them? Well.
you never made bigger mistake. l
aint what | used to be. When !
brought back her father and mother
to trick that poor Miss Estrilla, l just
gagged. But after l found that she
wasn't guilty, nor HMM manner
Of speaking-I had to hand them
square deal just like the rest Ia
done everything | could think OF, Mar
Tin McGee-but l couldn't kill man
liked and sympathized with, just to
help your career. An so | done the
next best thing l fixed it so nobody
would be involved in 1t but me.
could have told you, an persuaded you,
maybe, that the right thing was to
et Perez get away. But you'd have
been my accomplish. You couldn't
have gone on the stand an sworn
slean-as you can now-that you had
1othin' to do with 1t. I kept you
out of It, I'm sure to take my medi-
zine. l never whimpered yet, an |
won't now. An that, Martin MCGEE,
s why fooled you'll"
Never had words poured so fast
rom the lips Of Resale LIE Grange.
And as they poured, many express
ions chased across Inspector Nc
lees clean-shaven police face.
as this the truth, Rose?" he said
md gulped. rs it the TRUTH"
IT'S the truth If anybody ever told
I sho renIied