The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-03-26
Mary Roberts
Rinehart

| ~ ho'V ieu SoilaT sue dSheu
Yes"
Then I remember 1t. She wore
a small black hat with a red
quill with that dress. You might
look for the hat"
She followed me back to the
room and stood In the doorway
while ! searched. The hat was
gone, too.
Perhaps, after all, he's telling
the TRUTH" she said thoughtfully
Her fur coat isn't in the closet
is it,"
II was gone. 1t is strange that
all day, had never thought OF
looking over her clothes and see.
ing what was missing. / hadn't
known all she had, of course, but
! had seen her all winter in heI
fur coat and admired it. 1t was
a striped fur, brown and gray
and very unusual. But with the
coat missing, and dress and hat
gone, 1t began to look as If / had
been making a fool of myself, and
stirring up tempest in a tea
cup. Miss Hope was as puzzled
as ! was.
anyhow. If he didn't kill her."
she said, sit isn't because he did
not want to. Only last week she
had Mysteries in my dressing.
room, and said he had threatened
to poison her. 1t was all Mr..
Bronson, the business manager,
and / could do to quiet her."
She looked at her watch, and
exclaimed that she was late, and
would have to hurry. | saw her
down to her boat. The river had
been falling rapidly for the last
hour or two. and ! heard the boat
scrape as 1t went over the door,
sill. ] did not know whether to
be glad that the water was going
Christian again, or to be sorry,
for fear of what we might find I'm
the mud that was always left,
Peter was lying where / had
put him, on folded blanket laid
in clothes-basket. went back
to him, and sat down beside the
basket.
"Peter!" / said. Poor old
Peter! Who did this to your
Who hurt your" He looked at
me and whined, as IL he wanted
to tell me, IL only he could.
WAS 1t Mr.. Ladley?" / asked,
and the poor thing covered close
to his bed and shivered. | Won
dered If it had been he, and, IL
II had, why he had come back.
Perhaps he had remembered the
towel. Perhaps he would come
again and spend the night there.
l was like Peter: | covered and
shivered at the very thought.
At nine o'clock l heard a boat
at the door. 1t had stuck there,
and its occupant was scolding furi-
ously at the boatman. Soon after
/ heard splashing, and / knew that
whoever it was was wading back
to the stairs through the foot and
a half or so of water still in the
hall. l ran back to my room and
locked myself in, and then stood,
armed with the stove-lid litter, in
case 1t should be Ladley and he
should break the door in.
The steps came up the stairs,
and Peter barked furiously. II
seemed to me that this was to be
my end, killed like a rat in a
trap and thrown out the window
to float. like my kitchen chair,
into Mollie Maguire's kitchen or
to be found lying in the ooze of
the yard after the river had gone
| down.
The steps hesitated at the top
of the stairs, and turned back
along the hall. Peter redoubled
his noise; he never barked for
Mr.. Reynolds or the Ladleys. ]
stood still, hardly able to
breathe. The door was thin, and
the lock loose: one good blow,
and
The door-knob turned, and ]
screamed. l recall that the light
turned black, and that is all / do
remember, until | came to, a half
/, hour later, and saw Mr.. Holcombe
STOPPING over me. The door, with
the lock broken, was standing
open. tried to move, and then
saw that my fet were propped
up on the edge of Peters basket.
Better leave them np," Mr..
Holcombe said. 1T sends the
blood back to the head. Half the
damfool people In the world stick
a pillow under fainting woman's
shoulders. How are you now?"
"All right" | said feebly. II
thought you were Mr.. Ladley."
He helped me up, and sat In
a chair and tried to keep my lips
from shaking. And then l saw