The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-04-04


combe. busy with his note book
Did you suggest the onyx
clock?"
mo. No clock was mentioned
The@the clock has puzzled me-"
THE towel?"
"Yes. | said no murder was
complete without blood, but he
kicked on that-said he didn't
mind the rest, but he'd be hanged
If he was going to slash himself
But, as 1t happened, he cut his
wrist while cutting the boat loose
and so we had the towel"
Pillow slip?" asked Mr.. Hol-
combe.
We'll, no. There was nothing
said about a pillow slip. Didn't
he say he burned it accidentally"
80 he claimed" Mr.. Hol-
combe made another entry in his
book.
Then l said every murder had
a weapon. He was to have pis-
tol at first, but none of us owned
one. Mrs. Ladley undertook to
get a knife from Mrs. Pitman's
kitchen, and to leave it around,
not In full view, but where II
could be found"
"a broken knife?"
! "No. Just a knife"
Gle was to throw the knife in
to the water?"
| THAT was not arranged. | only
gave him general outline. lie
was to add any interesting details
that might occur to him. The
idea. of course, was to give the
tpolice plenty to work on, and just
when they thought they had 1t all
and when the theater had had a
lot of booming, and / had got d
good story, to produce Jennie
Brice, safe and we'll. We were not
to appear in It at all. 1t would
have worked perfectly, but we
forgot to count on one thing
Jennie Brice hated her husband"
Not really hated HIM" cried
Ida.
"Hated him. She Is letting
him hang. She could save him
by coming forward now and she
won't do 1t. She Is hiding so he
will go to the gallows.'
There was a pause at that. II
seemed too incredible, too in
human.
Then, early that Monday
morning, you smuggled Jennie
Brice out of the city,"
Eyes. That was the only thing
we bungled. We fixed the hour
a little too late. and was seen
by Miss Harvey's uncle, walking
across the bridge with woman"
"Why did you meet her openly,
and take her to the train?"
Mr.. Howell bent forward and
smiled across. at the little man.
"One of your own axioms, SIR
he said. DO the natural thing;
upset the customary order of
events as little as possible. Jen-
ME Brice went to the train, be-
cause that was where she wanted
to go. But as Ladley was to pro-
test that his wife had left town,
and as the police would be
searching for a solitary woman,
went with her. We went in a
leisurely manner. l bought her
Ia magazine and a morning pa
per, asked the conductor to fix
her window, and, in general, act
ed the devoted husband seeing
his wife off on trip. / even
he smiled-"I even promised to
feed the canary"
Ida took her hands away.
"Did you kiss her GOODBYE" she
demanded.
Not even a chaste salute" he
said. His spirits were rising. II
was, as often happens, as If the
mere confession removed the
guilt. | have seen little boys
who have broken a window show
the same relief after telling
about 1t.
"For a day or two Bronsin and
| sat back, enjoying the stir-up.
Things turned out as we had ex-
pected. Business doomed at the
theater. Il got a good story, and
some few kind words from my
city editor. Then-the explos-
ion. / got a letter from Jennie
Brice saying she was going away
and that we need not try to find
her. went to Horner, but l had
lost track of her completely
Even then, we did not believe
things SO bad as they turned out
to be. We thought she was Civ
ing us bad time, but that she
would show up.
"Ladley was in blue funk foI
time. Bronson and I went to
him. We told him how the thing
had slipped up. We didn't want
to go to the police and confess II
we could help Il. Finally, he
agreed to stick 1t out until she
was found, at a hundred dollars
week. 1t took all we could beg
borrow and steal. But now we
have to come out with the story
anyhow
Mr. uolcomha aaf mn and cIos.