The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-03-25

l told him everything, while he
sat back with his eyes half closed,
and his fingers beating a tattoo
on the arm of his chair.
When | finished he got up and
went into an inner room. He
came back in a moment.
II want you to come in and tell
that to the chief" he said, and led
the way.
All told, I repeated my story
three times that afternoon, to the
sergeant, to the chief of police,
and the third time to both the
Others and two detectives.
The second time the chief made
notes of what / said.
Know this man Ladley?" he
asked the others. None of them
did, but they all knew of Jennie
Brice, and some of them had seen
her in the theater.
N"Get the theater, Tom," the
chief said to one OF the detec-
tfves.
.. Luckily, what he learned over
the telephone from the theater
corroborated my story. Jennie
Brice was not in the cast that
week, but should have reported
that morning Monday to re-
hearse the next weeks piece. No
message had been received from
her, and a substitute had been put
in her place.
fsThe chief hung up the receiver
and turned to me. "You are sure
about the clock, Mrs. Pitman?"
he asked. at was there when
they moved upstairs to the
ROOM"
"Yes, SIR"
"You are certain you will not
find 1t on the parlor mantel when
the water goes DOWN."
1.-THE mantels are uncovered
now. IL is not there"
you think Ladley has gone
for good?"
Eyes, sir"
He'd be a fool to try to run
away, unless-Graves, you'd bet
ter get hold of the fellow, and
keep him until either the woman
Is found or a body. The river is
falling. In a couple of days we
will know IL she is around the
premises anywhere
Before | left, l described Jennie
Brice for them carefully. Asked
what she probably wore, had no
idea; she had lot of clothes, and
dressed a good bit. But l recalled
that | had seen, lying on the bed,
the black and white dress with the
red collar, and they took that
down, as well as the brown valise.
The chief rose and opened the
door for me himself. "If she
actually left town at the time you
MENTION" he said, "she ought not
to be hard to find. There are not
many trains before seven in the
morning, and most of them are
locals"
"And-and If she did not, If he
do you think she Is in the
house cellar?"
mot unless Ladley is more of
a fool than | think he u.s. he said,
smiling. Personally, 1 believe
she has gone away, as he says she
did. But If she hasn't He
probably took the body with him
when he said he was getting medi-
cine, and dropped It in the current
somewhere. But we must go slow
with all this. There's no use
shouting wolf yet"
"But-the towel?"
"He may have cut himself,
shaving. 1t has been done"
And the knife?"
He shrugged his shoulders
gpod-naturedly. i
ave seen perfectly good
knife spoiled opening bottle of
pickles.
but the slippers? And the
eIock?"
: "My good woman, enough shoes
and slippers are forgotten in the
bottoms of cupboards year after
year in flood-time, and are found
floating around the streets, TO
make all the old-clothesmen in
town happy. | have seen almost
floating about, during
one of these annual floods"
n dare say you never saw an
onyx clock floating around" II
replied a little sharply. l had no
sense of humor that day. He
stopped smiling at once, and stood
Juggling at his mustache.
NO." he admitted. "An onyx
clock sinks, that's true. That's a
very nice little point, that onyx
clock. He may be trying to sell
1t, or perhaps" He did not
finish.
went back Immediately, only
stopping at the market to get
meat for Mr.. Reynolds supper.
II was after half past five and
dusk was coming on. / got q boat
and was rowed directly home.
Peter was not at the foot of the
steps. ] paid the boatman and
let him go, and turned to go up