The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1914-03-26
'sThe Case of
Jennie BriCe''
Copyright, 1913, the Bobbs-Mer-
rill Company.

the flood-gates in a sewer having
leaked, and they were moving
some of the departments to an
upper floor. | had expected to
have him In the house that even
ing, and now ! was left alone
again.
But, as 1t happened, I was not
alone. Mr.. Graves, one of the
city detectives, came at half past
six, and went carefully over the
Ladley's room. l showed him
the towel and the slipper and the
broken knife, and where we had
found the knife-blade. He was
very non-committal, and left in q
half-hour, taking the articles with
him in a newspaper.
At seven the door-bell rang.
went down as far as | could on
the staircase, and / saw a boat
outside the door, with the boat
man and woman In it. / called
to them to bring the boat back
along the hau, and l had a queer
feeling that 1t might be Mrs. Lad
Hey, and that I'd been making a
fool of myself all day for nothing.
But 1T was not Mrs. Ladley.
Is this number forty-two -
asked the woman, as the boat
came back.
Yes"
Does Mr.. Ladley live here?"
Yes. But he is not here now"
Are you Mrs. Pittock?"
"Pitman, yes"
The boat bumped against the
stairs, and the woman got out.
She was as tall as Mrs. Ladley,
and when | saw her in the light
from the upper hall, l knew her
instantly. 1t was Temple Hope.
the leading woman from the Lib
erty Theater.
Il would like to talk to you,
Mrs. Pitman," she said. "Where
can we go?"
led the way back to my
room, and when she had followed
me in, she turned and shut the
door.
Now them" she said without
any preliminary, where is Jennie
Brice?"
II don't know, Miss Hope" l
answered.
We looked at each other for a
minute. and each of us saw what
the other suspected.
"Ho hac EilInI ka,fBs
claimed. "She was afraid he
would do it, and-he has,"
Killed her and thrown her
into the river" l said. "That $
what think, and he'll go free at
that. 1t seems there isn't any
murder when there isn't any
corpse"
Nonsense! II he has done
that, the river will give her up,
eventually"
THE river doesn't always give
them up" l retorted. mot in
flood-time, anyhow. Or when they
are found it is months later, and
you can't prove anything"
She had only a little time, be-
ing due at the theater soon, but
she sat down and told me the
story she told afterward on the
stand:
She had known Jennie Brice
for years, they having been to-
gether in the chorus as long be-
fore as "Nadjy."
"She was married then to a
fellow on the vaudeville circuit, f."
Miss Hope said. "He left her
about that time, and she took up
with Ladley. / don't think they
were ever married."
What" I said, jumping to my
feet, "and they came to a re-
spectacle house like this! There's
never been breath of scandal
about this house, Miss Hope, and
II this comes out I'm ruined"
We'll, perhaps they were mar
ried," she said. Anyhow, they
were always quarreling. And
when he wasn't playing, it was
worse. She used to some to my
hotel, and cry her eyes out"
! II knew you were friends" /
said. almost the last thing she
said to me was about the black
and white dress of hers you were
to borrow for the piece this
week."
BLACK and white dress! l bor-
row one of Jennie Brice's dress
est" exclaimed Miss Hope. 81
should think not. / have plenty
of my own"
That puzzled me; for she had
said IL, that was sure. And then
remembered that I had not
seen the dress in the room that
day, and l went In to look for 1t.
II was gone. I came back and
told Miss Hope.
"A black and white dressl Did