Rocky Ford enterprise., 1916-06-23

la saw him, started. hesitated.
mot unless you make a scenel"
cried Rosalie. anticipating his thought
"I'm not arresting you-can't you un-
derstand that2" She hurried him to a
lonely park bench. half hidden in the
shrubbery. When she turned to look
him full in the face again. his color
was normal; he had regained his grip.
And he spoke with a touch of his old
boyish insoucianoe.
This is a little melodrama you are
staging. Mrs. Le Granger Am I the
hero or the villain7"
Il expected you tn be suspicious an
try to blur this through" said Rosalie
in her most matter-of-faot tone. that's
why stole this note an brought 1t
here." She had been keeping her
hands in her mum. She drew them out,
now. and handed him the vital paper:
81 am telling to the police all know
OF my part and my brothers part In
the death Of Capt. John H. Hanska. l
have confessed that we followed him
to America to get my Jewels. and that
1t was my brother Juan who appeared
to have stabbed him.
"MARGARITA PEREZ"
He read it. AS he looked up he was
still master of himself, but Rosalie
could perceive behind his mask kind
Of vibration. an inner agitation Of all
his nerves. But his will still mas
tered his voice.
"Margarita Psres-who IL shef'
She is your sister. You are Juan
Perez-not Estrilla. You are from
Port Of Spain. You came here to fol-
low Captain Hanska-"
Where did you hear this7" inquired
Estrilla, with pitiful attempt to put
sarcasm into his voice.
II have listened to her confession"
replied Rosalie calmly. "she told the
police-after she signed that paper
how you went into Captain Hanska's
room at night to get your family Jew
els. how that trick alarm on his strong
box woke him up. an how you killed
him"
But Juan Estrilia had leaped up now
al though his nerves would be denied
no longer,
You are here to betray mel know
1t now!" he said.
Il suspected this trouble was COM
in'." replied Rosalie LIE Grange. 81
sent Miss Lane to deliver you here at
five o'clock-because it's an outof-the-
way place an quiet. Sit down.
Estrilla shook as he resumed his
seat.
Does she know?" he asked.
Not yet." said Rosalie.
Il didn't give her my real reason. l
was glad" she pursued. ito hear you
bust out in that sincere way when
said you killed Hanska. I put that in
for test: an you stood It. Now sit
there and listen to what else your SIS
ter said. an see II any of that could
have been worked out by detectives.
She says you didn't kill Hnnska. that
he died of apoplexy an fell on the
knife you was holdin' against him."
Estrilla turned hie great eyes and
moistened his lips as though to speak:
but he held to his nerve end made no
sound.
She says that you carried out that
box of Jewels with the cover open. an
that diamond buckle dropped out as
you were passing through the door,
| An when she came back In your
she picked It up. The Jewels are in
Caracas. You dropped the box in the
river. Could anybody patch that to-
gether? Could anybody guess that7"
Then II he died Of apoplexy-if
didn't kill him-why should they ar
rest me?" asked Estrilla.
Young man." said Rosalie, how
could you prove it?"
Innocently and directly. Estrilla
came out with what amounted to his
confession.
He was always in danger of apo
plexy-my sister knew that And un-
doubtedly 1t was a mortal seizure. For
his hands were going toward his head,
not toward the knife. Even when he
fell and died. his hands were still 60
ing up. not down. have seen doctors.
have read about apoplexy in every
medical book in the public library. And
when saw him last-there was blood
in his nostrils"
Rosalie nodded.
Il saw that, too. My. but coroner's
physicians are densei" she said.
Now I've got to talk hard and
straight You were in the act of burg
larry. It don't make no difference that
you had right to burgle-no jury
would recognize that The coroner's
physician never thought of anything
but that stab wound-never thought to
look for apoplexy-case seemed too
plain. You an l are the only people
who thought about that bloody nose.
The boys cremated, an II 1t wasn't
well. We won't go into that. Why
Juan Psrez, they'd laugh at you. Do
yc sec" Don't you get your fx?"
He was trembling. and now he made
pitiful movement with his hands
as though to steady his head.
so you must get away"