Arizona republican., 1919-11-14
Bob Hears My Theory and Disaerees-
Then Accepts My Plan for a
Dreadful Test
GaDm1Shted 1910 ~ tho

Dreadful Test
Il must get out of door! I'm her
vous! l can't breathe under a roof,
l said to Chrys. Perhaps you'll stay
with mother this morning" Chrys APP
piled comforting pat to my shoulder
and waved me away. / wandered to
the back of the park and sat down on
bench under the gay autumn fol.
iage to think and think. But my
thoughts were sadly out of harmony
with the lovely fall day
They went round and round that odd
likeness of Babs to her mother. Some
day it would become very conspicuous.
Doubtless katherine Miller realized
this, after Chrys had commented upon
it so lengthily. Doubtless Katherine
realized that her beauty was of
unique type, too rare to be simply
freak" or accidental. In Babs, it was
destined to attract attention as the
child grew up. And it was so peculiar,
as mere beauty, and so extraordinary
as resemblance, that it might easily
betray the relationship between the
child and the woman.
Might it not, therefore, become the
motive for a shocking crime?
1t would be absurd, knew, to take
my theory to the detectives, for they
had scorned my other theories. Be
sides, l would have to discuss it with
Bob. He must decide if it were best
to let the police revive the Lorimer
scandal
Mine was far-fetched theory,
unique even in the strange history Of
crimes by unwed others. One which
could be attached only to an abnormal
mother.
of nrff4 l1nr t1ef hnf l,n
was sub normal, primitive. / remem-
bered her love letter to my HUSBAND
She wasn't clever but she was COM
pick. She schemed and planned to get
her own way, in the most runaboul
fashion. She actually relied upon,
other peoples goodness and sincerity
to make a shield for her own hypoc.
risy. And how we'll her schemes
worked.
Down the alley between the walls
of box, | heard mems voices Bob ana
Morrison were talking as they paced
slowly toward me- AS they came into
the open, and caught a first glimpse
of me, Morrison stuffed that pitiful
bit of white lawn into his pocket.
couldn't bear to look at it, but I said:
Mrs. Chaplin told me-she had to do
so, Mr.. Morrison, she was nearly crazy.
When you've minute to spare, Bob,
L want to talk with you
OF course Morrison went on to the
house and Bob sat down beside me.
He looked awfully stern, nevertheless,
I slipped my hand into his. And /
FASTENED to explain my theory to him
my strange theory as to the real mo-
tive leading to Babs' abduction-or
murder.
Bob listened with respect. At length
he exclaimed:
Jane! l don't believe she did it, /
don't believe the child is dead!"
What grounds he had for defending
the mother, 1 couldn't see but joy
fully accepted his hope about the
darling child
It's blindl That blood stained
ruffle was put out for us to findl My
dear, wasn't with Miss Miller more
than twenty minutes last night. ]
started to walk home through the park
and found that cloth in the bushes. |
called the chauffeurs and the yard
men and we hunted frantically, until
well, you know how late"
1 put my fingers over Bob's lips. /
couldn't bear to recall how had acted
about that long wait Bob pulled my
hand down and held it in his and went
on.
THAT cloth was dropped by the
ghostly gray shape you scared away in
the mist"
ut was put there to mislead us?"
I'm darn positive,"
Then find Babs! You can beat the
detectives, and besides, you won't have
to rake up the Lorimer scandal"
"How do you mean-find her?',
make love-make love to the moth
err" l cried in desperation. ut sounds
awful, know, but we're dealing with
a perfectly awful woman And it's like
offering you as sacrifice, on a pagan