Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-01

a tall, gaunt woman with iron gray
hair and a look of strained anxiety in
her faded eyes admitted him and ush :
| cred him into tiny, spotless kitchen.
5 "You are Mrs. Peters? I've come
from police headquarters to learn what
you can tell me about your niece, Sadie
Mullen" he began pleasantly.
"It's little enough, sir!" she mo-
toned to a chair. "Do you mind
} speaking low? My husbands n night
watchman and he's just come home and
gone to bed. I've told him Sadie was
off for the week end visiting friends,
for she's like his own girl, and / don't
want him worried in case she turns up
all right. can't think what's got into
Sadic She's been like crazy thing
ever since she came home Friday night
with the news that her lady had been
murdered. You'd expect her to be
sorry, and sick with the shock and
fright of it, too, but not to carry on
as if she'd had hand in it herself, the
silly grill"
"What did she say?" Paul asked.
Nothing at first, but Just that some
body had killed Mrs. Hartshorne in the
night. We couldn't get another word
out of her, she was dumb and white
and shaking till her teeth. chattered.
My husband got paper before he went
out to his job, and that's how we learn
ed the details of it. Sadie had come
home little after 6, but she wouldn't
eat any supper and shat herself in her
room. Along about midnight she burst
out crying something terrible, as if
! ghn' hp1l in h.,
had to let go, but although she hung
on to me when l went in to her,
! couldn't get a word from her exCept
one thing she kept sobbng over and
over: IF I'd only known! If I'd only
known,
Didn't she explain later what she
mCant?'
"No. I got her quieted down finally
and she went to sleep but she must
have been dreaming of it, for she started
up screaming more than once. She
scarcely ate bite all day yesterday and
wouldn't talk to the reporters when
they came, or the neighbors. but hid
off in her room and cried softly to her
self. She seemed to get better, though,
by nlghtfall, but she only shook her
head when we tried to question her, and
she had that stubborn look in her eyes
that I've learned to reckonswith when
she was a little girl. She gets streaks
OF that queer, mulish spunk when she
will have her own way if it kills her. and
| could see she'd made UP her mind
to something, but little / guessed
what.
My husband went to his Job at S.
CLOCK last night, and / stepDed ont
70 a nelghbor' just Il few doors away,
leaving Sadie poring over the latest
extra about the murder. When r.
came nome L thought she had gone to
oed' tor her door was closed and there
was no light in the room, but when T
went to wake her for early mass 7
found her gone -
Sne lett no note or message for
you|' asked Paul.
NO, SIR. Her bed hadn't been silent
IN and none of her things were missing
except the clothes on her back, but the
room was strewn with feathers. She
mad torn open her pillow, and when
looked at it close l could see where she
must have ripped it before and sawcJ
1t together again. Whatever it was sha
nad hidden in there she must have token
1t with her.
II should like to see her roon,
please" Paul rose. 'oo'"'
Il haven't had time to straipbtor -
yet, Mrs. Peters, hesitated Thon
crossing the kitchen, she threw onon
door at the end. "The feathers will
fairly choke you, sir Z"
The room was small with n ,;,
window opening on court, and fnrs
niSnea SIMPLY with narrow iron bed.
Il Gi'"ir ana combination pine bureau
ana waShstand. A crisp calico curtain
suspended from a shelf bulged with the
garments hanging from pegs beneath
ana cloud of feathers from the torn
pillow sWlrlcd with the opening of the
door and settled again. =
Faufs darting glance took in eyery
urtaii and rested finally upon the small
mirror over the bureau.
-, FROM all sides of it protruded fam
IKE sheafs of pictures obviously clipped
ffom newspapers and magazines; re-
produced photographs of simpering girls
ana buxom sirens, effeminate youths and
leerlng satyrs in evening dress.
Paul gestured toward the improvised
gallery and Mrs. Peters sighed.
Ihe movies!" she explained. "Sa-
die Just crazy about them She would
nave those pictures up there. 1 burned
the first batch 1 saw, but she got on
one of those stubborn fits of hers and
threatened to leave home if she couldn't
have them. After all, it seemed harm
less enough. Sadie's good>girl, sir
I've never had any trouble with her.
She don't seem to care about boys, or
staying ont late nights. And she never
was deceitful before. She just loves
pretty things, like any other young girl,
and she'd spend her last dime for the
movies"
DO you know how much money she
had with her when she went away last
light?"
Seven dollars and forty cents" Mrs.
Peters responded promptly. 81 thought
of that the first thing. She had Just
ten dollars left from her wages, paid
two and a half for a waist, spent five
cents for carfare home from Farra-
gut street Friday night and five cents
she lent me to make change today for
the iceman."
CONTINUED TOMORROW