Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-10-04

arranged her skirts about her feet,
| closed those terrible eyes that were star
ing at us so rclcntlcssly, and put her
empty hand up over the wound on her
! breast. The scarf / rolled up with
the stains inside and carried it away.
"Therc was still no sound in the
house, but IIickson closed the bedroom
door and locked it so that if Mrs.
| Hartshorne'S maid should awaken and
come down and knock she would think
her mistress was asleep and the alarm
would not be given Immediately. The
street was deserted. and ! was sure no
one had seen us; we rushed home as
fast as we dared, and dickson gave me
cshc key of Mrs. Hartshornc's door. !
Slipped into the house and up to my
own room at last. and Just rs ! entered
the clock struck 3. We'd been gone less
than an hour, but it seemed ages and
ages to me.
''The rest You seem to know. Mr..
Harvey Only that scarf was on my
mind. and | racked my brains us to
how to dispose of it. Had il been win
ter and an open wood fire blazing on
the hearth my problem would have been
solved. but | decided to burn it any
way-in the bathtub. as you Surmispd.
| could not nerve myself to do il that
night, however. for ] was almost pros
trated. and the next morning Mrs
Cowlcs. who had remained as n house
guest overnight. came in and talked. |
and then my mother. l was compelled (
to drag myself down to lunch for fear
OF comment. Almost Immediately after
there came the news of what was called |
the murder. 1t was late afternoon
Detore l dared attempt to burn the !
scarf. l had to stop before it was done. |
Tor the odor and smoke Sickened me and |
L was afraid it would steal out into the |
rest of the house and arouse questions !
| could not very well answer. | thrust
1t again behind the radiator where Il
mad hidden it at first, and could not
even bring myself to look at it again
until Yesterday morning. Then | dis
covered that it was gone"
And that is all, Miss Lpdyard?"
raul asked scarchingly. ''You have
no knowledge of who killed Mrs. Hart
ShOrne?"
She killed herself" With the end
OF her confession the inscrutablc mask
seemed to have descended again upon
the girls face. botting out the emo
tlonS which had contortcd it. Her ewes
duIed like those of basilisk. There
cannot be any question about TINT
Nhen l first came upon her in the con-
Servatory the pistol was clutchcd in
her hand. 1t has been identified as
hers. One shot had been fired from If
ana the papers have announced that
the bullet found at the autopsy fitted II
II mad not in moment of silly weak
ness tried to compose the body. no
one would have doubted the truth. "
No one does doubt it - The chief
found his voice. THE woman was
murdered No matter where the hodv
might have been found. or under What
you couldn't have faxed
q suicide bluff that would get by, Mrs
iartshorne never fired that shot her
self. '' "'i
But she must have done 50 =" tho
girl cried wildly. There was no .fate
as you call it, Mr.. Burke! / tell you
saw her with the pistol in her hand
ingn ~
You didn't see any powder marks
V" ~, uiu you the chief asked.
Powder marks?' she repeated
vaguely.
Neither did We, and if the pistol
had been held within arms length of
her the whole front of her waist around
the wound would have beer speckled
with powder. That shot was fired from
a distance of anywhere between ten and
forty feet away, Miss Ledyard. When
You found her was the pistol in her right
or left hand?"
Her right" The reply came in a
mere tOneless whisper.
You could swear to that?"
She nodded
well, there's your answer" The
chief sat back in his chair. "That
bullet entered Mrs. Hartshornes breast
from the left and made slanting