The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1920-09-18

| my unvarying answer to all their CUES
tons.
Finally they gave it up and locked
me In a cell for the night, leaving me
thankful that the honor of being a sus-
pected murderer relieved me from
sharing cell with some of the frOwSy
prisoners saw brought past my
barred door.
Haven't you any friends you would
like to have nOtifed?" was the last
question they asked as they left me.
Il have nothing to say" l repeated
once more.
Nor was this answer this time mere
stubbOrnneSs. Who was there that l
could notify of my plight? Birge and
Roller, my two intimates, were some
where on the high seas. The men
whom had known in the office where
| had worked, for obvious reasons,
were not to be called on. | had no
idea Of the whereabouts of my aged
relatives beyond the fact that they
were somewhere in Maine
had no intention whatever Of COM
municating the fact of my arrest to
my mother. Indeed. | was hoping that
she would not hear Of it until after my
innocence was established.
| thought of German. l would have
been glad of his counsel. but l remem-
bered that | did not know where he
lived. He had told me he was giving
up his position at the hotel. 1t would
he useless to try to find him until
morning.
Yet in spite of my apparent friend
lessness, although to all appearances
there was no one in New York to
whom | could turn in this time of
trouble, it was wonderful comfort
to feel that | was sure of one stanch
friend-Barbara Bradford.
Although We had been acquainted
but few days, and although hardly
word of love had passed between us,
knew that her feeling for me already
was something greater than friendship.
| knew that she trusted me and that
she would remain faithful in her laf-
tection for me, no matter what &C.
cusatiOns were brought against me. l
had been madly in love with her from
almost the first time l saw her. What
ever happened, l must keep her out
of it. | must find some means Of
warning her TO say nothing to any one.
| knew that her first impulse as soon
as she heard of my arrest would be
to come to my rescue, regardless Of
the fact that in establishing an alibi
for me she would be blasting her own
reputation. Under no circumstances,
even If WAS convicted must she be
permitted to speak No explanation
can account for the presence Of
young girl alone in q mans rooms
at eleven o'clock at night, even
though she and l both knew how ut
terly undeserving of censure her
presence there was and how important
had been her motive in coming there.
Mention Of Barbara'S name in any
way in connection with a murder case
would be certain to wreck her sisters
matrimonial plans. It would mean
the ruin Of her mothers ambitions and
the unmasking of the parlOus condi-
ton of their finances. 1t would mean
that the reprOaches Of her mother and
sister would be heaped on my Bar
bara's poor head.
was still unsatisfled in my own
mind as to just what part Claire Brad
ford was playing In the web Of mys-
terry about us. She was emotional and
Eighty, given to doing rash things. I
felt that there was strong POSSIBLE
ity that relations with her ex-husband
had been In some way re-establiShed.
l felt at times that she was being used
as tool by the cOnspirators in the
Granddeck mysteries. If Claire was
involved in any way, 1t behooved me
to move carefully lest she should be
betrayed in my efforts to clear my
self.
There was nothing for me to do but
to sit tight and take my plight as
phiIosophicalIy as could until could
get in touch with German. AS soon
as it was morning, / bribed a Jail at
tendant to bring me a morning news
paper On the first page | found an
account of the murder under glar-
Ing headlines and read 1t with in
tense interest, my conviction growing
with each line that l read that the
police case against me was far better
backed up than ever imagined 1t
could be.
Then and there made up my mind
never again to believe anything on
purely circumstantial evidence. No
one knew better than l how utterly
innocent l was of that crime, how up
right my conduct in New York had
been, and how honest my motives for
all my recent actions had been, yet
this is what | read in the newspaper:
BURGLAR MURDERS WE'LL
KNOWN ACTRESS