The St. Johns herald., 1921-11-03

l these people 'yerS I tell yef.7.'r1
 5. The, door slapped shut in my face, : ahd"T Heard a bolt shot into pl3ee- the interview was ended.
 IStGred mOJnent at the blaAk dher in beYilderRent r, then turned away, and slowly retraced. my steps to the street. So the youhg woman had de HNteratelR lied tolme4thad per&ly been 1amuslng, herself at my expense; had sent me son this Wild goose 'chSse so that she might lauSh6oeet fAy sim plIoity, But was this true2, H- SO, how was t6 accohht for the stiahge cOincident that both she and Harris had named the same number, .,And street? It could not have occurred merely through chance. Something must have happened in the mean while to overthrow all her plans, and to cause this rabid housekeeper to even deny her very existence. And held the key of explanation-the mur- der of AIvA.
 Beyond all doubt here was both qagSRb Rnd. .Sfect.i Tha girl bad. intend ed to either. see me herself. or by proxy in the form of this mysterious Miss Conrad. Bht What Had since occurred had compelled "a sudden change in plans, a necessity for con cealing her escape. There was no way iE which she could notify me, but she might .rery easily have telephoned to her landlady. And, if the place was what 1 suSplciofed it to be. slfe might have every confidence .that~her secret would be, guarded.
 I glanced up at the front of the house, searching the windows. But without results. The cuEtains were closely drawn to keep out the sun. a1id tae Place eppeared foff6tn and deserted. |. At the delicatessen shor on the corner I gained a gleam of light, but merely enough to strengthen my fOrIAer judgment The keePer, a flax en-haire1 ] Swede, was loQuaciops enough, but had only been in business there few weeks.
 f24E La C0mpteHyon say.t,:Y Yes, she
 
 some gre Women. They come in here and buy, but I'Gever ask the nRhes; 1t was all cash, so whvrshOuId I c&5e? Sometimes l hear them. call naWes-, sure; but never Conrad. The woman what keeps the house? Wait and tell you; it is on the books; ahl ysu read as she wrote it for me-Mrs. Au- gusta Waldron; maybe a widow? What you think? Bah, she never like 'anythinssF'haEei tO,ssll:t I ealP n0th- ipg 55 lEade with PHfr5ia 5ia cat this Mrs.
 I left him with the familiar sound or+hee nAne ringing i'm m8'ears-the ||iYhple .tAnG vasIEqEsIipg in F 4fi 'eeiT;fle. and the, circle was growing continual ly more compact. BIindly, l was stumbling up against it here and tRere most unexpectedly. Augusta Waldron, beyond doubt, was Ivan Wal dron's wife. No wonder her house was designated the meeting-place for those people. o
 returned to the hotel. Only as stood before the' door did T. realize that the newShQysa sasWere- calling out, Extra! All about the murder!" I feRt that my face was white, and that hy hand shook, yet I hastily bought copies. of Sbalf dozen sheets, showing them iht6 my pockets: h9' life febSrts #ereHmostiy aIike, ex- Ceedingly brief and unsatisfactory, ex- csptt that. they conveyed the impress sion that. thus far the police possessed no feai' clue aat0fEhk perpStrator of the crime. 2NO one eSOnnected with the meeting the. night before was men, toned in any article, nor was'any sus- pftf6h of such meeting heAfboned. TeadL the hgst line wtth.a distinct feel ing of relief, drOPging. the paper on the floor.
 They had discovered no clue. noth- ing whatever to work upon. The in- terior of the car 'had yielded no evil dence of its former occupants the only reference being to mud 3Dn tfFe floora Outside all footprints had been Ob- liberated by the falling rain.f No, one in the nelghbOrhood had heard a sound, or witnessed any movement. The whole affair was shrouded in mys- J tery.! Z. G.
 !A What,~ under, these conditions. was my duty? What could I either do, or say, to clarify this tragedy, and bring thecgbilty to Justice? I sat there for 6n hour thinking and smoking, en- deavoring to answenthese queries. could study out no clear way to any copfession,, which would not directly involve myself ir' tbe tolls of the po- lice, or else duplicate Marie Gessler, 80 as to make any defense on her part almost impossible. No doubt she was