Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-02-15
CHAPTER II. -
THE ADDRESS ON THE CARD.

watch. 1t lacked an hour Of the time
when she was to meet her mother at
the Ritz for tea. Her nerves still all
ajangle from excitement and worry
over the mornings tragedy, and e
WI accidental secret knowledge Of
it wholly impossible for her to do any
thing that day with even stimulated
interest.
She had been debating with herself
whether or not to conide to her moth
er the story Of the tragic tableau of
which she had been an accidental
witness, when Mrs. Strong had dashed
into her bedroom to give her a hur-
ried peck on the cheek and to say
that she was off to luncheon and the
matinee with Mrs. Starrett.
You're not looking we'll today,
DEAR" her mother had said. "Stay in
bed and rest and join US for tea if o
Before she had opportunity to tell
what she had seen, her mother was
gone, but Jane had found it impossi-
ton. She rose and dressed, her mind
busy all the while with the problem
of what her duty was. AS she donned
her clothing she paused from time to
time to listen for sounds from the next
apartment. s. ~
What was her neighbor doing now !?
Had he read of the discovery Of the
mans body in the street? Perhaps he
had fled already? Not a sound was to
be heard there. He did not look in the
least like what Jane imagined a MUIR
derer would, yet certainly the circum-
stances pointed all too plainly to his
guilt. She had seen two men dash
around the corner, one in pursuit of
the other. One of them had come back
o11-1 hy4% I@~- ~fx~~xryo~ 81 - I~I-y
the body of the other man-had been
found with a bullet in his heart. 1t
must have been murder.
What ought she to do about it? Was
it her duty to tell her mother and Dad
about. what she had seen? Mother, she
knew, would be Mortified and would
caution her to say nothing to any one,
but Dad was different. He had strict
ideas about right and justice. He
would insist on hearing every word
she had to tell. More than likely he
would decide tina it was her duty to
give the information to the authorities.
Her face blanched at the thought. She
could not do that. She picturer2a her.
self the notoriety that would necessar-
lily ensue. She saw herself being
bounded by reporters, she imagined
herself branded as the witness in that
murder case" she depicted herself be-
ing questioned by detectives and badg-
cred by lawyers. (
No, she decided. it would be best
for her never to tell a soul, not even
her parents. In persistent silence lay
her safest course. After all she had
not witnessed the commission of the
crime. She was not v sure that the
ma found dead had been n of the
two she had watched from her win
dow. II she saw the body she would
not be able to identify it. She was not
even certain in her own mind that the
man next door had done the shooting,
however suspicious his actions may
have appeared to her. Besides, he did
not look in the least like a murderer.
He was too well-dressed.
In IN effort to put the whole thing
out of her mind she tried to read, but
was u able to keep her thoughts from
wandering. She>sat down at the piano,
but music failed to interest or soothe
her. She mussed over some unanswer-
ed. notes in her desk but could not
summon up enough concentration of
mind to answer them. Restless and
fldgety, unable ito keep her thoughts
from the unusual occurrences that had
disturbed her ordinarily too peaceful
life, she decided to take a walk until
It was time to keep her appointment.
Something-force of habit probably
led her to the shopping district. With
still half an hour to kill, she went into
a little speciality shop to examine some
knitting bags displayed in the window.
why don't o knit rs all the other
girls are doing?" was her fathers
suggestion every time she Vs.
serted her desire to be doing some
thing in the war.
There's no thrill in knitting" she
would answer. Fix 1t, Dad, SO I can
go to France a. a~Red Cross nurse or
al an ambulance driver, won't you? I
want some excitement"
Always he had refused to consent to
her going. insisting that France in
wartime was no place for an untrain-
III 1 can't go myself. I certainly am
not going to send any knitting" she
would spirttedly answer. but several
timea recently the sight Of such
charming looking knitting bags had
resolution
Inside the shop she found nothing
that appealed to her, and contented
herself with buying some toilet ar
ticles. Al she made her purchases she
noticed, almost Subconsciously, q mar
standing neal, talking. with one OF the
shopgirls- middle-ased man with q
dark mustache.
'The address, please said the girl,
who had been waiting on her.
Mics Strong" she answered, giving
the number Of the apartment house on
Riverside Drive.
she recalled afterward that ~ she
mentioned the number the mansstand-