Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1922-02-10

| her against the world, yet deep down
in my heart fingered a question un-
answered. If she was honest, square,
actuated by some worthy purpose, why
| did she still refuse to confide in me?
Surely / had been sufficiently tested
and she knew who / was If she was
| the sister of a clasSmate whom l knew
and loved, what necessity remained
| for the cOncealment of her name?
What indeed, except shame at the
part she was playing in this sordid
drama Of life? Some Of my earlier
suspicion had been eradicated, for now
it was clearly demonstrated that 1t
| could not have been her knife which
| had pierced Alva's heart. Whatever
else I might believe against her, this
| evidence no longer existed, for She
| still wore the dagger in her hat. Pecu-
liar as the design was, the weapon
| locked in my valise, which l had
picked up blOodstained on the floor
of the car, was not hers; it had been
welded in it's deadly work by some
other hand. But whose? Did she
know? Did she even suspect the as
sassin? Was she even now endeavOr-
J ing to conceal his identity? These
questions were unanswerable / could
only partially drive them back by
memory of the girl herself: it was
impossible to recall her vividly to
mind, and yet associate her with so
foul a crime.
l was still immersed in such
thoughts, mentally struggling for her
honor, and my own justification, when
l finally attained the quiet Of my room
l was squarely up against a stone
wall there was no light perceptible
anywhere. Neither Harris nor Wal
dron was guilty of this crime; they
were obliterated from further con-
sideration. These two worthless had
undoubtedly done their best, but had
been Outgeneraled by some one else !;
and, whoever that other might be, he
had made clear getaway, leaving
not even lurking suspicion behind
him. 1t was the job of a maSter-thief,
an expert in crime-or else had been
accomplished through the blind luck
of some one whose very identity
cloaked any possibility Of suspicion.
My glance wandering about the
room aimlessly fell upon the valise in
one corner. 1t was just where l re-
membered leaving it when l went out,
yet l saw something which surely
| ln6 in q
crossed over, and bent down; it was
q slash, the clean cut of q knife, run
ming from end to end, penetrating
through both leather and cloth. Who
ever had done the deed had been un-
able to operate the lock, and had
ting the entire bag wide open. | in
serted my hand and felt within; moth
ing seemed missing or greatly dis
turbed. / explored to the bottom, and
then sprang to my feet in startled
amazement-the dagger / had con-
cealed there was gone!
Good God what could be the mean
ing Of this? She had worn that orna-
ment in her hat openly, purposely, to
fool me into believing her innocent.
There could be no other explanation.
She had confessed being at the hotel,
seeking to locate me, and the number
Of my room. What would prevent her
coming up here unobserved, then,
while was out, and gaining entrance?
And who else would have any reason
to thus search through my things, and
abstract this important evidence Of
crime?
Yet how did she know / had it?
How did she even suspect / was the
first to discover the dead body, and
bear away with me the tell-tale weap-
ON with which Alva had been mur-
dered? / had no means Of knowing
hOw-only she alone had special rea-
son to regain possession of that knife.
And she had even dared later to f1aunt
it in my very face, to show it to me
in her possession, just as though it
had never passed out Of her hands
Here was revealed depth Of duplici-
pressed in words; this soft spoken
girl, this woman to whom l knew
had given my heart, stood revealed
now in all her hideousness-a MUIR
deress, thief, a scheming criminal,
coolly concealing the trail Of her crime,
and using her very charms Of face
and manner to conceal from me her
true nature.
Perhaps she would see me again
perhaps The lie was yet warm upon
her lips. She had gone away laugh
ing at the simpleton who had believed
her, the dupe who had so easily been
deceived by her smiles The chances
were she had disappeared already,
vanished, left the city, assured that
no evidence now remained behind to
ever connect her with this TERRIBLE af-
fair. She cared nothing for me-
had been mere tool, plant in her
hand-I remained merely in her mem
ory as something to laugh about, an
other victim, blind, cropping fool, with
whom she had played to her hearts
desire.
l sat with my head in my hands