Evening star., 1922-03-23
THE AZURE RING
BY ARTHUR B. REEVE
One of The Stars Fiction Sere complete three
20 t... instalment

Come on. gentlemen: ELL answer
your other. questions on the train"
AS we settled ourselves in the
smoker Whitney remarked in a low
yHafe tbai ,hses sou know some one has said said
difficult to investigate and solve
than a crime whose commission is
surrounded by complicated circum-
stances and that is crime whose
perpetration is wholly devoid Of cir
Are you so sure that this crime
is wholly devoid of circumstances"
asked Craig.
Professor he replied. I'm not
sure Of anything in this case. If ]
sistance. would like the. credit of
me. Just think Of it, so far we
haven't a clue. at least none that
shows the slightest promise. although
week. It's all darkness. The facts
are so simple that they give us moth
Ing to work on: 1t is like a blank
sheet of paper"
Kennedy said nothing. and the dis
blame Mr.. Mott, the coroner, for
thinking it an accident. But to my
mind some master criminal must
have arranged this very bafling sim
plicity OF circumstances. You recall
that the front door was unlocked.
This person must have entered the
house unobserved. not a difficult thing
to do. for the Wainwright house is
somewhat isolated. Perhaps this per-
son brought along some poison in the
form of beverage and induced the
two victims to drink. And then, this
person must have removed the evil
dences as swiftly as they were
in, hSy he mn
That. think. is the only solution"
THAT Is not the only solution. 1t
Is one solution interrupted Ken
nedy quietly.
do you think some one in the
house did it," l asked quickly.
measuring his words. that il poison
was given them 1t must have been
by some one they both knew pretty
we'll"
No one said word. until at last
broke the silence. II know from the
Wflliston people say that Marian was
very jealous of her sister Laura for
capturing the catch of the season.
Williston people don't hesitate to hint
at it"
Whitney produced another docu-
ment from that fertile green bag. 1t
was another affidavit. He handed 1t
to US: 1t was statement signed by
Mrs. Wainwright. and read:
Before God. my daughter Marian
is innocent. If you wish to find out
all. find out more about the past his
tory of Mr.. Templeton before he be-
came engaged to Laura. She would
never in the world have committed
suicide. She was too bright and
cheerful for that. even II Mr.. Tenn
pleton had been about to break off
the engagement. My daughters.
Laura and Marian. were always
self exactly alike. OF course. they
had their quarrels. just as all sisters
do, but there was never. to my GER
tain knowledge. serious disagree
ment. and was always close enough
to my girls to know. No. Laura
was murdered by some one outside"
Kennedy did not seem to attach
much importance to this statement.
Let me see." he began refectively.
FIRST, we have young woman espe-
cially attractive and charming in
both person and temperament. She
is just about to be married and. If
was no cloud on her happiness.
Secondly. we have young man
whom every one agrees to have been
Of an ardent energetic. optimistic
temperament. He had everything
to live for. presumably. So far. so
6OOo. Every one WHO mas lnSeStl-
gated this case. l understand. has
tried to eliminate the double-suicide
and the suicide a nd murder theories.
That: us all right. provided the facts
are as stated. We shall see, later,
when we interview the coroner. Now,
briefly what you have learned about
the past history Of the two unfor-
tunate lovers"
well, the Wainwrights are an old
Westchester family. not very wealthy,
but Of the real aristocracy of the c"un-
Laura and Marian. The Templetons
were much the same sort of family. The
children all attended a private school
at White Plains and there also they met
Schuyler Vanderdyke. These four con-
stituted sort of little aristocracy in
the SCHOOL. l mention this. because VAN
derdyke later became Laura's first hus-
band. This marriage with Templeton
was second venture
How long ago was he divorced -
asked Craig attentivcly.
About three years ago. I'm coming
to that in a moment. The sisters went
to- college together-Templeton to law
school, and Vanderdyke studied civil
engineering. Their Intimacy was pret-
ty well broken up, all except Laura's
and vanderdykss. Soon after he grad
uated he was taken into the construc-
ton department of the Central rail-
road by his uncle, who was -presi-
dent, and Laura and lie were married,
AS far as l can learn he had been a
fellow of convivial habits at college,
and about two years after their mar
riage his wife suddenly became aware
Of what had long been we'll known in
Willtston, that Vanderdyke was paying
marked attention to woman named
Miss Lapore in New York
NO sooner had Laura Vanderdyke
learned of this intimacy of her hus-
band" continued Whitney, than she
quietly hired private detectives to
shadow him, and on their evidence she
obtained a divorce. The papers were
sealed, and she resumed her maiden
name.
LAS far as 1 can find out Wander
dyke then disappeared from her life.
He resigned his position with the
railroad and joined a party of engi-
Later he went to Venezuela. Miss La
porte also went to South America
about the same time, and was for a
, time in Venezuela, and later in Peru.
"Vanderdyke seems to have drop
ped all his early associations com
pletely. though at present 1 find he
is back in New York raising capital
for a company to exploit a new as
phalt concession in the interior OF
Venezuela. Miss Laporte has also re-
appeared in New York as Mrs. Raj
ston. with a mining claim in the
mountains of Peru"
And Templeton?" asked Craig
Had he had any previous matri-
| monial ventures"
mo. none. OF course he had had
love affairs, mostly with the country
club set. He had known Miss La
porte pretty we'll. too. while he was
in law school In New York. But when
he settled down to work he seems to
have forgotten all about the girls for
couple of years or so. He was very
anxious to get ahead, and let nothing
stand In his WAY He WAS admitted tn