Grand Forks herald., 1922-03-04
CHATTER XII.
At the Foot of the Stairs.

d. &1G liz IOOt III tAC oLasiS.
mo, 1t will soon be morning, and
all way of escape blocked. He is
willing to swear that YOU agreed to
permit Alva to drive YOU downtown,
and that you actually departed to-
gether. This charge can perhaps be
answered by the testimony of Krantz,
If he can be got on the witness stand.
as you have told me he accompanied
you on a street car"
(which Is true"
II accept your word. OF course. but
Harris does not, and ! s,nust confess
he has some evidence to create sus-
picion."
You say that
II must, to be perfectly honest. 1
will even confess there have been
you-Alva was undoubtedly killed
with a dagger hatpin, exactly like that
one in your hat there" and l pointed
to it on the dresser.
Her eyes turned that way in an
expression of startled surprise. kill
ed with a hatpin like that of mine?"
! yes, there is no doubt as to the
nature of the weapon. l know more
about that than Harris cven.'
How are you so sure a hatpin Tas
the weapon used? The police repor.s
say nothing ike that.
They do not know: I do. The
truth is, I was the first to discover
the murder. related to you MY
conversation with Harris, after all
others had left the foundry We must
have been there alone for an hour.
When we left we separated. believing
| this to be safe, and I walked down
Cans street alone in the rain Some
blocks below the foundry came upon
| this car, bumped up against the curb
I>and apparently abandoned. The rear
door stood wide open, and 1 looked in
side. and felt about, merely from
| curiosity. Ny fingers touched some
| thing lying on the floor and when
| ! drew it out, and looked at it in the
light of a distant street-lanp. l dis
covered it to be a dagger hatpin, dis
colored with blood"
Like that one there?'
Exactly like it l had seen the
one in your hat. and remembered"
| You thought it must be mine
| That-thatI had murdered him."
Il hardly believe l thought at all
But I investigated the front seat, and
! found Alva's body hanging over the
wheel. with a cash in the back Of hi.
coat sticky with blood. Then knew.
| Knew what?"
e"How the man had been killed.
believed then you were with hin
alone: l had reason to, for I over
heard his invitation. and your answer
! I recognized the weapon as one yo,
! had In your possession. My frs
thought was that it wovld utterly con
denim you II ever found"
| And, even then, you sought to pro
| feet
that?"
Il hardly know; it must have bee,
true enough. scarcely doubted bu
what 1t was your< act-only per
suaded myself that the man must hav,
attacked you, and that you struck i,
self-defense. / would not believe yo,
guilty Of deliberate murder. 1 mean
to give you chance: so l took tn
weapon away with me-"
! She drew long breath.
| No one saw you?"
Not a soul: the street was abso
lvtely deserted. wiped off the blood
and hid the knife In my pocket unit
reached the hotel; then conceale,
it at the bottom of my valise,"
I 1T is still there?"
No; sonthing led Harris to sua
pect l was not Daily. ana he set ou
to investigate. He had my telephon
number, and easily located bot,
hotel and room. Waiting until 1 lei
the key, he entered, and went throur q
the valtse in search Of anything b
| could find. He came upon The daege
hAtpin. remembered that you had tus
such a one in your hat that u.gh1
and instantly Jumped to the conclu
sion, as he had seen the wound. tha
this was the weapon Of murder. ri
believes, we were working torethe,
and this was why had concealed Nh
knife" se - :.
| And you? you believed that ?''
! II believed In you" / said earnes.
~. At first I thought it must b
you; then saw that pin in your ha
again. when knew had or,e ti,s
like 1t hidden at the hotel. This cav
me new hope, until returned on,
discovered my valise slit open. an,
who would do such an actor ha,
to destroy evidence. '.
Then later. when that was cleare,
up BY Harris acknowledging that h
wa the one who got the pin, I toll,
him ABOUT your having your own d
your nat At Perond's. He only laughed
and said You were smart enough +
buy another, as soon as the first M
found missing; that doubtless thar,
were plenty to be had"
He's right; there are. AT 1ea.t
know OF one shop on lower Broad m,
where they are for sale" She stonnr,
suddenly. with a peculiar sestnrc
WAY. now ] think of II, Sarah Wal