The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-10
CHAPTER 13 A Cn1A

Lock here, Esther" said Old Salt to his wife, that's mighty curious case over at Waring's,"
 "Hew yeu do talkl I should think that to yeu and me, knowing ana loving John Waring as We did, yeua have nc deings with the curious part of ltl As for me, i don't care whe killed him, He's dead, isn't he7 It can't bring him back te life to hang his murderer. And to my mind It's evideneing-er whatever they call it When dc they suspect nows Your
 Adams looked at his wife with s mild reproaeh, "Woman all overi No sense of justice, nc righteous indig- nation, Don't you know the murder CT must be found and punishedf That Is if 1t was a murder"
 "of course 1t was That blessed man never killed hlmselfl And he about to marry Emily BateS-a iaoJ' If ever there was onef
 Well, now you listen to me, Ns- ther, and what ever you do, don't [ Ro babblinG abott this They say the Jap, who vamoosed from the Waring house, made line of foot tracks in the snow. The snow, crusted over, you know, and those footprints are about as clear now as when they were made"
 Huh, footprlnts! Corinth Is full of footprints"
 "Yes, but these-listen, Esther these lead straight from the Waring house over to this house. And back again"
 How can they?' Mrs. Adams look ed mystified. That Japanese didn't come over here"
 You can't say that he didn't. And, look here, Esther, where's MISS Aus i,, hat
 Miss Austin? She's in her room. She hasn't been quite up to the mark for day or two, and she's had her meals upstairs.
 whats the matter with herT'
 "A slight cold, ahe says. can't make her out, Salt. Whats she ooin8 here, anyway?''
 Don't poster her, my dear. How you and Bascom do love to pick at that girl, Why does she have to do
 It's ateer, though. And I hate mystery"
 well, she Is one-I grant you that: Have you told her about Dr. Waring! :! Though I daresay it wouldn't inter est her"
 And I daresay 1t wouldl Why. that girl cut his picture out of the paper, and she did have one stuck up on her dresser, till l looked at 1t sort of sharp like, and she put 1t away
 Poor child! Can't even have a newspaper clipping, if she want IL! You're a tyrant' Esther! l1Sa +hat~ DD" SoU The good-natured smile that pass ad hetween them proved the unllken- hood of this, and Old Salt went on. T wish you'd tell her, wife. about the tragedy. Seems like she ought to know" ..1,,, tail her. as a matter of course, but l don't know why you're so anxious
 Good morning, Miss Austin" the good lady said, soon after. 6etter this morning? l. .,-
 "Yes, thank you. My colo AS AA most entirely well"
 The girl was sitting by the w1noow in an easy chair. She had on a Jap anese dressing gown Of quilted SIX embroidered with chrysanthemums, and listlessly gazing out across the snow-covered field opposite.
 The Adams house was on the out skirts of the little town, and sep arated by a wide field from the War ing place ing?" Mrs. Adams said in casual tone, but watching the girl closely.
 'No. What Is tt?''
  voice steady, but Miss Austin's hands clutched the arms of the chair and her face turned perfectly white.
 Why, what ails you? You don't know the man, do you?'
 TT heard him lecture, you know. Tell me-what is the-the news? ?"
 "He's dead.'' Mrs. Adams spoke bluntly on purpose. She had felt in a vague way that this strange per son, this Miss Mystery, had more in- terest in pr. Waring than she ad- mitted, and the landlady was deter mined to find out.
 To her own satisfaction she did find out. for the girl almost fainted. She didn't quite lose consciousness, indeed, it was not so much a faint as such a desperate effort to regain her boise that it unnerved her.
 Now. now. Miss Austin. why do you take 1t so hard? He was a stranger to you, wasn't he?"
 "Yes-yese. of course he was."
 Why are you so disturbed, then?" He was such a-such a fine man the girls stifled sobs im- peded her speech.
 Well, somebody killed him.
 At that Miss Austin seemed turned