The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1926-04-06

the door of 81, the room that
contained Glendenning' body un.
til the coroner would come for 1t
in the morning. The window cur
tains were up and moonlight
streamed in, laying metallic OBJ
longs on the carpet. One OF these
fell partly across the bed, and lit
up the head and shoulders OF
Glendenning, rising above the
sheet which covered him.
what a clean-cut, Nordic pro-
file he had, DIR. Cressy thought.
How blond and handsome and
typically English this fiance of
Kathleen Crittenden. He must
have looked most distinguished in
any company. Yet all this, the
doctor qualified, a. he looked
closer into the face, was some
thing that had come down to him;
q race inheritance. In his face
there was something else-he
could hardly define it--something
that was. not good; a sort OF de-
generation OF the type in the indi-
vidual. He pulled himself up
short. He had not come here to
analyze the character Of the dead
man by the light of the moon,
but for a very different reason.
He started back toward the door
to turn on the light; the electric
button, he remembered, was near
the door
Some Stranger
He had taken only few steps
when he heard the knob of the
door begin to turn very slowly
and softly. Had 1t not turned with
such stealthliness, he would never
have done what he did-press
himself instinctively back into the
black shadow between the angle
of a high wardrobe and the wall.
The door opened slowly and
some one, stepping with catltke
softness, entered. That part OF
the room near the door was in
darkness and the doctor could not
see for the moment whether this
strange 2 o'clock visitant OF the
dead was man or woman. Then
the figure passed through a patch
OF moonlight. 1t was a woman
"a girl-her dressing gown held
around her with one hand. her
bare feet. in little heelless slip
pers, sliding silently, cautiously
over the carpet. Kathleen! His
heart gave a pound in his throat.
The girl stopped by the bed. Her
head turned toward the face Of
the still figure and for the first
time DIR. Cressy caught Its oval,
framed in bright halo of short.
bobbed hair. His heart gave an
other pound. Not Kathleen! Some
stranger!
She put her hands up before
her face; then as II slowly bend
ing down under the force of some
invisible hand on her shoulder.
she sank to her knees beside the
bed. DIR. Greasy caught the vi
brating line Of her bright. bent
head in the moonlight; he heard
the caught-back, smothered breath
lessness Of her bitter aobbing. She
was whispering something over
and over again, the words choked
between gusts of sobs. He tried
to lean closer without getting out
of the shadow. He must hear
those words. But it was not for
several moments-until his ears
became accustomed to her low.
broken syllahles-that he caught
them distinctly. The girl was
whispering in the middle Of the
night beside this murdered body:
"Oh, why did ! do itH Oh. why
why did / do it? Why?"
The regular. heavy. monoto-
nous footsteps Of the house de-
tective sounded along the hau.
The girl leaped up terrified and
crouched back into the shadows
against the wall. She was almost
directly opposite the doctor.
The house detective looked cas-
ually in, then closed the door OF
812, which was slightly ajar.
His passing footsteps sounded,
dull. monotonous, receding.
The girl came out Of the ghad.
ow and stood in the square Of
moonlight a moment poised like
dryad, her dressing gown
caught up In her hand. Then
she swiftly and silently crossed
the room, the streaks Of moon
light washing up around her
bare ankles like water. He could
no longer see her. but he could
hear her Open the door with In