New Britain herald., 1927-11-08

position as MT, Benson's house. keeper because she was his sec retry?"
 She looked up, bitter expression in ner eyes.
 "Yes sir--I did. She told me the kind of man he was; and he often made her come to the house here in the evenings to do extra work"
 And you wanted to be here to protect her."
 "Yes, sir--that was it."
 "Why were you so worried the morning after the murder, when Mr. Markham here asked you if MT. Benson kept any firearms around the house?"
 The woman shifted her gaze.
 'I-wasnt worried
 "Yes, you were, Mrs. Platz. And I'll tell you why. You were afraid we might think Miss Hoffman shot him."
 "Oh, no, sir, I wasn't" she cried. My girl wasn't even here that night - I swear it, she wasn't here. ..s
 She was badly shaken: the ner- vouS tension of 8 week had. snapped, and she looked helplessly about her.
 Come, come, Mrs. Platz," plead ed Vance consolingly. "No one be- lieveo for a moment that. Miss Hoff- man had a hand in MT. Benson's death."
 The woman peered searchingly into his face. At first she was loath 10 believe him,-it was evident that fear had long been preying on her mind,-and it took him fully quarter of an hour to convince her that what he had sad was true. When finally, we left the house she was in a comparatively peaceful state of mind.
 On our way to the Stuyvesant Club Markham was silent, com pletely ongrossed with his thoughts It was evident that the new facts cduced by the interview with Mrs. platz troubled him considerably.
 eilltc Cttt SIlohlIlS bl NdlilIly, turning his head now and then to inspect the buildings we passed.
 We drove east through Forty eighth street, and when we came abreast of the New York Bible Society House he ordered the chauf- feur 10 stop, and insisted that we admire it.
 Christianity he remarked, has almost yindicatcd itself by its architecture alone. With few ex- captions, the only buildings in this city that are not eyesores are the churches and their allied struc- lures.
 The American aesthetic credo is; Nhatever's big is beautiful. | These depressin' gargantuan boxes with rectangular holes in 'em, which are called skyscrapers, are Norshipped by Americans simply because they're huge. A box with 40 rows of holes is twice as beau tiful as a box with 20 rows Simple | formula, what? Look at this little fiVe-story affair across the street. It's infinitely lovelier-and | more impressive, too than any l skysCraper in the city. 1 Vance referred but once to the crime during our ride to the club, and then only indirectly.
 Kind hearts, V know, Markham, ] arc more than coronets I've done , q good decd today, and I feel pos lively virtuous. Frau Platz will sleep much better tonight. She has been frightfully upset about little Gretchen. Shes a doughty ouI soul; motherly and all that. And she couldn't bear to think of the future Lady We're de We're being suspected. Wonder why she worried so?' And he gave Mark ham sly look.
 Nothing further was said until after dinner, which We ate in the Roof Garden. We had pushed back our chairs, and sat looking out over the tree-tops of Madison Square.
 Nov, Markham.' said Vance, give over all prcludlceS, and con- sider the situation judiciously-as you lawyers euphemistically put it. To begin with. we now know why Mrs. Platz was so worried at your question regarding firearms, and why she was upset by my ref crence to her personal int'rest in BenSon's tea companion. So. those two mysteries are elim'n mated. ."
 How did you find out about her relation to the Girl?' interjected Markham.
 "'1 was my oglhg did it." Vance gave him reproving look. You recall that l 'ogled' the young lady at our first meeting,-but l forgive you. And you remember our little discussion about cranial idiosyncrasies?
 Miss Hoffman, noticed at once possessed all the physical forma- tons of Benson's housekeeper. She