New Britain herald., 1927-05-25
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C)l927 BY NEA SEWI1NC

in the very face of Fleming Stone
 That's the type of Carmelita Val.
 don: woman with a serpent's
 soul.'
 The doll. superior specimen of
 French art, did indeed look like
 Carmelita, so much so that it was
 surprising. But it had sly. even
 sinister, expression beneath the
 turing smile. and the exquisite
 features. while fascinating, wore
 those of a wicked. designing na-
 ture.
 Fleming Stone was interested.
 Tt does look like Mrs. Naldon,"
 he declared.
 "Of course it does" Miss Fol- som said scornfully. "My brother was fool about women, or rather, they made fool of him. So when ever he could find a doll who re- minded him of one of his favor { ties he bought it. All of these represent his sweethearts."
 Anastasia was a strange mix ture of scorn for these amours of ! her brother and a staunch loyalty and love for the man himself, whatever he might be.
 Why pick on that doll then?" Tite Riggs said. thoughfully. May be the human prototype of some of these other dolls was the guilty person."
 "No," and Anastasia took his suggestion seriously. You see, know many of these. l don't mean personally, but I happen to know more or less about them. No doll here is the image of person down here. except that one."
 T gave doll to the girl, Myrtle" said Pelton, thoughtfully. She chose 1t herself-said it was Uncle Garry's favorite. Maybe she's the"
 "Oh. nonsense about the dolls" Miss Folsom cried, mpatiently. I'm not using that point to fasten this thing on Carmelita Naldon. ] only say she had the real reason to want Garry out of the way. and she had the nerve and the wicked soul necessary to the deed."
 And tho opportunity" put in Riggs.
 Those things are all required" Stone said, smiling little at the glib repitition of the hackneyed terms, but there are other things to be considered. A murder such as this one we are considering is the result of careful planning and preparation. Your ordinary bather does not carry a sharp knife around in his pocket on the chance of wanting to kill some- body in a hurry. Nor is that sharp knife easily come by or easily car ried about. It means premedita- tion and that means a long time and definite purpose. Now, NIr. Folsom only arrived here the night before, so whoever killed him prepared for it in a hurry. I mean. in a hurry at the last. | insist that the motive existed long before. To me it seems that some one, who had the murder in his heart. was already down here and learned that evening that NIr. Fol som had arrived. That he then laid ms plans and the next morning carried them out with such clever ness that he left no clue"
 "Tho knifc"" said Croydon Sears. who. saying little, was listening 10 Stone.
 "That-and I think 1t was bought at the auction room-was {, a clever dodge. T am not sure It was one of the knives bought [ that night; it may have been bought at any time. or indeed, | brought here from elsewhere. But . it does seem to indicate a lover i or collector of the antique, and that may or may not be a clue. Probably not. for to my mind a collector would use any weapon rather than one of his own curios."
 "Yes." agreed Croydon Sears. T certainly should have done so."
 CHAPTER NL1I
 Stone smiled at him affectionate- ly.
 "I'm excluding Mir. Scars as a possible suspect" he said, "be- cause he didn't do it. But the police are rot so sure of that as am, and so to prove my point must find the real murderer"
 "Who is," Sears appended. the man who bought bundle Of junk at the auction room late in the evening the night before the mur- der"
 And who" Anastasia broke in, bought 1t for Carmelita Naldon. Oh. it wasn't necessary for her to go out and buy it herself. She is l woman who has others to do her work. And I've lis tened to all you've said, Mir. Stone. and it all comes back to her. For who else knew in advance that my brother was coming down here" No one knew it except the Valdon crowd"
 That includes Roger Neville" said Stone, thoughtfully. Has no areath of suspicion been waited his way?"
 "No." Tite Riggs said. Tt hasn't. I've wondered why. but nobody seems to think of him in hat way"
 Certainly not snapped Miss Fol som. Roger Neville is no saint. but le and Garry were intimate friends. They were fond of each other, and. hough they quarrelled now and