New Britain herald., 1927-05-26

ways cruel to . woman"
 l. "Oh. what . sweeping asser
 ton! And what an untrue one
 Surely you don't mean that-yor
 with the world at your feet - wit,
 all the gifts nature can bestow-"
 ''Never mind that sort of talk
 And 1t is we who have-as 70,
 say-naturet gifts. looks. charm
 power. all the feminine arts. wh,
 oftenest get cruel blows iron
 Fate, that are none tho less terri ble because unknown to the world at large"
 Without appearing to do 70 Stone scrutinized her keenly. Eth. CT this woman was all Miss Folsom had painted her. and she was de. liberately setting out to fascinate him, or Pelton was right and she was troubled, but not by reason of guilty conscience regarding Fol- scm's murder"
 T think. Mrs. Valdon," he said gently, it would be better if we talked plainly. You know, I dare gay, that I am down hero to inves- tigate the death of Garrett Fol- som. There are reasons why should ask you some questions and I have chosen this way to do it. thinking 1t would be the least an- noying to you"
 Carmelita thanked him with one of her best smiles.
 You are sood." she said. with a ring of sincerity in her tone. Let us talk plainly then. In the first place, I did not kill MT. Fol- son."
 But you arc glad he is dead" Stone said quietly.
 She gave him a startled glance.
 T hate to put 1t 50 baldly." she said, as If thinking this over. but we'll, I am not really sorry. Or. to come nearer the truth, I'm glad only for one reason. Otherwise | wish the man were still alive"
 You're glad he's dead because that gave you opportunity to re- trieve your letters which he held"
 You must have been told that" she said. looking straight at him, land nobody could have told you but Dan Pelton. Yes. did get my letters back. and I never could have done that so long as Garrett Folsom was alive"
 And 50 you are suspected. in some quarters, Of having killed him in order to accomplish that end"
 Some quarters. meaning his sis- ter, I suppose. Does any one else suspect me, Mir. Stone?"
 That I don't know. But 1t would not be out of the question for Miss Folsom to spread such suspicion.i
 T know 1t wouldn't She hates mo. wonder why"
 Partly because you two are 50 diametrically opposed in character and type and partly because she really thinks you killed her brother.'
 My dear Mir. Stone, I couldn't kill anybody. I really couldn't. Miss Folsom might: she's the killer sort. But I'm not"
 That's no argument. Mrs. Val don. To kill a man one doesn't have to perform the actual deed oneself"
 Fleming Stone had dropped his charming manner. and now he spoke with the steely. low, hard voice that had so often struck ter- TOT to the heart of a wrongdoer.
 "Oh!" Carmelita gave a little gasp. You mean"
 That some one else could have done it-at your bidding. Who was the man with the white mus tachs?"
 At once Stone saw he had drawn blank.
 Purposely he had sprung this question suddenly feeling sure he could tell by her reaction whether she knew of the man or not.
 Clearly she did not. For her un- oomprehending look and her sur prised voice were 50 indubitably sincere that the detective was forced to believe her.
 "The man with the white mus tache? I've not the slightest idea. But he most certainly was no agent of mine: And I tell you Mir. Stone. I had no hand in Garrett Fol som's death. Either directly or in- directly"
 But as soon as he was dead you hastened to get your letters?"
 T did indeed! And hard time I had of it.! I subsidized servants: I begged keys from friends: I tried every way I could think of and I finally got them. Now they are burned up. and if the police accuse me of murder because of it they will have to prove it. But they can't get the letters!"
 Her smile Of triumph went fur ther toward convincing Stone of her innocence. regarding the mur- der than any asseverations could have done. To his mind 1t was clear that she was so anxious to get her letters and 50 relieved at having got them that the thought of a moro serious accusation had not yet sunk very deeply into her mind. And this. of course. for the reason that she had no guilty of the crime itself.
 "The letters were so very i'm portant them" he asked. casually.
 Important to me because of their disclosure of some facts in my past life which I wish kept se- cret. Facts which would be of small interest to the general pub lie but which were of enough i'm. portance to give Garrett Folsom a hold over me that he never let mo forget. Now they are destroyed.