Evening star., 1928-11-04
THE 1'ULE
MARSH MURDER
By
NANCY
BARR
MAVITY
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Copyright. 1928. BY Bell Syndicate. Inc

! doomsday and I'll say the same You
got that hair by hook or by crook, but
how can you prove that it belonged TO
Miss O'Shay? Answer me that"
"A good point" DR.. Cavanaugh con-
ceded, blandly. But If the hair which
took from your dress does not con-
meet you with Miss O'Shay. it does
connect you with the woman +Jund,
supposedly murdered, in the tule
marsh. Things might be rather un-
comfortable for you if you refuse to
admit that the hair is hers"
Mrs. Kane's mouth opened, closed
closer again with click, and f1nal1c
reopened.
Anybody that thinks I'd harm Miss
O'Shay is fool she muttered. "All
you policemen are fools, anyway"
Not necessarily" DR.. Cavanaugh
argued, c1eerfully. But I'm not po-
liceman. Let us suppose that you have
Miss O'Shay's best interests at heart
that you believed you were best pro-
tecting her by refusing to tell any OF
her affairs to outsiders. In the cir
cumstances, 1 still think you made
mistake in Judgment. The police are
bound to find out-or. at least, to try
to find out. And in trying they may
uncover-all sorts of things"
Mrs. Kane, who had stood rigidly
erect, sat down very suddenly il the
chair by the table, as if scaffolding
under her voluminouS garments had
collapsed She had had a sleepless
night. and. despite her determination,
she looked badgered and perturbed. The
doctor made no move to go to her as
sistance, but continued to look across
at her with steady. placid gaze. He
didn't fuss: he didn't shout at her and
point his finger; he didn't put words
into her mouth and demand, Isn't
that so?' He seemed to have some
sense Why not tell him-a little, any
how? Enough to get those questioning
men away from her-those men to
whom she would not talk, though the"
kept at her for year!
They'd better have left things alone"
she protested. sulkily. What good does
it DO to rake everything up? If that
was Miss O'Shay who was found in the
marsh. you can bet there was some
scandal back of it. There always was"
she added bitterly. and followed her
words with vehement click, like the
swapping spring of trap.
still" the doctor suggested. tram
GULLY: some scandals are worse than
others"
4 SUPPOSE they are" Mrs. Kane ad-
mitted grudgingly.
The doctor continued to gaze serenely
into space Peter was scrlbbllng lnde-
cipherable notes on a sheet Of copy
paper held under the table. The heavy
breathing of the matron, who was in
dulging in what she euphemistically
called a "cat nap" in the corner. was
the only audible sound in the room.
Mrs. Kane also closed her ey for
a moment, but when she opened them
they were alert, with the sharp CLINT
"I'n tell you this. If you want to
know" she said acridly, Though l never
thought as I'd live to tell 1t to a single
soul. That whipper- Mr.. ELS
worth. didn't want to marry Miss
O'Shay. He was wild about her at
first-and he wasn't the only man who
was that. I'm telling you-and then he
cooled off and wanted to back out. They
had a terrible fight. But anybody that
gets into a fight with Miss O'Shay
knows he's been in real scrap. He
flung out and said he never wanted
to see her again. And then she went
to a lawyer, she did. and drew up the
incest little breach-of- promise suit you
ever saw. You bet she'd got 1t all down
in writing, too, and had kept the let.
te-s. 1t took just one good look at
that legal document ana the eVluenCc
to bring him round. She kept the
papers, just to remind him if he ever
got funny, and they're in the wall safe
in her bedroom to this day. If you're
looking for one person that wouldn't be
too displeased to have Miss O'Shay out
of the way, 1t strikes me you'd better
page Mr.. Don Ellsworth"
Swishing her long skirts, Mrs. Kane
rose to her feet, with what could only
be described as fiounce.
Thanks" said DR.. Cavanaugh, quite
unrufied by this outburst. "I'll do that.
I am sure that your information Will
prove extremely valuable
Peter had also risen to his feet. There
wasn't a chance in hundred he told
himself, but you never could tell till
you tried.
by the way, Mrs. Kane" he said.
spe aking for the first time; I've
camera man waiting outside the door.
I'm newspaper man, and you know
We always have to have attractive pic
lures to go with our stories So long
as this case is in the papers, anyhow,