New Britain herald., 1929-03-04
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sorry for the kid - after hearilg g Borden bawl him out and fire him." Did he fire the boy now?" Min nie asked, with bland innocence, so that the trap. if such it was, which McMann had laid for her. failed to spring.
 McMann did not answer, but opened up a new line with his next question. You say you wiped off the window sills, Minnie? And closed the windows. I suppose, as your duty requires you to do?" Sure I wiped off the window sills. inside and out. and the win- dow frames, too. ain't a stacker,
 even if l am gettin' old and rheu- l matic. But I didn't shut the win dows The two front ones, looking out on the street. was already | closed, or the draft would have
 blowed the poor man away. That
 with the window open on the air shaft. like it was. l did pull it down ] 10 wipe it clean. but MT. Borden
 told me to push it up again. He 1 said he'd shut it when he left a, 1 two"
 The last vestige of hope Ruth had unreasoningly nourished that the "'ndoW had not been closed until after Borden had been killed died then. Of course she had known all along that it was foolish to enter lam that hope. in view of the in controvertible evidence of the pig cons footprints in blood both in. side and outside the airshaft win
 dow. But weak though it was. it had been hope. and the girl stared with unconcealed misery at the garrulous old woman who had slain it.
 You pushed up the window after you had wiped it clean, I suppose 2" McMann asked. and Ruth knew he had in mind the fact that Ferber, the fingerprint expert, had found no prints at all upon the window frame.
 "Of course I did" Minnie re- torted.
 Do you wear rubber gloves while cleaning?" McMann suggested.
 Minnie cackled her derision What does an old woman like me care about her hands? Not that some of the girls ain't finicky- scared furniture polish and yellow soap will rough up their precious
 hands, but not Minnie Cassidy" and she spread her pitiful old hands on her lap. regarding them with curious satisfaction, even the Nand with the mutilated forefinger. whose stubby print was now part Of Ferber's sinister collection.
 That's the spirit, Minnie!" Mo Mann grinned. Now, did anything | else happen when you were clean ing in here Saturday afternoon !? Any visitors or telephone calls?" Well. there was a phone call while Mir. Borden-peace to Is soul, poor man.-was out-'
 Out? He left the office while you were here?" McMann demand ed.
 That he did" Minnie answered unperturbed. Stepped down the hall to the iavatory. He asked me to stay till he got back, as he didn't
 have key and didn't want the coor left unlocked. He'd scarcely closed the door behind him before the telephone rung. and l answered it, sos l could tell the party he'd be night back. Which did. and the lady said she'd hold the line-'
 50 it was woman calling, was il ?" McMann interrupted sharply. Did you ask her name?"
 Now, Tommy McMann, I'm sur prised at ye." Minnie reproved him severely. "As if it was any of my business! l jist said it was MT Borden's office, and No, ma'am. he ain't in right now. but he's jist stepped down the hall and will be hack in a minute and she said. Then I'll hold the wire. thank you. as sweet and ladylike as you please"