The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-06-06
RIVAL WIVES Es; ::;;;;:

back to life, just so she could be
hanged She married gay young
dog of Is when she was 40. Two
years later she knows that he's 60
ing to kick over the traces; he left
her. you know. and she brought him
back by playing paralyzed.
she wanted him around, no mat
ter how she held him, and she
figured he'd stick if he thought she
might die any time Then after
three years of pretended invalidism,
she has the bad luck to draw a
pretty nurse that Andrew Ward goes
crazy about. He's pretty careful at
first, of course, but one day the old
lady sees him making love to the
girl, and she has an awful row with
him about it, He admits that he's
in love with the girl, and the old
woman won't believe him when he
tells her that the girl can't see him
at all. Mrs. Ward goes off her
head"
Hold on" Morgan commanded.
isn't the old danes motive for
suicide pretty weak? Why not
zimply fire the nurse and"
And see her husband walk out
of the house the same day?" Nan
scoffed. Don't you see? Mrs. Ward
honestly thought that the nurse and
andrew we're in love with each
rther, that no matter if she fired
the nurse Andy would simply wait
until his paralyzed old wife kicked
the bucket to marry Lois? Imagine
how Mrs. Ward felt-old, just as
much condemned to invalidisrn as
if she we're really paraly5ed, because
she would be too proud to admit
that she'd been shamming: jealous
to the point of numbering Lois
Downs. She didn't have a lot to
live for, did she? Maybe I'll end
up by being sorry for the old lady
yeti"
II think can understand her
motive for committing suicide,
Morgan said slowly and with such
significance that Mans heart. thud-
ded with fear. Then he added, as
if obliquely giving hr reinsurance:
Il suppose questioned your the
orv because it has always been hard
for me to excuse the weakness Of
suicide-the easiest way out Of trou-
BILE"
ATAN carefully kept exultation out
II of her voice. ME, too" she
agreed. But there's nothing to
show that Mrs. Ward was a nice
old woman, and I believe she did
commit suicide. with the deliberate
intention of making it look as If
Lois Downs had murdered her.
Lois sleeps in the adjoining
bedroom, with her door closed. The
old lady has never kept her night
nurse in the room with her. It's
my opinion that Mrs. Ward
sneaked a good many chances to
walk, but however that may be,
her determination lent her energy.
"She gets up about l o'clock,
long after Lois has gone to bed
and probably to sleep, creeps into
the bathroom, opens the medicine
cabinet, leaving a nice set OF finger
prints, thank heaven; heSitates be-
tween bichloride of mercury and
the strychine which is given her
in very small doses as heart
stimulant; decides against the BIZ
chloride of mercury after touching
the battle; takes big quantity OF
strychnine, also a bromide tablet
that she could have to make her
sleep, merely by asking the nurse
for it, and then, taking a glass, fills
it with water, creeps back to her
bed, disSolves the bromide tablet in
the water and drains it along with
the strychnine, to make it look as
if the nurse had given her the
whole dose"
''And remembers just in time that
the nurses flngerprints probably
are not on the clean glass left in the
bathroom by the maid. and wipes
it so that there will be no finger
prints at all on it." Morgan con-
trimuted, nodding slowly. She prob
ably figured also that that would be
just one more black mark against
the nurse-that it would look like a
clumsy attempt on Lois part to de-
stroy evidence. Well, my dear
Holmes" he smiled, almost naturally
at Nan, I'm going to risk making
a fool of myself by asking the court
in the morning for permission to ex-
hume the body and take the old
lady's f1ngerprints. Your beautiful
theory stands or falls on what we'll
find out then"
But you do you think my
bunch was a good one?" Nan in
sisted, as he rose and knocked the
ashes from his pipe into her empty
metal wastepaper basket.
Nan" John Curtis Morgan said
huskily. laying his hands on her
shoulders" you had two good
lunches tonight, my dear. I-can't
thank you. But think you know
what you've done for me tonight.
Good night, junior partner.
See you in the morning"
She knew he meant those last
words as a solemn promise to herself
and as a challenge to his own cour-
age.
I'll be here" Nan answered I'M
steadily, but smiling through her
tears.
When he was gone. she gibed at
herself: 80 this is how I resign
I,ccn1.rc In, IL, Io-.o mil, o u, Ri I'd