Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-30
KETTr=am LEMON VERBENA
u II Different Sort Of DetectjUr Story
BY Wallace Irwin.

Gen. well. found that brand new spring
had been put IN recently. / was going to ask
Huntington about that but didn't want to
put him on his guard. So had talk with
Cummings, sort Of roundabout, leading up to
the subject of guns. Cummings said he didn't
think the old thing would 60 on, but he
guessed Huntington had fixed it. Two weeks
ago Cummings had taken the old man to q
gunsnith In Third avenue. And it was Sections
revolver he was having repaired Cummings
saw it."
Anything elseP"
"a lot else Where was Huntington at the
time of the murder2 The coroner says it
occurred about 10. Old Huntington pretends
to be awfully abSent-minded. I questioned him
as much as dared. He said at first that
some one had telephoned to him just as his
master was leaving; the man on the wire said
HuntngtOn'S son was sick somewhere in Brook
lyn. Then he got ratified and said it wasn't
his son. 1t a friend. Where did his friend
live? He couldn't remember the address. He'd
lost the slip Of paper he wrote it on. I'll get
more out of him later. But how's that for q
story? He let the woman IN early in the
evening. Then somebody conveniently tele-
phoned. That, Of course, was q confederate.
What Huntington really did was to sneak back I
and finish the woman"
But what for?"
How do we know what for? The Miles
family and the Well family are Fostering me
with that same question"
But look here, Hec you've got to find the
motive for every crime. You've told me that
lots of times. Don't they even know who the
woman iS?"
Nobody has the slightest idea There wasn't
q mark on any Of her clothes, except a powder
burn where the bullet went in"
wen, she drawled, ct don't see how you can
go ahead unless you find out who she is"
Suppose you find that out" Hector invited
You mean that, darling? You know they
say it takes woman to find out about another
woman"
What do you want to dO?" he asked.
81 want to see her clothes. Then want to
talk to that old valet"
A. the homicide bureau the detective who
opened a locker for Maud and brought out
the fluffy tragic garments had a plying air
which plainly said, "Cheever's amateurs again.
Her eyes were morbidly held by a round
scattering burn in the fragile lace. That would
be where the bullet penetrated the poor body at
close range. What a lovely thing it was, this
creation Of shadowy pink and gauzy silver. The
idea thought Doll, that a lot of men should be
sitting in judgment on o thing so iusively
feminine. Yet it man-made, this dress.
And French. But the label Of the maker had
been ripped out. She lifted the bodice and
shifted appraisingly. Cleaning fluid. Not the
regular kind Suddenly she lost interest in the
fine texture Of undergarments which she took
one by one from their peg Cleaning fluid. She
shifted again. And the lovely Ko-su coat merely
interested her smell.
The same cleaning fluid had been used on
every one of the garments, even the gilt shoes.
Everything but the stockings. Holding them up,
she made a discovery quite as important as the
prevalent scent. They were light tan, not at all
in keeping with the rest of the costume; and
, they were of a cheap imitation silk
Thank you" Doll left the detective gaping.
Amateurs, especially female ones, usually ask a
lot Of useless questions
But her mind was searching searching. That
faint fragrance clnging like half-told secret.
And those pathetically cheap stockings, seeming
to apologize for themselves in such queenly
company. The gift slippers held the prevailing
scent, too Like mingling of lemon verbena
with ether
At the street door Doll ran into Hector look
Ing worried and hurried. II was wrong about
the pistol" he grumbled. Section Well has ad-
mitted that he himself sent the old man to have
the gun repaired Said it's one his father car
ried his ranch and he wanted it put in
order. OF course the police don't believe it.
Gee. 1t looks as If that boy was trying to send
himself to the chair. Oh, hello there
car had stopped by the curb and young
man stepped out That's Section Well,' whis-
pered Hector and ran to greet his client. AS
the two came toward her, Doll had chance to
justify her prejudice in Sections favor. He had
honest blue eyes behind a pair of students spec
tacles; his boyish smile proclaimed his inno-
cence The sight of him redoubled her interest
and she thrilled when Hector introduced
him. THE minute 1 read the paper S. I'd you
didn't do it," she blurted out, because she felt
that an expression of confidence would help.
Thank you" His face lighted up. But
wish all the world felt that way Mrs. Stoat.
Anyway, have some good news for your hus-
band My cousin just got back from Phiadel-
phia and he's shown the police the shelves
ranSacked for those etchings last night. Or
shouldn't be talking like this, Mr.. Stoat?"