The Ely miner., 1930-02-21


Johns room, shut the door In Sans
face, and pushed the new bolt into Its
slot.
John gas lying face down on the
bed.
l went and sat on the bed beside
him and put an arm around his
shoulders.
"Mary?" he questioned.
"Yes. There, there now, John dear.
Try to brace up"
"You don't knowr
"Yes, | do know, dear. know Just
what you KNOW"
"My Cod" he groaned. '"It Is GER
tain, then? | still had little hope.
III can't keep on with life. not after
this. When think Of these last
weeks L I'm filthy. | tell you"
"John, DEAR" | tried to comfort.
"You didn't know-you couldn't. You
aren't to blame. You are young"
| knew that | had no comfort for
agony such as his. but | could not
bear to leave him; so stayed. hoping,
as | suppose foolish women have al.
ways hoped, that just plain. quiet Low.
ing him might help little.
After q minute or two. he said,
"Mary-if you don't mind, 1--we got
to fight this out alone"
went to my own room and lay
on the bed was mortal tired from
sorrow, and the hurt In my heart for
John was sharp as neuralgia pain.
but my mind went working right
along, independent of my feelings;
straight on, like phonograph, If
somebody had started 1t, might keep
right on grinding out a tune while
the ship that It was on was sinking.
When Miss Macdonald came up.
bringing me some dinner. which
couldn't touch, | said to her: "It
seems true, but | know that It can't
be. 1t is too impossible. mean
too far fetched"
mot bit of It." she said "The
only impossible thing about it Is the
length of time L has taken us to
discover It OF course-forgive me,
Mrs. Magin, was almost on the trail
once, had at least started In the
right direction, and then you threw
me completely Off"
Tl How?"
She smiled at me. "By seeing some
thing which you did not see. But
you are not In the least to blame for
that The fault Is all mine"
She went and shut my transom.
She looked through my cloChes closet.
She looked under my bed, saying, as
she did so, "The proverbial practice
of old maids, you know" She came
and sat close beside me, snow
then =" she said.
Listen. Bit by bit 1t works into
the whole, like picture puzzle-each
segment slipping right into place.
There is just one hole in it all and
think your Danny's kindness and un.
selfishness will supply that neces-
sary bit"
She began then-to use her own
way of saying ito put together the
pieces of the puzzle. She was right.
Bit by bit it fitted together. Almost
at once she came to the place that
she had called hole.
There is no hole there" told her.
"Under those circumstances, Danny
would have been just sweet, and un-
selfish, and foolish enough to have
done that very thing. She did 1t.
That was why she was worried and
unhappy, all that day."
"Im sure of it. Now then :"
She went on: Danny's calling after
Gaby that day-easy to understand
now, of course. and leading straight to
Chad's suicide and confessional note
Gaby's fear; Martha's murder: Sans
ashes on the bag; Gabys note to
Danny; each one fitting right into
place, until spread In front of me was
one of the most hideous pictures that
any human being has ever been forced
to look at In all my experience
have never Investigated another mur-
der case where the thing was so
cruelty, vilely premeditated: so wick.
edly, cunningly carried out II this
is true, 1t will be, also. the first time
that l have found really brilliant
mind belonging to fiend."
"If 1t Is true! echoed. "But IT is
proven. You have just proven 1t all
to me-"
She shook her head. "We have a
seemingly perfect fabric made up.
wholly, of circumstantial evidence.
A. cot ~uo hayo nofb;no aIea Noxx, I
have question to ask you. It will
seem to you that ! should have asked
you this at least week ago. did
not, because | was certain that, un-
less | shared all of my suspicious
with you, your answer would be ex-
actly the answer that you gave me
before. Now, thinking as you think.
want a very careful answer to this
question"
When she had asked It, | refused
my first impulse to answer 1t, at once.
and sat thinking carefully for several
minutes. The answer that was
forced to give. then. made me sick
with shame.
"No," said, 81 didn't. I thought,
honestly. that | did. But now | know
that | didn't That-that," knew !
was chattering 1t, puts Canneziano's
murder right at my door"
Nonsense" she folded one of my
trembling hands into her steady,
capable hands. "We can't 20 pokine
about like that, into the machinery of
fate, and stay sane. The blame In
this case is entirely fr me. But. If
had not allowed myself to be misled