The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-12-18
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE (Cpn-
tinued)


tinued.)
'Nita thought enough of Dexter
oprague to send for him to come
down here, and to root her head off
for him to get the job of making
the movie" Penny reminded him
iiercely, making a great splashing
in the dishpan.
"Then-you don't think she was
IN love with Raiph?" Dundee asked.
ooh, I don't know" the girl
cried. Il thought so sometimes
had the grace to hope so, anyway,
since Ralph was so crazy about
her"
That's the point, Penny" Dun
dee told her gently. Every one
I've talked to this morning, includ-
ing Spragde, seems sure that
Ralph Hamilton was mad about
Mia Selim."
so of course he would kill her.!
Penny scoffed bitterly.
yes, Penny-when he discovered
Sprague's easily recognized cravats
draped over the mirror frame in q
bedroom in Nita's house. Fol-
they were there to be seen when
Ralph went into that bedroom yes
terday morning"
How do you know he saw
them?"
Because he left this behind
him." Dundee admitted reluctantly
and wiped his hands before draw
ing an initiated silver pencil from
his breast pocket. II found it under
the edge of the bed. The initials
are r. H."
yes, I recognize it," Penny adj
mitted, turning sharply away. j
gave it to him myself, for Christ
mas present. 1 thought could af-
ford to give silver pencils away
then.
Dad hadn't bolted yet" She
crooked an elbow and leaned her
face against it for a moment. Then
she flung up her brown bobbed head
defiantly. "Well?"
Ralph must have been-well, in
a pretty bad way, since he loved
Nita and wanted to-marry her, =
Dundee persisted painfully. Re
member that Polly Beale found him
still there when she stopped to
offer Nita q lift to Breakaway inn
1T is not hard to imagine what
took place. We know that Polly
CURLY Cancelled her luncheon en-
gage11ent with Nita and the rest
of you, and went into town with
Ralph, after making sure that Give
would join them.
Il saw young Hammond myself
for an instant, without knowing who
he was, and remember now think
ing that he looked far too i'll to
eat. I was lunching at the Stuart
house myself when they came into
the dining room, you know"
Plenty to hang him on, see!
Penny cried furiouSly.
There's a little more, Penny,
Dundee went on. Polly Beale ano
Give Hammond were mortally
afraid that Ralph would come to
the cocktail partyl I'm sure Give
made Ralph promise to stay away
and that both Give and Polly did
not trust him to keep his promise
That is why, I am sure, Give
beckoned Polly to join him in the
solarium, without entering the liv-
ing room to speak to Nita. You
'emember they said they stayed
here all during the playing Of
IF you call it the death hand
Il again, I'll screaml"
All right. :. They stayed there
until Karen discovered the murder
I am sure they chose that place be-
cause of its many windows-they
could watch for Ralph's car, dash
out and head him Off
Take him away by force if neces-
slry, to keep him from making a
scene, was their intention. I believe
they knew he had murder in his
heart, and that he would find way
to get a gun"
Have you also found out that
he stole Hugo's gun yesterday"
Il have found that 1t was possible