Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1930-12-28

District Attorney Sanderson's keen
delight in her work.
bill Sanderson Is q nice boy"
the woman Of perhaps IS said OF
Hamilton's 35-year-old district at
torney. 1T Is nice for Penny to
work with an old friend Of the fam
lily. or was-until-"
And that was the nearest she
came to mentioning the murder be-
fore Penny summoned them to the
little dining room.
Because Penny was watching him
and vas obviously proud Of her
skill as a cook-skill recently ac-
CURED. he was sure-Dundee ate as
heartily as his carefully concealed
depression would permit. There was
a beautifully Drowned roast OF beef,
pan-browned potatoes, new peas, es-
callopcd tomatoes. and, for dessert,
a gelatine pudding which Penny
proudly announced was Spanish
cream the secret OF which she had
mastered only that morning.
i was UP almost at dawn to make
it, so that 1t would set In time
she told him. Dundee knew that il
was not Spanish cream that had got
her I'D.
I'm going to help wash Dishes
he announced firmly. and Penny
with a quick intake of breath agreed
Hadn't you better take a nap
Mother?" she added a minute later
IS Mrs. Grain, with a slight flush or
her faded cheeks, began TO stack the
dessert dishes. You mustn't lay a
hand on those dishes, or Bonnie and
7 will have our dShwashing picnic
spoiled 49,. Run along now. You
need sleep dear"
Not any more than you do, poor
babyi" Mrs. Grain quavered and
then hurried out Of the room.
Il called you Bonnie so Mother
would know w are really friends
Penny explained. her cheeks red. a!
she preceded him through the swing.
ing door into the miniature kitchen
You'll stick to that 80 being
friends, I mean, no matter what
happens, won't you, Penny?" Dun
dee said in a low voice, setting the
fragile crystal dishes he carried
upon the porcelain drainboard oil
the sink.
II knew you had something bad
TO tel me ....It's about-Ralph. ]
suppose?' Her husky voice was
scarcely audible above the rush Of
hot water into the dishpan. YOU'D
better tell me straight off. Bonnie
I'm not a very patient person..
Are they going to arrest Ralph
when they find him7 There wasn'i
a word in the paper about him this
morning"
I'm afraid they are. Penny
Dundee told her miserablv. Gap
tain Strawn has a warrant ready
but of course"
"Oh, you don't have TO tell me
you hope Ralph isn't guilty." she
cut in with sudden passionate
vehemence. Don't I know he
couldn't have done tip They always
arrest the wrong person first, the
laundering idiots
It was the thorny Penny again
the Penny with ~glittering eyes
which matched her nickname. But
Dundee felt better able to cope
with this Penny.
I'm afraid I'm the chief IDIOT
but you must believe that I'm
sorry that IL should be a friend OF
yours" he told her. and reached
for the plate she had rinsed OF It's
suds under the hot water tap.
Shoot the works." she COM
manded. with hard flippancy. "Ot
course I might have known that
Captain Strawn's theory about
gunman was just dust In our eyes
and that only q miracle could keer
you from fastening on poor Ralph
since he and the gun are both
missing. Naturally 1t wouldn't
occur 10 you that 1t might be ar
outsider, someone who had fol.
lowed Nita and her lover, Sprague
from New York, to kill her fol
having left him for Sprague....
oh, mol Certainly notl" she gibed
to keep from bursting into tears.
An outsider would hardly have
access to Judge Msrshalls pistol
and Maxim silencer." he reminded
her. And Captain Strawn received
q wire from a ballistics expert ir
Chicago this morning, confirming
our conviction that the same CUR
which fired the bullets against
Judge Marshall's target fired the
bullet which killed Mia Selim..
You've washed that plate Ions
enough. Let me dry il now. AND
there are other things, Penny
such as" she challenged.
"Sprague admitted TO me thi,
morning. after I had confronted
him with proofs, that he some.
times slept in the upstairs rooms
I" told you they were loversl'
Penny interrupted.
and that he slept there Fri,
day night, after ne and Nita haS
quarreled. He still contends tina
the row was over that m~ovie-of'
Hamilton business" Dundee wen
on. as II she had not spoken. IL
admitted also that Mia had toll
him 10 take his things away whel
he left Saturday morning. put n