The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-12-11

borrow money to pay doctor and
hospital bills. Had borrowed it or
"gold-dug" it. And in May
she had been rich enough to have
$4,000 to investI
Lydia, you never forgave Nita
Selim for running your life as well
as your facel" Dundee charged her
suddenly.
You're liar" she cried pas
sionately. Il know what I feltl It's
my face and my life, amt 1t? I tell
you 1 didn't even bear a grudge
against her-the poor little thingl
Eating her heart out with sorrow
for what she'd done-till the very
day of her DEATH
Always trying to make it up to
me-paying me too much money for
the handful of work 1 haG to do,
what with her eating out nearly all
the time and throwing away stock
ings the minute they got a run in
'em-Forgive her? I'd have crawled
from here to New York on my
hands and knees for Mia Leigh!S
Dundee studied her horribly
SCARED face, made more horrible
now by what looked like genuine
grief.
Lydia, who was the man over
whom your mistress wanted to
commit suicide?"
The single tear-reddened eye
glared at him suspiciously, then be-
came wary. II don't know"
"Was 1t Dexter Sprague, Lydia?"
"Sprague?" She spat the name
out contemporary. mo! She
didn't know him then, except to
speak to at the moving picture
studio"
when did he become her-lover,
Lydia?" Dundee asked casually.
The woman stiffened, became
menacingly hostile. who says he
was her lover? You can't trick me,
Mr.. Detective! I'd cut out my
tongue before I'd let you make me
say one word against my poor
grill"
nUNDEE shrugged. He knew
- stone wall when he ran up
against one.
Lydia, he began again, after
a thoughtful pause, Il have proof
that Nita Leigh Selim was sure you
never had forgiven her for the in
jury she did you" His fingers
touched the letter in his pocket -
that incredible Last VIII and
Testament" which Mia had written
the day before she was murdered.
"And that's another lie!" the
woman cried, shaking with anger.
She struggled to her feet, stood
swaying dizzily moment. Come
upstairs with me to her room, and
II show you some proof that 1 for
gave herI
Come along, I tell you'll g.
Trying to make me say 1 killed my
poor girl, when I'd have died for
her-Come on, tell you'll"
And Dundee, wondering, begin
ming to doubt his own conviction q
little - that conviction which had
sprung full-grown out of Nita's
strange, informal will, and which
had seemed to explain everything
followed Lydia Carr from her base
ment room to the bedroom in which
Nita had been murdered.
See this!" and Lydia Carr
snatched up the powder box from
the dressing table. Her long, bony
fingers busted themselves with
frantic haste, and suddenly into the
silence of the room came the tin
kle of music.
Il bought her this-for a pres
ent, out of my own money, soon as
got out of the hospital!" the
maids vice shrilled, over the slow,
sweet, tinkly notes. tits playing
her name song-'Juanita. 1t was
playing that song when she died.
II stood there in the doorway
and heard it"
And she pointed toward the door
leading from Nita's room into the
dark hall. "She loved it and used
II all Ine Time, because l gave IL TO
her. And this!"
She set the musical powder box
upon the dressing table and rushed
across the room to one of the sew
eral lamps that Dundee had noticed
on his first survey of the room.
1t was the largest and gaudiest of
the collection huge bowl of fill
greed bronze, set with innumerable
stones, as large as marbles, or larg-
er. Red, yellow and green stones
that must have cast strange
radiance over the pretty head that
had been wont to lie just beneath it,
on the heaped lace pillows of the
chaise Tongue, Dundee reflected.
AS If Lydia had read his
thoughts, she jerked at the little
chain which hung from the bottom
of the big bronze bowl against the
heavy metal standard.
Il gave her this-saved up for 1t
out of my own money!" she was as