The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-02-28

Martha out Of the way. Gaby must
have run quickly around to the back
Of the house and up the back stair
way. To toss the hat and wrap on
the body, replace the earrings. scatter
the pipe ashes over the beaded bag q
declare to goodness, can more
easily think of her lying there In her
white silk dressing gown, than l can
think of her, brushing those pipe
ashes up, from somewhere. in order
to save them for that purpose), and
drop the tatting shuttle there, re-
CURED not more than one or two min
utes of time. Another two or three
minutes to wash her face thoroughly
and to douse on some of Danny's per-
fume. and she was coming downstairs
again, with the headache that neces-
STATED the drawing of the curtains
TO make her safety bit safer, just
at first.
She told John that those few min
utes when she had to walk through
the room, make the trip around the
house. and get upstairs again, were
the only moments of fright thar she
had had, from the first to the last.
Once safely established in the role of
Danny, she said, she knew that she
had nothing to fear.
| think, however, that there were
other times when she was afraid.
am certain that real fear was there
in her room, that day, when the en-.
gagement ring dropped from her fin
then, was caused wholly from super.
stition, and not from any dread that
the slight difference between her
hands and Danny's hands might be
noticed
am sure that her fear for John,
on the fourth of July. was real enough
She knew that each minute he was
away, longer than the time necessary
for the trip. was minute lost from
the perfect alibi she had so mistaken
ly tried TO arrange for him by sending
him away from the ranch. She had
not known that Danny's fingers had
closed on the stairs tread. When
John came In the back way she was
afraid that 1t would be remembered
later-as it was-and that some one
would suspect-as Hubert Hand did
suspect-that John mad carried the
body in at that time
She had counted on her note to
Danny, and on the fact that, as DAN
ny, she was downstairs within ten or
twelve minutes after the time we had
seen Gaby walking down the path
and had heard Danny's voice calling
after her, to prove her own limo
cence. They, and the gentleness of
Danny's disposition. did this to per-
lection.
Her original plan had been to prove
that Sam was the murderer. With
Sam out of the way, and with John
in possession of his fortune, she had
thought, | suppose, that she would
have no trouble in persuading John TO
leave the Desert Moon. But she was
afraid of the idea. Knowing Johns
devotion TO Sam. she could not reckon.
with any sureness, how disgrace and
sorrow might affect John. 1t was too
big risk to take, unreservedly. So,
though she picked the quarrel with
Sam, strewed the pipe ashes on the
bag, put the key in the fireplace,
wrote on the photograph, she left
loopholes in the shapes of the many
other false clews. 1t is only my own
notion that, if she had not thought the
definite accusation of SAM which she
made during the session on the fifth
of July, was necessary to protect
John, she would have backed out, by
that time. and not have made it.
1t is again only my notion that the
request, which she put in her note to
Danny, TO have Danny take her body
TO San Francisco for cremation, was
made because she thought that it
would be desirable for heJ to be able
to leave the ranch al once-perhaps
for several weeks Mrs. Ricker's ex-
pressed suspicion probably made her
realize the wisdom of returning as
rapidly as possible to the Desert
Moon.
Gabrielle Canneziano was born
criminal Almost all of her life had
been spent among criminals. She
knew their ways, and she knew the
ways of honest people toward them.
Consequently, she was too clever to
drop her disguise, even for minute,
in San Francisco. When, on the