Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-05

none-the-leSS decorative head, the
girl who occupied the room under
the caves was not visible this April
morning. The rest of her 81 inches,
clad in gay pajamaS, obScured under drab
bedcoverings And that was quite as we'll con-
Bidering that strange young man was about
to walk into her room-and her life also.
She lay there staring at the discolored ceiling,
and considered her immediate past, her I'M
palatable present and her impenetrable future.
IT suppose" she unused, II was an idiot to
run away. Now, of course, everybody is sure
I'm guilty" Her mouth twisted defiantly, mock
ingly. "As If anybody ever doubted it,"
To the lady who had rented her the room
and anybody who called Mrs. Moriarty any
thing but lady would get at least a verbal
smack in the eye-the girl had given her name
without hesitation.
Miss Jones-Jane JONES'" she had said.
The girls name was not Jane Jones, how
ever. And the lady to whom she had paid four
dollars in advance for the room under the caves
suspected as much. But then, Mrs Moriarty,
having lodging house for 20 years, never
trusted anybody
IF you want my opinion" Mrs Moriarty had
assured her second-door front, there is some
thing funny about the ffth-hoor back"
The second-floor front-occupant, not the
room-was large blonde.
What do you think is the matter with
her?" she had asked.
"I don't know" Mrs. Moriarty had confessed.
But I'll keep an eye on her" And, apparently.
a nose as well. Because "She didn't go out to
dinner and she didn't cook in her room, either.
smelt around the hall to make sure"
The pseudo Jane jones" would have smiled
wryly at that. She hadn't eaten dinner be-
cause
Because I'm saving my pennies, all AZ Ct
them" she might have explained in the half
mocking, half-defant tone that was the index
Of her attitude toward the world She was
only % but, like Mrs. Moriarty she no longer
trusted anybody.
OF course, she might have pawned her smart
suit case or her toilet set. But she didn't
know how, and would have been afraid to If
she had. They might for instance, notice
the initials and guess what the ~. j." stood
for.
"If," she had assured herself, when she had
decided upon flight and had assumed a new
name, there is anybody In these United States
who doesn't know the name Janice Judson,
it's a wonder, after all the publicity I've had"
To be JudSon in the little New England
town where she had been born was to be some
body. They had christened her Janice" that
being her OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES name. But she
had been rechristened "Nicky."
She was that sort of girl. Precisely the type
TO be condemned by all the Mrs. Moriartys in
the world, on general principles In fact, Mrs
Moriarty had condemned her less than
month ago.
''If you want my opinion" Mrs. Moriarty had
said to the second floor front in March, that
younger sister, the one they call Milky, muir
dered them BOTH
They had been discussing the mi Eder mys-
terry OF the moment. The headlines in her
paper that March morning had read:
BRIDE AND GROOM MYSTERIOUSLY
SLAIN ON EVE OF WEDDING.
No detail had escaped her, and if the police
had considered it mystery, Mrs. Moriarty had
not.
Nevertheless, it had yet to occur to her that
even young and brazen murderess would have
the nerve to hire room from her.
All that Mrs. Moriarty knew this April morn
ing was that it o'clock, and in Mrs.
Moriartys opinion o'clock was high time for
any self-respecting person to be up and about.
This morning had already brought her one
of those inSuferable injuries fate visits upon
even the most vigilant of lodging house ladies'
The Negro woman who came in by the day had
announced the disaster.
"Plumbing done gone bust" she had grinned
"They throw anything they want TO get rid
Of down the pipes" Mrs Moriarty bitterly as
sured the plumber when he appeared
The plumber managed to look sympathetic
He was young and 1.-the plumber.
where are your tools asked Mrs Moriarty
"In the car" he replied. Where's your
plumbing"
"You get your tools and then I'll show you
my plumbing"
The young plumber grinned 1--WE got about
half ton of the finest first aid to plumbing
equipment you ever saw in the car outside" he
retorted equally. But I'm not going to lug