The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-02

mans frantically clutching hands taking good care that her fingers should not touch either the paper on which the note to herself had been written or the sheet which contained her strange, informal will. Informal, in spite of the dead woman's obvious effort to couch it in legal phraseology.
 Was Lydia's frenzy assumed? Did she hope to leave tingerprints now which would account for finger prints she had already left upon 1t |? . Was il not possible that Lydia's had been the prying fingers which had opened the envelope after Nita Se- linn had sealed it with God only knew what fears in her heart? If so, Lydia Carr had found that she was her mistress sole ieSatec. Revenge. coupled with green. What better motive for murder could detective ask? And who had hal so good an opportunity as Lydia Carr to dispose of the Wca- pon?
 The woman slumped back, an az ony of pleading in her single eye
 Lydia. 1 think you know already what this note tells you.' Dundee said slowly watching her scared swollen face intently.
 To his astonishmcnt the maid nodded. the tears starting again. 'I asked her once what she wanted to Keep that old dress for. and she she said I'd find out some day, but never dreamed she'd want if for a-oh. my God.--for a shroud!"
 For the second time that evening Lydia Carr completely routed Dun dee's carefully worked-up case against her. lt was inconceivab!c, Ia tr,JI htt1snlf hq ind mi itlt, enough to have executed this mur- der would give itself away in such a iAshiun. If she had indeed pried among her mistress papers and found the will and note, would she mo-. from the most primitive in stinct of self preservation, have pretended total ignorance of the noes contents?
 Ill read you the note, Lydia" h" said. gently IT ia addressed. My precious old Lydia
 She was always calling me that the maid sobbed.
 "And she writes: If you ever read this il will be because I'm dead, and youll know that I've tfieu to make 1t up to you the only way I knew. l meyer could believe you really forgaVe me, but maybe you VIII ION Anu tiltIt oilc It'7t thing 1 want you to do for me, Lydia darling. You remember that old royal blue velvet dress of mine that you were always sniihnG at and either tfyIng to make me give away or have made over? And rcmc.u- Der that 1 told you that you'd know sometime why 1 kept il? Well. l want you 10 lay me out in it, Lydia. .,ucn a funny, uld-faSnIoncd shrOud, isn't it? But with dresses long again, maybe 1t won't look so luu- ny, and there'lI be nobody but you and Lois to see me in it, because I've said so in my will. And l want my hair dressed as if was the oniy time l ever wore the royal blue vel vet. A French roll Lydia, with lit tie curis coming out the left side Of it and hanging down To thc ear. YOu brush the hair straight up the back of the head, gather 1t together and tie q little blt of black shocstring around it, then you t"lst the hair into d roll and spread Il high, pin ming it down on each side of the head And don't forget the little curls on the left side!
 "'I hope l have enough hair, but if 1t hasn't grown long enough, you know where those switches are that l had made when l first bobbed my hair. You won't mind touch ing me when I'm dead will you, Lydia? I do love you. . Nita.
 Dundee was silent for q minute after he had finished reading the strange note and had returned it to the envelope, along with the will. At last he broke in on the desOlatc sobbing of Nita's maid:
 Lydia how old was your lnis- tress?'
 You won't put it in inc papers, will you?" Lydia pleaded She she was-33. But not q soul knew it except me-
 And will you tell me how old the royal blue velvet dress is?" he con tinued Also, how long since girls dressed their hair in a French roll?'
 '"The dress is 2 or l3 years old, Lydia said, her voice dull now with grief 'I know. because I used 10 do dressmaldng during the war. And 1t was during the war that girls wore their hair that way--I did mine in q Psyche knot. but the French roll was more stylish"
 "Did your mistress ever tell you about the one time she wore the drcss?"
 Lydia shook her head, No. She wouldn't talk about it--iust said I'G know sometime why she kept il. Royal blue velvet, it Is, the skirt halfway 10 the ankles. and sleeves with long pointed ends, lined with gold taffcta, and finished off with gold tassc9 It's in dress bag. hanging in her closet"
 "Do you think it was her wedding dress. Lydia2" Dundee suggested, the idea suddenly flashing into his mind.
 I don, know I didn't ask ne" that" Lydia denied duly. Can take il with mc--and the switches she had made ou1 Of her curls?"
 "Ill have to get authority To rt- move anything from the house, Lydia" Dundee told her. "But I am sure you will be permitted to follow Mrs SclrGs instructions. . So you're going 10 accept the Miles offer of T ioh az nurse?"
 'YcE. I'd rather work. Mir and Mrs Milcs have always been special lv nice to me. and IT could love thelr children. They're not afraid Of rpc--"
 "Pcrhaps you're wlse.' Dundee agreed. By the way. Lydia, did Mrs Selim have q pistol in her DOE session at any time during the past week? 2"
 The maid shook her head. Not that l seen. And if she'd got one because she was afraid she'd a-kept it handy and I'd a-been bound to sec if."
 Convinced of her sincerity, he was about to let her go tO pack her bag when another bclnt"d question oc- surred to hlm. 'LydLi. will you tell me "A hat eneaPomenta Mrs galim