The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-12-16

Outraged pride, defiance. anger blazed in the dark-lashed. gray eyes 70 far above her.
 "Mr Averill shall have his shirt back at once. By--an error--it came into my possession. I meant to rectify the error at once. l have only just discovered 1t my self. understand that the off, cial inquisition Is called off. so l shall be leaving you, Mir Averill. just as quickly as I can pack and be off,"
 "oh, no--no, please!" Linda was on her feet too. That's just what mean-what I was afraid of. You mustn't" She realized that her earnestness held back for a second that blazing outburst of ready wrath and in that second. she struck.
 "Mr shaughnessey, we had to! W edidn't know why you-..you see, we know, and no one else does. Cousin Amos Peabody didn't fall from the balcony. He was mur- dered!"
 At her words - apparently the last thing he had expected tc hear-the man stiffened In aston. ishmen. Then his anger hared ou, violently. For moment she could hardly get her breath as the words pelted down on her.
 And just because I'm an out' sider and not one of your SID smart-alec. moneyfed Country club set. you and your husband have the audacity---" cried. "You mustn't--we didn't--l That is, we thought everybody had done it!
 This seemed to reach his Celtic sense of humor.
 "Ah--a gineral conspiraey?" he inquired. slipping easily from tho ferocious to the sardonic. Disre garding this change of front. Linds answered in her most reasonable persuasive manner,
 No, Mir Shaughhessey--but yot remember yourself that every mai of you had quarreled with MI Peabody for one reason or another
 "And every man of us woult commit murder on q dodderinG olt nincompoop like himself. sup pose?
 with . mental comment upo, his powers of uncomplimentar! description, Linda preserved he outward serenity.
 "No. It was I started Tom of | Because of what 1 said, he felt h. must-must see that shirt
 The mention of the forbidden subject--she knew instinctively h, would be much more sensitive ove possessing only one shirt thai over being suspected of murder brought another. ominous flash Linda bravely persisted. | q came around the corner o the house to-day---I didn't meal to spy but I couldn't help hearini you talk to Rosie" It was hard | go on, facing that white-fury. bu she managed to speak evenly Now, think yourself, Mir Shaugh nessey! l heard her say she'd takei stains out and you say shed save you from lots of trouble"
 Suddenly the tide turned In he favor-or the giant before he realized that guile rather thai brute force would extract him bea from 6 nasty predicament. Fling ing back his head he roared fort with laughter which for all it's ap parent amusement had an under tone of savagery almost as alarm ing as his open anger.
 "Eavesdropping - searching. o the rooms-suspicion of murder Is 1t all because l coaved thic country girl to wash out some U quor stains that you think pitch ed your intolerant. old relative owe the railing?"
 "oh, no!" Would this stupi man stop thinking about himsel and see what she was trying to tel him? First we decided, from sev eral things, that Cousin Amos ha
 been murdered murdered carl this morning, when nobody woul
 ordinarily be around. Then " started checking up. on our guest and frankly, MT Shaughnessey--
 were reasons why every single on
 of you might want to do 1t an
 we've found things that pointed { |
 who did do it."
 Emboldened by his silence, sh
 felt suddenly that at least hi anger of moment ago was tenn
 porarily in abeyance. The tnstinc
 tive response of the born teller Q
 tales to dramatic situation hell
 Shaughnessey riveted. He nodde | ciIrtIv aa she atODDed
 "I see. You thought it migh
 have been blood"
 And there was a tear" "Yes, there was tear" Agai the note of resentment but sh pressed forward eagerly, feeliu } him haIf-won.
 "I can't go over 1t all n0w--an It isn't fair to MT Ayeri1l---in fac } live gone against his expres } wishes in talking tO anyone abou