The Daily Alaska empire., 1933-10-16

tOOACQ OuL Ol lhC WiAdOW. AC AutSS Borings, who kept genteel wool chop in Mickleham Street, sat prim- ly side by side in their neat, dowdy blue serge coats and skirts. They wore identical tucked muslin blouses with high collars and rolled gold collar-supports, and twin hats of dark blue straw with plain black ribbons.
 The schoolboy next to them was immersed in the latest mystery thriller The old gentleman with the beard went on filling his pipe. And the young married couple opposite Caroline continued to hold one an others hands. Snails have no charm to unite a carriage full of strangers in com mon bond of interest But no sooner had the stout woman pronounced the name Van Berg than everyone had something to say. 'f
 Its Q queer thing they don't seem to catch the man that shot MT. Van Berg" she said, and the school boy emerged from his thriller with a jerk.
 "They say they've got a clue" he began.
 "That doesn't mean very much," old a fannn6 hic pipe. "The sort of thing they say to keep the public quiet-like throw ing bone to a dog"
 The girl with the large blue eyes rolled them at the shy young man and giggled.
 The stout woman famed herself.
 "I was up at the Hall yesterday"
 "Packham Hall?" said both Miss Borings together. 8 n THE stout woman nodded.
 I Cooks my brothers second wife's cousin-in-law, and took her over couple of pots of honey. The oiOD SluH tildl WdtSlcu uOWH oup don't relish it, sol took her soml of mine-never been before wherl they didn't keep their own bees. anI don't like 1t. -t.as 's's'-r' ''''e
 And then to have a murder, os next door to it, well, she don't think she'll stay-such an upset, and not xr,hot rho'c ucod tn Uybv xuhap obo heard the shot. she come over that queer she couldn't have got out of bed. not if it had been the house on fire.
 Mrs. Rogers,' she says-that be- ing my name-'Mrs. Rogers, 1 give you my solemn identical word. just pulled the clothes over my head and waited to see if was going to be murdered in my bed She don't look her right color yet"
 q don't know how I should feel if I was to hear someone being shot in the middle of the nigh" .",said the young married woman. ff
 q know what you'd do," said her husband-"pinch me, same as you're doing now"
 The girl giggled. and the Miss Borings coughed.
 "Ah!" said Mrs. Rodgers. "It isn't everyone that's got someone to pinch. I'm a widow meself, and sos Mrs. Henry that I've been telling you about. Her 'usband was a p'lice. man. so it doesn't put her about having the police in and out and all over the place, as you might say and maybe she'd got tolda thing or two as she wouldn't have got told tiff weren't for her 'usband's official position" eS
 Everyone leaned forward a little. The shy young man burst into speech. n, ss .8
 Did she tell you whom they sus- pected?" k4
 Mrs. Rodgers shook her head.
 Were there any finger prints?" said the schoolboy. They'll get him if there were"
 "Ah!" said Mrs. Rodgers darkly., Well. I don't know as I ought to- say. but seeing as we're all friends here" She paused. tanning her. self. S
 Caroline caught the inside of her lip between her teeth. Her hands held each other hard. A general mur- mur encouraged Mrs. Rodgers to proceed.
 Well, it's something as hasn't got into the papers-fFcan tell you that and everyone in the house told not to say a word. They'd .have kep them from knowing if so be they could, but when there's a tray and glasses took for finger prints, there's going to be talk in the servants hall whether or mo-" "Ah-" said the old man with the beard.
 Caroline's grip relaxed trife. She knew this already; it was what Jim had told her. But then it meant-it meant he had remem- bered right!
 fcopyrt0ht. lsss, J. B. Lippincott Co.)
 Caroline jumps suddenly from Ira fns~x