The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-10-27

MRS. VAN sERc's STORY

OuhpteE %
MRS. VAN HERG's STORY
Fl MUST tell.s0meone. It Just goes
Lon and on in my head all the
time. I don't sleep. you know"
'sYou can tell me--Tm safe" said
Caroline. And then Is soon as she
had said II she mad q revulsion Of
feeling. NO. don't tell me-don'tl
Don't tell me anythingl Because II
you did it. and they thought It was
Jim. shouldsh to tell them"
Snsie shook her head again.
at WASN'T IKE that. what did you
think? 1 didn't shoot Elmer--I
didn't mean that. Did you think
did?"
Il don't Know. Isdfdn't want you
to tell me anything you'd feel sorry
about afterwards"
II must tell someone" said Susie
piteously. "If / don't I'll 80 crazy :
She broke on with start. Look
out OF that door and see there's no
one listening!"
Caroline opened the door and
looked out. There was no one in
sight. The contrast between the
room and the passage was extreme,
The air was cold. Against an incur
tanned window about three yards
away the rain was beating. An inky
cloud hung like q curtain across the
sky. 1t was so dark that the sun
might have set already.
She went back to the sofa and sat
down.
There's no one there"
And at once. without any prelimi.
naries. Susie van Berg said:
"Jim shot Elmer"
mo! said Caroline. mol"
.Jim shot him. It was my fault
made Elmer jealous. You know !
can't help fiirting-pm made that
way. What did Elmer marry me for
IL he didn't like IT? Il made him
mad. and-you know the way It Is;
liked making him mad. But he
ought to have known there was moth.
ingin It."
Caroline heard her voice. harsh
and unfamiliar
Wasn't there anything in it,"
"0nly nonsense = and Jim
wouldn't even play up to that. He
thought 3 lot Of Elmer. There was
an invention they both thought q lot
Of. That's what Jim came. to see him
about that night. Did You know he
was here the night Elmer was
ehot?"
Caroline nodded. what hap.
pened?"
did you read what told the
policeG | didn't tell any lies, but
didn't tell all the truth. They'd have
arrested Jim straight away II |
had"
"What iidn't.yOn fell?"
Il told them went downstairs to
get q book. and heard voices in the
study. I didn't tell them that It was
Jlm's voice heard"
"What did You hearfs
"They were QunrreIllng that's
why listened. / heard Elmer say.
I'm through with you!' And heard
Jim say. I'm damned II III be
spoken to like thatl,"
"Was that ALT"
"No. II wasn't. Jim said, You take
that packl And then Elmer got up
i heard Ills chair sorare along the
floor and he came towards the door.
and | thought how angry he'd be Il
he found me there and ran away"
.Jim never shot Mr.. Van Berg =
said Caroline. 'llm Isn't thief. The
person who shot Mr.. Van Berg Is the
person who stole theemefaIas.s
xa ~ - s&{kM
CUSIE VAN BERG put her hand to
- her head. She spoke In weak.
extingnished voice.
Il don't mind about the emeralds
--he shot Elmer. And tore the page
with his angerprInts ont Of Elmer's
book. / knew II the police found Il
they would arrest him. 50 tore Il
OUT She sat bolt upright. her
hands locked upon her knee. Il tore
Il ont. but didn't tear Il up. DO ycn
know where ne Is; II ron do. win
you tell him thatf''
-That yon tore It CUT.
Tell him I tore Il ont. bur didn't
tear Il up. II Elmer gets better. III
tear Il up. but n he Doesn't Her
locked hands strained one against
the other: . line OF livid pallor
showed beyond TIA nainfad ifna az