Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1933-11-23
CHAPTER XII
The Fraternity Alumnus

$40 1AoeSAAAAy kAIHlAAIu8
No result Of an investigation al
ready full Of surprises. quite so aston
Ashed Rankin as the show-girl's identi-
Mcation Of Mrs. Jordan's companion.
Twice before. Dr. Arnold Prince had
4gured In the case; but merely Incl.
dentally.l and to all appearances, limo.
Gently. Now like sudden, illum.
fnating flash Of lightning. Myra Prem.
Giss' words shed fresh light on all his
discoveries. For moment, he could
scarcely credit his ears: the next. his
mind seethed In turmoil of excitement
and the readjustment Of theories.
But the girls narrative, begun at
Rankin's order, gave him no time to
ponder the startling and damaging
significance Of Laura Jordan's rela-
lions with the physician. Early in her
career In the chorus. Myra related. she
had known the actress slightly; they
played together. two years previous,
I'm the New York cast Of "Merely lisa.
bella" Even then. their similarity had
been so marked that the show-girl IN.
'derstudied Miss Du Monte's compare.
lively unimportant role. But she had
not seen her since, until in January,
two months ago, she reached st. Louis,
touring In "Up-Side-Down." Then,
30 her amazement, the actress visited
sher there at the Lyceum theater. with
the fiction Rankin had already heard.
She asked Myra to help her, in her
supposed trouble. instead of continu-
ing with the show or returning to New
York. And. as 1t finally closed in ST.
Louis at the end of January, the girl
consented. for consideration. to lend
herself to the imposture
Her presence in st. Louis Just when
ehe was needed was. Of course, purely
fortuitous. But the coincidence. the
detective recognized. was also ir.
relevant; If Myra Prentiss had not
been handy. the actress would have
sent for her or another to All the same
role. The stakes were so large that
money was no object in her plot to
secure them without danger to her.
SELF. For her cooperation. the show.
girl received five hundred dollars.
AS for the project itself, 1t was far
'more elaborate than Rankin had first
supposed. Actually. It began on January
thirtieth. when Laura Dumont moved
nom the Somerset apartments osten-
sibly to take up quarters at the Fenton
hotel for few weeks. The next day.
she LETT St Louis to join Doctor Prince
et Lake Geneva, as she claimed-or.
as the detective believed. to go east.
She merely registered and checked In
at the hotel before going; thereafter,
during February. Miss Prentiss passed
for her. But to avoid contacts with
the maids, guests or officials. the show
girl herself had not lived there. She
discovered what time. every morning,
her room was cleaned: then let the
chambermaids understand that she in.
variably left for business before they
arrived. After that she Just visited
1t once late each day and disturbed It
sufficiently to create the impression
that II had been occupied. Meanwhile.
she resided with the Dobsons.
One curious detail in the scheme
was that concerning her disguise.
When Laura Dumont first knew the
ehow-girl two years before. her hair
had been brown. the same dark, silky
shade that Myra Prentiss possessed.
Since, however. she had evidently had
IT bleached to the glorious blond the
detective observed In Philadelphia.
That made it necessary for her to pro.
cure for the girl blond wig similar
to It for the imposture-the head.
dress that eventually betrayed them
both on board the ship.
Rankin found this circumstance
somewhat puzzling and interrupted to
comment on 1t.
~Let me get this straight, Miss Prem
t1ss." he observed, frowning. "You say
that Miss Dumont was originally a
brunette. just like you are?"
Eyes. the last time l saw her." the
'show-girl replied. "You can see that
IN her photos in the casts Of shows she
played in some time ago. But as !
said, she bleached her hair and had
70 wear a wig to match"
"And you posed as Miss Du Monte
1t the Fenton." the detective inquired,
i'afor fully month";