The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-07-16
gE-o o7z41elss;at T-4~ '-.- : H ROCKING HOUSE
 RY MklIER (. BROWN
.eY WkLIER C.. eRoWN-

itself" M
 He spoke deliberately, Some one struck the top of that table four or five times with clenched fist. That suggests quarrel or an argument. The marks were made by that ring you are wearing, Mrs. Croyden. The diagonal setting of those two dia- monds makes an unmistakable pat tern. That gave 1t away"
 The woman digested this in sI- lence. She looked at the ring on her finger, then, standing at the table, made the motion of phantom anger, rapping with knuckles down. Such small thing" she murmured.
 Great results are often measured by small devices" the detective an- swered.
 She looked at the ring again. otherwise, you would not have known" she questioned.
 "I wouldn't say that" Harper re- piled. "It really would have been more baffling to us if Donaghy's death had appeared in its true col ors.
 "Camouflaging it as suicide really broke up the puzzle. It was there that your logic tripped itself up. for in order to pin the whole thing on the supposed suicide through his confession you had to give away the secret of that first escape. A fa- tai error. for 1t prompted me to look for the same clue in the second in- stance"
 "The same clue?" she repeated. "XES-the same clue. No matter
 l how clever the deed, there Is al- ways an unsuspected clue left be- hind. Sometimes we are not alert enough to fl it." He waved toward the table. Those diamond marks are an instance. But the clue re- ferred to was peculiar cut in the snow which was made'when the rope was shaken free and hauled back.
 "We found that mark in the be- ginning, but could make nothing of it. It was only when we were put in possession of the rope itself that it's meaning became clear. Natural ly, this led ne to look in the snow again after we found Donaghy. and there was the same kind of mark.
 That labeled it tt once as another murder, in spite of the typed confes- sion, the nature of the wound and the recovered articles. That ingeni- ous excuse for the absence of the blackmail money Dpnaghy had was suspicious, too, for we know he had not been away from his room last night"
 Thanks for the advice" She drew herself together. slowly pulled the ring from her finger. and deliberate ly placed 1t on the table. "This has betrayed me once. It would be dan gerpus to wear it any longer, wouldn't it? See that it gets back safely to my husband" she said steadily. "and tell him Pm sorry fo1. all the trouble I've caused"
 "But. Mrs. Croyden. you can't go away like this, simply saying noth- ing in your own defense. There must be, reasons, explanations, you can give. You owe it to yourself to pre- sent your side of the story. Surely Officer Hamill had done nothing to warrant his death?" l
 Aline Croyden winced from that name as from blow. That is the real urden on my conscience" she whispered. T lost my head-I went crazy-I saw the whole perfect plan I had designed destroyed by that one blind chance. That was murder, but those other two," she flashed with sudden anger blazing in her shad- owed eyes, "that was only justice. 1 have not single regret. 1 had to use what weapons I could against them"
 Harper lowered his voice. Mrs. Croyden. wht was H.D.. really?"
 Neither you, nor any one. shall ever know that" she answered bit terly. "Let him lie in the Morgue. let him go to Potter's Field. I'll never tell. It's the best he deserves. No. one will ever come forward to claim him. alive or dead!"
 T am not prying. I'm merely try. ing to understand your story, Mrs. Croyden," Sergeant Harper said with simple dignity.
 "Then I'll help you to understand" she famed. T have never HeeI happy in my marriage. It is true that I had an affair with that man. As ] look back now, hardly know how 1t began, except that I met him at a time when l was unhappy and starved for excite m n t." She stopped. staring blankly at the de- tective. T soon found I had fallen into the hands of a beast. I carre | to hate him. tried to break away | fcopyri0At.. .iss4. oy waltsr 0. BroUn)