The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-01-12
CHAPTER XII
The Fraternity Alumnus

Inc cIdteInlty AiulunuS
No result of an investigation al.
ready fuil of surprises. quite so aston
ished Rankin as the show-girl's identi-
f1cation of Mrs. Jordan's companion
Twice before. DR.. Arnold Prince had
figured In the case: but merely incl
dentally. and to all appearances. inno-
Gently. Now like sudden. illum-
mating flash of lightning. Myra Prem
tsss' words shed fresh light on all his
discoveries. For a moment. he could
scarcely credit his ears: the next. his
mind seethed In a 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.
tons with the physician. Early in her
career in the chorus. Myra related. she
had known the actress slightly; they
played together, two years previous.
in the New York cast of Merely Isa-
bella" Even then. their similarity had
been so marked that the show-girl un-
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.
to her amazement, the actress visited
her there at the Lyceum theater. with
the fiction Rankin had already heard.
She asked Myra TO help her. In her
supposed trouble, instead of confirm
ing with the show or returning to New
York. And. as II 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
she 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 fill 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. II was far
more elaborate than Rankin had first
supposed Actually. 1t began on January
thirtieth, when Laura Dumont moved
from the Somerset apartments osten
sibly to take up quarters at the FentOn
hotel for few weeks The next day.
she left ST. Louis TO join Doctor Prince
at Lake Geneva. as she claimed-0r.
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 aid disturbed II
sufficiently to create the Impression
that 1t 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
show-girl two years before. her hair
had been brown. the same dark. silky
shade that Myra Prentiss possessed.
Since. however. she had evidently had