The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-10-27
BEGIN HERE TO-DAY

When Dan Blocker, publisher
of The Blade, learns that Charlie.
Morden, police reporter, has beer
mysteriously killed he employ.
Sidney G~iff, famous criminolog
! list, to solve the murder.
Morden had been investigating
the affairs. of Frank. Cathay
wealthy and prominent, who had
threatened to sue The Blade be.
cause. the newspaper. reported
Cathay had been arrested. The
man arrested was an. impostof
giving the name of Cathay and
accompanied by a girl called Mary
Briggs.
Soon after Morden is found
dead comes news that Cathay is
dead-possibly poisoned.
Morden's fingerpripts are found
in the apartment of girl named
Alice Lorton who has reported
the disappearance of her room
mate, Esther Ordway. Griff and
Blocker question Alice Lorton.
Griff learns that Carl Racine
detective employed by Mrs. Cat
hay, is trying to locate a Mrs
Blanche Malone. He also Gdiscov
crs that the man who registered
at the Hillcrest hotel the nigh
of the arrest was the imposter ane
not Cathay.
NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
. CHAPTER XXI
! The girl stared at Griff. The
color had drained from her face
leaving it wan and pathetic. Hel
lips, bare of rouge, pressed toget
her in a tight line. When she spoke
the words were almost inaudible
"The police" she said, and stop
ped. :.
- "Of course" Griff told her i'm
patiently. There's been a murder
committed. That's what the police
are for. you know. Did you thinl
you could get mixed up in a muir
der and then have someone jus
slap yom<$wl'ist and tell you not t.
do it agaAf?"
"Bpt I'm not mixed up in ;
murder" SAlice Lorton said.
Griff 81 rugged his shoulders.
There We're several moments o
silence then. Sidney Griff SCENE,
to be waiting, the girl to be hink
! She sqhmmed restlessly in tn,
chair. Her feet shot out from un
| der her kinomo. She leaned for
ward and put cold, white hanc
on his wrist.
Listen" he said, "please be
lieve me- Pm telling you tn,
truth. My name is Alice Lorton
don't kPow anything at all abou
| Esther Ordway. Perhaps if l dix
I'd try to protect her. l dom
know. But Pm telling you thu
! Gods truth. Please believe me
It's vital that you do believe me
! Griff frowned thoughtfully
seemed undecided.
The girls other hand chung tt
his arm, as though she had beer
trying to drag herself out of ;
quicksand. The quivering of he
hands was visible, despite thu
tight grip which she held upon thu
criminologiSt'S arm.
"You've got to believe me. i
means a lot to me. Pm about tt
be married and to be happy. Any
thing that might come up tina
would connect me with a scanda
Of this kind would ruin my entire
life, Pm telling you the truth
I'm Alice Lorton. / can prove i
to you. I'll write out for you my
whole life's history if you want
I'll tell you where l was born
where ] went to school. I'll bring
in people who know me-"
~.
Griff's tone was that of mar
who is growing less sure Of him
self momentarily. .,a
"But how does it happen thai
all of the things around here are
Esther Ordway's? Why haven
you something here?" IT,
Because" she said, 81 didn't
have anything. l came here broke
Esther picked me up on the street
Oh, it was CHASTITY! l can't even
tell you about it. l was broke anc
hungry and desperate, and Esther
Ordway came and picked me up.
didn't want to tell the newspaper
men about it. / didn't want my
folks to find out about it. You see
came on here to take part IN
show. I wanted to be an actress
They told me what an awful lift
it was, but l wouldn't listen tt
| them.