The Daily Alaska empire., 1934-07-03

| that was strange, because we'd only opened the house few days before and hadn't used the breakfast-room at all.
 q poked little deeper in the sand and found a slip of paper. buried down one side. read it."
 Was the writing that of a man or woman?" Lafferty asked.
 q couldn't tell. All the words were printed and there was no date and no signature. It said: Will ex. pect you at the usual time That was all. took it upstairs and showed 1t to Mrs. Dufresne. She turned white when she read 1t. She kept me there nearly an hour. while she walked up and down the room. Fi- nally she suggested that if my aunt was in need of nursing 1 could go home for a while and she would continue to send me my wages. did. and she has," was Ellen Becker's | terse conclusion.
 Do you realize that was prac- tically blackmail?"
 ELLEN shook her head. Tt was A Mrs. Dufresne's idea. 1 didn't ask her for anything. Why shouldn't l accept 1t? It was the first time in my life ever got something for nothing. Nobody's going to die and leave me million," she said bit terly.
 Harper stirred himself. "I think you'd better come along with us to Dufresne's house. We'll have to get to the bottom of this story"
 "No-no-please! I can't go back there."
 "So there's more to the story? Out with it-all of it this time!"
 Ellen's next statement came only after visible struggle. Two days later" she continued, q found an- other note in the same place. It was printed. just like the other. It said: The same place, and you'd better come this time.' The last part was underlined While I was looking at this note, with the sand spread out on paper, MT. Dufresne walked in.
 "He wanted to know what I was doing there and I had to show him the note. He carried on worse than Mrs. Dufresne. He asked me all kinds of questions and talked so wild 1 was afraid of him.
 q told him 1 was leaving to take care of my aunt. Then he calmed down all at once, but he made me swear to say nothing about the note to any one. He promised that I wouldn't lose by It."
 Harper leaped up. Well. I'll be damned" he cried, you've got the | nerve to sit there and calmly admit you've been taking money from both .ofathem?"
 Ellen turned sullen before his an- ger. But what could 1 do? Hand back his money and tell him was already being paid to keep quiet? What good would that have done? Besides. was afraid of him. was afraid to tell him anything"
 Cant you see that you were | spreading dynamite around in that house" Harper burst out. For few paltry dollars you were willing to see whole household broken up. No wonder you're afraid to go back there and repeat your story. Who warned you to run away-Mr. Du- fresne or Mrs. Dufresne?"
 "I won't tell, I'm not going to say another word" Ellen's voice grew shrill. q want to see a lawyer"
 "Come on," said Lafferty, Tets trot her down to Headquarters. She'll talk there, whether she wants to or not. By that time she'll need . lawyer!"
 The sinister tone pried the girl loose from the last hold on her ret icence. Neither one." she admit ted sullenly. "It was Joe Donaghy who called me-"
 Harper's eyes glittered with re- newed interest. "So Joe was in on this? He knows all about these deals?"
 "Only about Mrs. Dufresne," Ellen confessed.
 T guess you call yourselves sweet hearts" Lafferty sneered. "A fine pair of lovers you are."
 Never mind that now, Jack" Harper interrupted, then. turning to the girl. What did he tell you over the 'phone?"
 "He said 1t looked like things might break wide open up there at the house. and that if they did, 1t would be good idea for me to be missing"
 You're holding out on us again. You two have been working this game together. We know Donaghy's been bleeding these people. too. be- cause he's sporting big roll of bills."
 (Copuffrht IosI. T.. rD-lter q. Rronx
 But where, asks Harper,
 Thursday, does Ellen's evidence
 lead?