The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-03-07

dry gae for her while you were out west. And if ever there were a parcel of cats trying to tear one little mouse apart, that was the occasion"
 Still Bob seemed dumbfounded. Joan never said word of it."
 of course Joan didn't!" Doro- thy snapped. She's too gentle, too fine, to put Up fight. No matter what Sybil did to her, she'd never tell you-because Sybil is a friend of yours-and a niece of MT. Hen- dry's. That's why Joan has suf- fered all these years, why she has been driven from place to place, persecuted and tortured, because she can't - or won't - fight back"
 You mean-about her father?"
 "Yes. Sybil told you that, sup- poser"
 "she said the police found 1t out"
 She's liar. She dug it up her. it. Joan knew it last night. She wanted to run away then" "Before-but why?"
 Dorothy threw up her hands. "She had only one fixed idea she wouldn't marry you, if you knew about the past. She believed people shrunk from her because of her father, and she was afraid, so she said, that you'd come to hate her for it, too"
 But that's ridiculous. What do I care about that?"
 T tried to tell her that. Last night l quarreled with her, finally. l told her she was coward -. I dared her to beat Sybil at her own game, to tell the whole story to MT. Hendry before Sybil told him first" ......
 And that's why she went over there last night?"
 "Yes."
 "She hasn't come home since?"
 No. But she can't have gone far, Bob. She had no clothes, no money nothing. She must have gotten there after - after it hap pened, and she's hiding away some place. terrified to death, haunted by the memory of what happened to her father"
 l Bob rubbed clenched hand across his eyes. We've got to find her." he cried. We've got to-"
 We will!' Dorothy assured him. But first of all, lets talk this whole thing over. I have an idea in my head that's driving me fran tic, but I didn't want to tell the police"
 You think you know who did it?"
 T think so." Then, seeing the hope rise in his eyes, she hastened to amend: But I'm not sure, Bob. I'm clutching at tiny straw, and the police may laugh at me. Yet in my heart I feel that it must be right . ."
 What is it? Tell me-"
 
 Come over to the desk, here" She drew forth a large envelope and emptied it of it's contents in front of them. s4- g..
 "A week or so ago." she ex- plained, Joan and I were talking about her father. She knows he was innocent, of course. And be- lieve he was"
 So do II" Bob agreed heartily. T"Her father never killed a man"
 "No. But he was hanged for it. Here's the whole story of the case; I had these photostatic copies made from newspapers I found in the public library. I was con- vinced that Joan should try to prove her fathers innocence, even at this late date, to preserve her own peace of mind. She can't let herself be happy, Bob. She tried to believe that once you and she forget Joan Barrett, but the mem- ory was always there, haunting her
 T know. There was something in her eyes, at times. But never wanted to ask her. He picked up the papers, looked them over carelessly. Why bother about this now?" he asked. "The case is closed. I want to find Joan"
 Just read these clippings over, Bob. Then I'll explain" He did as she asked, but she saw that the story of Thomas Bar rett'S conviction made no impress sion upon him.
 All circumstantial, of course" he commented, after he finished. Public opinion seemed to be against him from the start"
 Didn't you notice anything else?" Dorothy asked anxiously.
 What, for example?"
 Dorothy almost Wept in des- peration. "Oh. Bob, you make me so discouraged. The moment I read those papers over this morn ing, one fact jumped out and stunned me. I thought you'd see it immediately
 What is it?" He scanned the columns once more. Read this" Dorothy pointed to carry-over on an inside page of the paper.
 Police are at loss" Bob read out loud, ito find anybody who might have had a motive for kill ing Jeremiah Jordan. MT. Jordan never made an enemy in his life, according to Charles Norton of Placerville, one of MT. Jordan's closest friends, who saw the vic- tim in San Francisco last Mon day"
 Bob wrinkled his brow. Charles Norton, eh?" he repeated thought fully.
 Exactly" Dorothy said tri-