Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-06-03
Che Riddles The PurpIePOstcardsS

q light, and approached the stove
There, the big teakettle was waiting
Miss Withers dropped II with a LITTLE
cry, dropped IL like q hot pancake
It was hotter than any pancake. foi
the gas was on and the water nearby
boiling. A door opened across Tho
/ room, and the curious face OF Ads
Minis popped out. They both spoke al
once
Whatever are you doing here?"
Just thinking OF heating some water
. )" the school teacer Quavered.
/ II was definitely the wrong thing
/ to say, because Ada Minis surprisingly
/ whipped out a vicious little automatic,
/ held It mwavertngly aimed at the pit
Of Miss Withers' stomach.
That's Just what I was afraid of, Z"
read the financial page tool You knew
what I was afterl Not that II will
do you any good. You'll not get them
away from me. not by joyful Posing
as a friend of the police and then
trying TO get the loot for YOURSELF
Sorry, but you leave me no choice. 4"
She raised the gun.
Time stood still, and then a girlish
voice came from the hall Miss With
ers did you call?" Marcia entered
breathlessly. stopped short. and then
nearly tainted dead away.
Both Of you" said Ada Minis duly
Two instead Of one =" She mo-
toned them closer together. Speech
less, the school teacher waited But
the woman wasn't going to shoot. It
was worse nightmare than that, an
interminable nightmare
Miss Withers found herself bound
hand and foot with dish-towels, bound
by arms strong as steel She remem-
bered-it had been Minis. not old man
Voorhis, who used the gymnasium
every day. All the clues had been In
her grasp. and she had failed to I'M
derstand.
She watched Marcia bound, watched
with q strange detachment.
1t was all clear now. that was the
funny part of II. And she could never
explain 1t to the inspector never ex-
plain about the purple postcards.
Minis was gone and the light was
turned out but there was a strange
sioilant kissing In the room. That
meant that the gas was on. Now, a
sweetish choking heavlness poured
into the kitchen.
The air thickened into water. splash
ing waves that pounded higher and
higher around Miss Withers' ears.
railing asleep was very easy, but
waking was a thousand deaths rolled
into one. Someone was splashinnR
water IN her face and shouting her 1
name. 1t was typical Of Miss Withers, !
as she looked up at the inspector, to /
remember that water is not the anti Z
date for asphyxsiation.
Stop, you idiot, she told him. Mar
cia =. must have art-artificial /
Marcia was already having 1t. from
worried but efficient Prince Stanis-
aus. who still wore half Of a pair OF
handouts.
Miss withers sat up, blinked, oscar.
rhank heaven you came, but why?"
he smiled down at her. "On the way
rive past the Rialto theater. ilist on
he bunch. And I saw that 1Plirple
Death, paradox superspecial, star
ing Althea Ames, Is opening today"
and you guessed that the purple
postcards were only some publicity
mans idea :" Miss Withers was ex-
Ited. "Of course, that's what I tried
o tell you this afternoon. And OBJ
lously, when Voorhis was 50 fright
ned at receiving one, his precious
ecretary seized upon what she Thought
'as perfect opportunity to stranRle
Inn before running down to your Of
ice as he had ordered her to dol"
Piper nodded. Yeah, you're right.
md thought all the time ."He
)oked toward StanisIaus, who now
ED Marcia In his arms. I
He couldn't have done It," Miss
Vltners said, as she staggered to her
eet. He came here and found Voor-
is dead, I'll admit. But the rain didn't D.,
tart until after the discovery of the ,
the umbrella StanisIaus left !
ehtnd him was wet enough to dampen