The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1940-03-07

Il
Mrs. Evans looked at him. ''You
know who did this" she said, with
out raising her voice.
He seemed not to hear her and,
turning his eyes full on me, he
asked again who found his niece.
'The maid, I think"
"When?"
"a few minutes ago. heard her
scream and"
you'd better call a DOCTOR"
Mrs. Evans interrupted sharply.
Its time something was done
around here"
eyes, of course" Mr.. Kimball
Strengthened his thin shoulders,
stared down at Sarah again and
walked uncertainty towards the
stairway.
"And the police" Mrs. Evans
added callously.
He turned around to me again.
'Do you know anything about this,
Miss Howarth? Did you hear any,
thing?" His mouth was twisted and
his eyes shone queerly.
shook my head.
He started down the stairs. CPL
call the police" he said lifeleSsly.
And then the maid got to her
feet and clung to the banister,
moaning. 4
Hush" said to Sarah. stop
that"
She stared at us, her bony red
hands pressed to her mouth. "He
wasn't in his room last night" she
whispered.
What was that?" Mrs. Evans
stepped closer.
Il said he wasn't in his room all
night"
who wasn't?" I asked.
"Mr. Macdonald, and him and
her was as thick as f1eas, and that
Mary Ann was hanging around all
the time, too"
The Cigarette Lighter
THEN Sarah looked at me. ''Who
L are you, anyway" Without
waiting for me to answer, she
started to wall again.
l took her by her thin arms and
shook her. "You must stop this" I
said sternly.
ooh, God, it's awful" she said.
"She was murdered right there
where she sat, here in this very
house" She buried her face in her
apron. "And Miss Joan such pref
ty GIRL" she Sobbed.
Mrs. Evans started up the stair
way to the third floor. Handsome
is as handsome does" she snapped,
looking down at us. 81 knew this
would happen. And know who
did it,"
Sarah stared up at her. "Who?"
Never you mind. I know. My
husband warned me-"
The maids head dropped and
there was terror in her pale blue
eyes as she turned and ran scream
ing down the stairs. Mrs. Evans
disappeared in the third floor
hall and from somewhere upstairs
came the sound of a dogs shrill
bark.
Nineteen George Street." I told
myself, is a madhouse."
What in heavens name had Mrs.
Evans said that would give Sarah
such a fright?
stared after the flying figure of
the girl. She ran into the shop and
l could hear her talking excitedly
to Mr. Kimball, but I couldn't catch
word of it. Finally hequieted her
somehow, because she came into
the lower hall and disappeared.
The house was quiet-a dead ST.
lence-and / wondered where the
rest of the inmates were keeping
themselves. Then the street door
slammed and / could hear loud
talking, mems voices. The doctor
or the police had evidently arrived.
went back to my own apart
ment. 1t seemed strange that the
room hadn't changed. So much had
happened since I had Weakened.
The bedclotheS were tumbled, just
as l had thrown them off when /
heard Sarah scream. It seemed as
though I'd been up for hours, yet
when looked at my watch it was
only half-past nine. I felt little
unsteady and awfully cold. And
for the first time I was conscious
that I'd been running around in
bright yellow pajamas and a pink
bathrobe with my hair falling
down over my shoulders. No won
der the maid was hySterical.
Just inside of the door I kicked
something with the toe of my Slip
per that shot across the floor and
under the bed. / got down on all
fourS and crawled under to fish it
out. This time / did think of fin
gerprintS, because / was pretty
sure it wasn't mine, so | picked It
up gingerly with my handkerchief,
backed out and took it to the win
dow to get a good light on it. A
silver cigarette lighter, and on one
side there was a monogram:
"a. ]. W." I repeated the initials to
myself, but they didn't mean
thing, so I laid it on the chest of
drawers beside my own lighter.
It was still cold. had run out
without closing the windows, so |
brushed the snow off the SillS, try
ing not to think of the snow on the
floor in the other apartment. Even
though the girl was dead 1t seemed
awful to leave her there by the
window with the cold wind blow
ing in. My knees got shaky when
ever I thought of her.