Evening star., 1941-10-18

AIM oubs Ah'AANO PcooNN PAHeN~S "a
steaming food which Franklin and
Tom, at least, ate with relish. No
one attempted to make converSa-
ton. Desultory remarks passed
among them, but they were all wait
ing for the announcement Franklin
made when dessert had been cleared
away.
You will ell come into the library,
please. Including Ames and Mrs
Fowler.
Silently the group filed from one
room into the other. Franklin ar
ranged things as they had been
when Harrington sat there reading
the night before. He pulled chairs
around for all to sit down. Scrubby
took up his station inside the hall
door.
When all were seated. Franklin
began. I'VE have very interesting
case here. Nearly every one of you
in this room had cause to hate Tar
rington. His wife, because he was
plotting against her freedom; Stras-
son and Jane, because of the danger
IIOIll Ills lllC DdShl oChOJ
because he YVES indirectly, at least,
wrecking their lives: Felicity, be-
cause he was trying to use her posi-
ton for his own advantage" Frank
lin lifted one leg over the other
before he went on.
Tom Barnes and have pretty
clear idea of what happened here
last night. First. Mr. Harrington
came home and ordered Mrs. Fow-
ler to dispose of Mrs. Tarrington's
possessions"
Mrs. Fowler started to speak but
thought better of it.
Mr.. Harrington was curt and i'm
ton was overheard She went up
to bed. Jane, too, had gone to bed.
that is, she had gone upstairs.
She had no intention Of going TO
bed" Franklin looked toward Jane
who nodded family.
Edith Nearly Seen.
"She Was waiting for her hua-
band TO bring back a woman IN
whom he had become suddenly in
tereSted."
Il didn't care!' Jane flung out.
Harrington was expecting StraS-
son to return. but first came Mrs.
Blackjack. She was in trouble at
Tarringtons s gambling house. I suS-
pect Harrington was surprised to
see her, and no doubt a little
amused Anyway Franklin said in
a kindly tone, "he laughed at her.
She was interrupted in her call
by the return of Felicity and Stras-
son. Felicity went directly up to
bed and no doubt Strasson barely
missed seeing Edith Blackjack. Aft
er he had talked TO Harrington for
p short while. he ostensibly left.
Actually he went out the front door.
swung around the house where he
saw the murderer in the music
room -
Felicity felt little threads of eX-
citement run up her neck. She
glanced quickly about the room. but
no one had moved. Only Shirley
looked as if she thought of speak
ing
The voice went on. In the sum-
mer house he met Jane. who told
him what he had begun to suspect,
thai seeing more advantage Of him.
self without StraSson, Harrington
had started to throw Strasson TO the
wolves" Strasson made an imper-
ceptible bow
Now We come TO the aCutal mur-
der. The murderer came out of the
music room and into the library
through the hall. spoke to Tarring-
ton, who glanced up from his read
ing, shot him with his own gun,
wiped it, put it away wiped the
drawer handles. and went noiseleSsly
out of the room turning off the
light"
Felicity could feel the tension in
the room. Jane ran her tongue over
her lips, moving uncomtortably.
Shirley was intent on Franklin'S
face! StraSSon gaZed directly ahead
of him, and Mrs. FoWler's strange
eyes looked at something far away.
The Story Continues.
Then Jane and her husband
came back into the room to tax
Harrington with his duplicity. She
had to grope for the light, and what
they saw no doubt astounded them.
I have an idea Jane thought the
worst of StraSSon for a few min
utes." Jane shot Franklin a malevo-
lent look
They saw that he had in his
hand the damning statement. a
copy of which Jane had shown
StraSson at the summer house. They
lost their heads. for they placed a
paper easily traced to Jane in his
lap, open at, of all places for Tar
rington, the society page. l Won
dered at first where that paper came
from. Jane wasn't reading at the
summer house. She didn't want to
be seen there. I decided she had
carried the discriminating document
inside the folded newspaper in case
she was seen by Harrington. AS if
using her paper were not enough
studipitdy, they placed it on his
lap upside down.
Then Strasson found in his
pocekt the compact belonging to
Felicity. He placed this on the
table where on his first visit to the
library something else had been.
Jane gave herself away to Felicity
when she said it couldn't have been
suicide because there had been no
and stopped She was right;
there had been no gun.
Jane went to bed then, but not
to sleep. That was another error
of hers. She was obviously waiting
for the right moment to appear as
soon as she heard people stirring