The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1943-05-20
W.N.u. RELEASE

it's not fair" Amy said. with re-
turn of her sullen manner.
Amy" Cherry said suddenly
The other girl looked up wearily
and without hope. ''You wouldn't
want Gogo to go away and leave
your" Cherry asked. stYou wouldn't
want to end it all here and now?"
She had gone too far. Amy's head
went up in anger and pride.
why, of course / wouldn't!" she
said coldly. "I'm his wife. I'm the
Countess Constantine, after all. No,
we'll work it out some way" Amy
finished, rising, without your help,
Cherry, but many thanks to you just
the same
A scream, dreadful in its high
pitched violence; woman's voice
shrieking, mo, no, mol" had rung
through the quiet of the late after
noon. Kelly abruptly left the room.
There was a moments terrible ST.
lence, and then Fran's voice, hys-
terical and choked with tears: mo,
no, no! They shan't! My darling,
they shan't! You didn't do it! dirt"
Then silence again except for a
low, indistinguishable murmur of
mems voices downstairs. Cherry
and old Mrs. Marshbanks remained
motionless, their eyes fixed on each
other. The older woman had col
lapsed into her chair, her face was
ghastly.
After an endless moment Kelly,
breathless, came back into the
room, his face grave.
They've arrested Franz" Cherry
managed to ask.
mo, not Fran. They told me
twenty minutes ago. after they had
him." Kelly said. "But they asked
me to wait for half an hour and to
be with you and Mrs. Marshbanks
when they made the arrest, and
told Fran. No; we've all been blind
as bats, Cherry. 1t was right under
our eyes, all the time. 1t was Rous-
seau."
Rousseau" the old woman'S
voice held resonance, like a bell.
Rousseau" Cherry whispered.
Kelly spoke quietly, struggling, his
arm about Cherry.
'He and Fran have been lovers
for MONTHS" he said.
''Kelly, he's boyl He's not twen-
ty."
"He's eighteen. But he gave his
age as twenty when the judge hired
him about year ago.
"Their affair began back in
April" Kelly went on. From the
very first she liked him, made
friend of him. He fell madly in love
with her, of course; that wasn't so
strange. But Fran became conn.,
pletely infatuated with him too.
They began to plan days in the
country; she just mothering him at
| first, advising him. And then, q
few months ago, she gave in, and
since then-poor grill He was the
stronger-Mullins told me all this
an hour ago when I came back-he
was the stronger, and whenever he
suspected anything like lovemaking
between her and the judge or anyone
else he threatened to kill her and
himself"
Cherry could only listen wide-eyed
while Kelly went on. THAT last
night" he was saying, Rousseau
was in a fury because the judge
had told him that he must be more
prompt when they called him. He
and Fran had been off all day, heav-
en- knows where! And then to have
to turn back into the servant again,
to drive them to Burlingame and
wait, with the other chauffeurs-it
was too much for him! He was be-
side himself with his idolatry of her,
he couldn't bear the thought of her
being down there with her husband,
dancing, being admired, perhaps
spending the night at the club. He's
only young boy, OF course, and the
tastes of luxury that Fran gave him
demoralized him, of course. She
bought him silk shirts, extravagant
lounging robes and neckties, gave
him money
"He said his mother was rich and
ran a big hotel and she sent them
to him!" May put in. She had come
| in to light Cherry's lamps.
That night the judge asked him
| to take the revolver and clean il"
Kelly said, "reproved him for lazi-
ness and told him that he and Mrs.
Marshbanks were going on little
holiday to Mexico City and would
not take him or the car. The poor
young fool blurted out that he loved
her, that she had belonged to him
for months, that he was going to
give up his position and find work
worthy of her.
'He says the Judge lunged at
him, across the desk, and that
he fired"
''It may have happened that way"
"Fran!" Cherry gasped. The old
er woman was apparently incapable
| of speech.
Fran knew Immediately, Kelly
went on. "She heard their voices
and was halfway down the stairs
when the end, came. Rousseau only
had to slip out, go to his room over
the garage, partly undress and come
running in with the others, as he
did. By that time she'd rushed into
the library and, I suppose, wiped
the gun on her dressing gown with
the feeling that there might be fin
gerprints on it."
He was the one person we never
thought of because he was here, right
under our eyes," Cherry marveled.
But, Kelly, whatever made them
| first suspect him? What gave him
away?"
Zone thing, they said. and then