The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-02-19

tracted her. The door of Fran's
big closet was open, and within the
closet the window must be open,
too, for the row of garments neatly
aligned upon hangers was in great
agitation.
Cherry went in and shut the win
dow, and coming back, picked up
the negligee that had fallen and re-
stored it to its hanger. She hated
the sight of it; that was what Fran
had worn on the night of the trag-
edy; she had had on this negligee as
she ran downstairs ahead of them
all.
Cherry stopped short, stood with a
suddenly arrested breath, with icy
fear touching her spine. The negli-
gee was slightly rumpled in one of
its folds. It had been squeezed to-
gether, loosened again. It had wiped
something oily and dark, something
metallic, something thick and liquid
that was stained with black.
A trifiing discoloration, the size
of woman's finger possibly. Not
noticeable at all, unless one hap
pened to look straight at it as Cher
ry was looking now. A crumpled
tiny circle, as if the cloth had been
forced into a small tube, tube as
small as pistol barrel, a finger
sized smudge that might have been
made by the oil from that barrel, by
the blackness of gunpowder.
soeaNgt,ss
When Cherry went downstairs old
Mrs. Marshbanks had had breakfast
and was sitting by the fire reading
the papers that announced the mar
riage of Amy Marshbanks to Count
Constantine the day before. Greg
was reading the sports news.
"Well, SO we have a countess
in the family" Mrs. Marsh
banks said grimly.
''She had said she would" Cherry
said. "And 1 suppose that under
the circumstances she wouldn't have
wanted big wedding"
'.He wouldn't have wanted big
wedding" the old woman said dark
ly; "the less publicity the better
for him!"
"He may really be in love with
Amy" Cherry offered, feeling that
now the mischief was done there
was no particular object in malign-
ing him.
eth cost Amy just about hun
dred grand" said Greg, from behind
the paper. "Fran says he's asked
her for money already"
mo, he didn't ask her, really;
she made him take it. She told me
so. She had a balance at the bank,
and she split it with him.
''The most generous little heart
in the world" mourned Amy's
grandmother.
Unbelievable as it might appear,
Cherry and old Mrs. Marsnbnks
were amicably conversing.
Only yesterday Cherry had
learned of the existence of those love
letters from Kelly to Fran. Cherry
was heartsick. He had told her that
he loved her, but only few months
ago he had loved Fran, too; how
could matters ever be straight
ened out now, so that her trust in
him could be restored?
Yesterdays second shock had
been the discovery that the gown
Fran had been wearing upon the
fatal night of the murder had been
stained with unmistakable marks Of
gunpowder and gun oil. Fran must
have been living in terror of its
discovery.
Lying awake in the night, Cherry
had seen that fatal little stain in
her minds eyes, had remembered
detail by detail the horrors of that
dark night when the judges shout
had rung through the house.
Had Fran had on that negligee
then? Cherry asked herself. Yes,
she thought she had. Certainly she
had not had it on short while
afterward, when the police arrived.
This morning Fran came down.
stairs while Cherry was finishing
her breakfast. Like the rest of the
household Fran was showing the
strain. She sat down and looked
at her grapefruit, pushed it restfully
away. Those letters worry me-"
she said.
what letters?" asked Mrs.
Marshbanks, cycling the younger
woman over her glasses.
.'Some letters Kelly Coates wrote
me-silly, perfectly harmless let
tiers, but wait until you see what
the papers make of theml" Fran
answered, impatiently.
ITO BE CONTINUED)