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WEDNESDAY. APRIL 8. The Case of Jenny Brice PROLOGUE. - Was Jennie Brico murdered? - ishe were murdered, who was guilty of the foul deed ? If she were not done away with by an assassin, what became of her? . V/.'.cnc* aid she disappear? ' These and a few other inter esting questions are raised at once in this very clever tale of mystery written by a woman gfko is not only an adept at fpeiting fiction of this charac ter, but the possessor of a stylo that chains the interest by its clearness and directness and wins by its rich humor, I Continued From Yesterday I went cold nil over ond bad to clutch the railing. But when Terry had come and the two of them brought the thing to the surface it was only the dining room mg, which I had rolled up and forgotten to carry upstairs! At 1:30 Mr. Holcombe wrote a note and sent it off with Terry and, bor rowing my Itoots. which had been Mr. Pitman’s, Investigated the dining room and kitchen from a Hooting plank; the doors were too narrow to admit tbi boat But he found nothing more im portant than a rolling pin. He wns not at all depressed by his failure. He came back, drenched to the skin, about 8 and asked permission to search the Ladleys’ bedroom. “I have a friend coming pretty soon Mrs. Pitman.” he said, “a young news paper man named Howell. He's a nice boy, and if there Is anything to this I’d like him to have it for his paper. He and I have been having some arguments about eircnmstnntia! evidence, too, and 1 know he’d like to work on this.” I gave him a pair of Mr. Pitman’s socks, for his own were saturated and while he was changing them the tele phone rang. It was the theater again, asking for Jennie Brice. “You are certain she is out of the city?” some one asked, the same voice as in the morning. “Her husband says so.” “Ask him to come to the phone.” "He is not here.** “When do you expect him back?” “I’m not sure he is coming back.” "Look here.” said the voice angrily, "can’t you give me any satisfaction? Or don’t you care to?” Pve fcrtd you all I know.” “Yon don’t know where she is?” “No, sir.” "She didn’t say she was coming back to rehearse for next week’s piece T” "Her husband said she went away for a few days’ rest. He went away about noon and hasn't come back That’s all 1 know, except that they owe me three weeks’ rent that I’d like to get hold of." The owner of the voice hung up the receiver with a snap and left me pon dering. It seemed to me that Mr. Lad ley had been very reckless. Did he expect any one to believe that Jennie Brice had gone for a vacation with out notifying the theater? Especially when she was so rehearse that week? I thought it curious, to say the least I went back and told Mr. Holcombe, who put It down In his notebook, and together we went to the Ladleys' room. The room was In better order than usual, as I have said. The bed was made—which was out of the ordinary, for Jennie Brice never made a bed—but made the way a man makes one. with the blankets wrinkled and crooked be neath and the white counterpane pulled smoothly over the top, showing every hump beneath. I showed Mr. Hoi combe the splasher dotted with Ink as asual. ’Til take it off and soak it In milk,” 3 said. “It’s bis fountain pen. When the ink doesn’t ran be shakes it. and”— “Where's the clock?" said Mr. Hol combe, stopping in front of the mantel, iwltb bis notebook in his band. “The dock?" I turned and looked. My onyx clock (was gone from the mantel shelf. Perhaps it seems strange, but from the moment I missed that clock my rage at Mr. Ladley increased to a fury. It was all I had left of my former gentility. When times were hard and I got behind with the rent, as happen ed now and then, more than once I’d been tempted to sell the clock or pawn It But I bad never done it Its tick s tag had kept me company on many a lonely night and its elegance had help ed me to keep m.v pride and to retain the respect of my neighbors. For In the flood district onyx clocks are not plentiful. Mrs. Bryan, the saloon keeper's wife, had one, and I had an other—that is, I had had. I stood staring at the mark in the dust of the mantel shelf, which Mr Holcombe was measuring with a pock et tape measure. “You are sure you didn’t take it away BTourself, Mrs. Pitman?” he asked. “Sure? Why, I could hardly lift it.’ 1 said. He was looking carefully at the ob long of dust where the clock had stood. ’The key Is gone, too," he said, y busily making entries in his notebook “What was the maker's name?" “Why, I don't think I ever noticed!' He turned to me angrily. “Why • i By M ARY ROBERTS RINEHART didn't you notice?” lie snapped. "Good God, woman, do you only use youi eyes to cry with? How can you wind a clock time after time and not know the maker's name? it prows my con tention-tile average witness la totally unreliable.” "Not at all," 1 snapped. “I nra ordi narily both accurate and observing.'' “Indeed!'' he said, putting his bunds behind him. “Then perhaps <’au tell me the color of the pencil I have been writing with." "Certainly. Red." Moat pencils are red, and I thought thia was safe. But he held Ills light hand out with a flourish. ’Tvo been writing witli n fountain pen," he said in deep disgust and turned his back on me. But tile next moment he had run ti the wnsbstand und pulled it out from the wall. Behind It, where It hau fallen, lay a towel covered with stnln as if some one had wiped bloody hands on it He held it up, his face workin; with excitement I could only cove: my eyes ’This looks better." he said and he gan making a quick search of tic room, running from one piece of furui ture to another, pulling out bureai drawers, drawing the bed out from tin wull and crawling along the baseboard with a lighted match in his hand. Il> gave a shout of triumph finally and re appeared from behind the bed with the broken end of my knife in his hand. “Very clumsy,” he said; "vefy clurn sy. Peter, the dog, could have done better.” I had been examining the wall pnpei about the wnsbstand. Among the Ink spots were one or two reddish ones that made me shiver. And seeing u scrap of note paper stuck between the base hoard und the wull I dug it out with a hairpin and threw It into the grate, to be burned later, it was by the merest chance there was no fire there. The next moment Mr. Hoi combe was on his knees by the tire place reaching for the scrap. "Never do that under such clrcum stances,” he snapped, fishing among the ashes. “You might throw away valuable— Hello, Howell!” X turned and saw- a young man in the doorway, smiling, his hat in hi-* band. Even at that first glance I liked Mr. Howell, and later, when ev ery one was against him and many curious things were developing, I stood by htm through everything and even helped Idm to the thing he wanted more than anything else in the world But that, of course, was later. “What’s the trouble. Holcombe?” hi asked. “Hitting the trail again?" “A very curious thing that I jus: happened on,” said Mr. Holcombe “Mrs. Pitman, this is Mr. Howell, o! whom I spoke. Sit down. Howell, am let me read you something.” With the crumpled paper still uii opened in his band, Mr. Holcombe tool his notebook apd read aloud what In had written. 1 have It before me now “ ‘Dog meat, $3, bont hire'—that's no it Here. ’Yesterday, Sunday. Marc! 4, Mrs. Pitman, landlady at 42 L'nioi street, beard two of her boarders quar reling, a man and his wife. Man : name, Philip Ladley. Wife's nuun Jennie Ladley, known as Jennie Brie, at the Liberty Stock company, wher, she has been playing small parts.’ ” Mr. Howell nodded. “I’ve heard ol her,” he said. “Not much of an nc tress, I believe." “‘The husband wns also an actor, out of work, and employing his lalsuri time in writing a play.’ ” "Everybody's doing It” said Mr Howell idly. ‘The Sbuberts were to star him in this,” I put in. "He said that the climax at the end of the second act”- Mr. Holcombe shut his notebook with a snap. “After we have finished gossiping,’’ he said. "I'll go on.” " ‘Employing his leisure time in writing a plsy,’ ’’ quoted Mr. Howell. “Exactly. ’The husband and wife were not on good terms. They quar reled frequently. On Sunday they fought all day, and Mrs. Ladley told Mrs. Pitman she was married to a fiend. At 4 o'clock Sunday afternoon Philip Ladley went out. returning about 6 Mrs. Pitman carried their supper to (hem at 0, and both ate heartily. She did not see Mrs. Ladley at the time, hut heard her in the next room. They were apparently reconcll ed. Mrs. Pitman reporta Mr. Ladley in high good humor. If the quarrel recommenced during the night the oth er boarder, named Reynolds, in the next room beard nothing. Mrs. Pit ■tan was up and down until 1 o'clock, when she dozed off. She beard no un usual sound. " ‘At approximately 2 o’clock in the moraing, however, this Reynolds Canu te the room and said he bad heard some one in a boat In the lower hall He and Mrs. Pitman Investigated. The boat, which Mrs. Pitman uses during a flood and which she bad tied to the stair rail was gone, having bean cut loose, not untied. Everything else was quiet, except that Mrs. ladley s dog bad been shut in a third story room. "‘At a quarter after 4 that morning Mrs. Pitman, thoroughly awake, heard the boat returning and. going to tin stairs, met Ladley coming In lit muttered something about having gone for medicine for his wife and went ti bia room, abutting the dog out Thb la worth attention, for the dog ordlna rily slept In their room.’ ’’ _"What sort of a dog?” asked Mr Howell. He bud been listening at ten lively. “A water spaniel. ’The rest of the night or early morning wns quiet. At a quarter after 7 Ladley asked for cos fee and toast for one. and on Mrs. Pit man remarking this said that his wife was not playing this week and bud gone for n few days’ vacation, having left early in the morning.’ Remember, during the night he had been out for medicine for her. Now she was able to travel and, in fact, had started." Mr. Howell was frowning at the floor. “If he wns doing nnytiitng wrong, he was doing it very badly," he said. “This is where I entered the ense," said Mr. Holcombe. "I rowed Into the lower hall tills morning to feed the dog Peter, who was whining on the staircase. Mrs. Pitman was coming down, pale and agitated over the fact that the dog shortly before had found flonting In the parlor downstairs a slip per belonging to Mrs. Ladley and later a knife with a broken blade. Sbe main tains that she had the kidfe last night upstairs, that It was not broken and that it was taken from a shelf in her room while she' dosed. The question is, then. Why was the knife taken? Who took It and why? Has this man made away with his wife or has he not?” Mr. Howell looked at me aud smiled. “Mr. Holcombe aud I nre old enemies.” he said "Mr. Holcombe believes that circumstantial evidence may probably hang a man; I do not” And to Mr. Holcombe, "So, having found a wet slipper and a broken knife, you are pre pared for murder and sudden death!” “I have more evidence,” Mr. Hol combe said eagerly, and proceeded to tell what we had found in the room. Mr. Howell listened, smiling to hitn aelf, but at the mention of the onyx clock be got up and went to the man tel. “By Jove!” he said and stood looking at the mark in the dust “Are you sure the clock wns here yesterday?” “I wound it night before last and put the key underneath. Yesterday, before they moved up, I wound it again.” “The key Is gone also. Well, what of it, Holcombe? Did he brain her with the clock or choke her with the key?” Mr. Holcombe was looking at his notebook. "To summarize,” be said, “we have here as clews Indicating a crime, the rope, the broken knife, the slipper, the towel and the clock. He ■ldea, this scrap of paper may contain some information.” He opened it and sat gazing at it In bis palm. Then, “Is this Ladley'g writing t” he asked me In a curious voice. “Yes.” I glanced at the slip. Mr. Holcombe had Just read from his notebook: “Rope, knife, slipper, towel, clock.” The slip X had found behind the wasbstand said “Rope, knife, shoe, towel. Horn”— The rest of the last word was torn off. Mr. Howell was staring at the man tel. "Ciockl” he repeated. CHAPTER IV. £f1 T was after four when Mr. I Holcombe had finished going E? over the room. I offered to SeJ make both the gentlcmeu some tea, for Mr. Pitman bad been an Englishman, and I had got into the habit of having a cupful In the after noon, with n cracker or a hit of bread. But they refused. Mr. ilowell said he had promised to meet a lady, and to bring her through the flooded district in a boat. He shook hands with me and smiled at Mr. Holcombe. “You will have to restrain his en thusiasm, Mrs. Pitman,” he said. “He is a bloodhound on the scent If his baying gets on your nerves Just send for me.” He went down the stalls and stepped into the boat. “Remem ber, Holcombe,” he called, “every well constituted murder has two things— a motive and a corpse. You haven't either, only a mass of piffling details.”— “If everybody waited until be suw flames Inst cud of relying on the testi mony of the smoke,” Mr. Holcombe snapped, "what would the fire loss be?” Mr. Howell poled bis host to the front door and. sitting down, prepared to row out “You are warned, Mrs. Pitman,” he called to me. “If he doesn't find a body to (it the dews he’s quite capable of making one to fill the demand.” “Horn”— suld Mr. Holcombe, look ing at the slip again. “The tail of the ‘n’ is torn off—evidently only part of a word. Hornet, Horning, Horner— Mrs. Pitman, will you go with me to the police station?” I was more than anxious to go. In fact, I could nod bear the idea of stay ing alone in the house, with heaven only knows what concealed In the depths of that muddy flood. I got on my wraps again, and Mr. Holcombe rowed me out Peter plunged Into the water to follow aDd bad to be sent back. He sat on the lower step and whined Mr. Holcombe threw him an other piece of liver, but he did not touch It. Wo rowed to the corner of Robinson street and Federal—it was before Fed eral street was raised above the flood level—ond left the boat In charge of a boy there. And we walked to the po lice station. On the way Mr. Holcombe questioned me closely übout the events of the morning, and I recalled the in cident of the burned pillow slip. He made a note of it at once and grew very thoughtful To Be Continued Tomorrow • THE AUGUSTA HERALD. AUGUSTA, GA. j l co - BoT I / tfft-rten* H/ah JJ \ IsnrtWU ( Tst j IW I \ OH_ y %I /no Tri*hnc (ft- * e \ ' , V. To L-O-N-O-o-n I “THe OLb pxill ToeucHT ) fc«>SS ) C- Y/ ' . I —. . .. . . | - ” ' 1 J From the Diary of the Gambler February sth. Today I went into the casino though I take no Interest whittever In cards or gambling In any form. I consider it foolish to risk money you have earned by hard work even If there Is a chance that vou may get It Imck a hundred fold. I don’t cure for the big gamblers who risk fortunes at evdry spin of the wheel. The small gamblers are much more sympathetic. They understand their business, they have studied the mysteries of chance and Invented a sys tem which gives them a small goln every day. These. I think really earn their money, for they work for it. In a wny, but to throw money awtiy with full hands as most people here do, f don't und,e-stand. As a irtntter of fact I don’t understand how anybody enn ever play roulette’ It Is Incredible how crowded the rooms are and how carlessly the people throw their money on the green tallies I too threw down if five francs piece end lost It It wns dreadfully hot In there. I went outside and dl not return. February 6th. My Vielghhor at the dinner table tried to explain to me how there are certain rules and laws in every gnme of chance and particularly In roulette, for accord ing to certain never changing rides the balls always return to certain numbers According to his idea each number tins Its favorite days, which you are able to calculate In advance If you watch the game closely. If you place your money on such (i number nr one near 't you are sure to win Of course I dec ared that this wns sheer nonsense but he grew nngrv and said I should not talk of things I did not understand. ! tried to convince him that there could not pos sible he any laws In a game of chance ••Hut even chance Is subject to cer tain laws,” he said. "No,” I replied, “ns soon as law en ters. chance disappears." He did not want to give In and we dismissed the suhlect for a considerable length of time without getting nnv further At last we decided to trv our respective Ide s at the gambling tables tomorrow. What a fool that man Is: February 7th. We were both very punctual at the tables and made notes of the figures. The first number was seven, and after the fourth turn seven came out again “Put your money on seven and on th’ numbers from four to nine.” he said. I did and In n very short time I won f,nn francs T had to admit that he was right. He Is really an exceedingly smart and clever fellow In the after noon we took an automobile ride to Nice. The weather Is glorious. February Bth. T.ast night when I r ” tinted the monsy end looked at the gold coins, I had won. T thought the matter over. This money I said to myself I have got for nothing I have cot got It as a present from the bank. I have slmnlv taken It, The bank had to give ft to me. for I was the stronger. The amount, of course. Is a m<e-r trifle hut he who has never vet received monev as a present, knows that manv high officials have to work q Whole month for ROD francs he knows that It will pay tw weeks' hotel hills ■at a first-class seaside resort, and that Jit would make many a poor man hap- THE STAGE EXIT py, and then you wonder that It Is pos sible to make money so easily. Why shouldn't It be possible for me to win BftO francs every day? And even morel If I had the courage 1 might will even a thousand nay a hundred thousand frillies a day. Why not? If I am lucky tbes-e Is nothing to prevent It. It was very late when I fell asleep. / February 9th. I was at the Casino when the games opened und walked briskly through the rooms where they plan trente et quar ante. There Is really nothing attrac tive about that game You can never win Mny more than you risk. The best game, Indeed the only game Is mulatto where you may win three times as much us you risk. Today I again made i note of the number a which came out most frequently and staked my money on them They very seldom won. how ever, and I shonlfi have lost If I had not discovered what you may call the sixth sense. Instinct or foresight. It happened In this way. I wus star ing at the green field wllh the 86 num bers. The ball was already being started, It moved, when I Mt some thing suddenly I knew where It was filing lo stop I threw my money on treit figure. The next moment the hall stopped at my number or lit leust one very close to It. Another time while I was slating on the numbers, concentrating my whole mind on them a certain number sudden ly looked larger It seemed to raise It self and almost to shout to me: Htuke your money on me. And when It dbl not come the first time 1 was sure to w!n the third or fourth time How strange. If I had not played like u coward and risked only small amounts I should have won many thousand Francs As II whh I tied in he satisfied with SOU frnnes for towards tie end my Instlnet failed to resort Itself, my brain was getting tired. February 10th, Today 1 no t some friends and wr.wrnl on an excursion lo Cannes. We spent nil day there. I spent o Jot of mon ey much more than I had ever done it efore. MV Ideas of the value of mon ejf have changed. I had made money too easily. I wns n* times very ab sent-minded I was thinking <f money. February 11th. For six hours I sat at the roulette la hie. I d d not play with interest, did not concentrate rny mind and so my lick changed all the time Humbling after all Is verv fascinating. There Is nothing to whldi von may compare It. Kvrn love has Interva's. tired half hours and Interruptions during which your thoughts wander about, Even the most exciting drama on the stage does not hold your attention every second If lasts. You get tired when you are working but never while you nre gambling Gambling Is stronger even than life's other great sensation woman. On carp fide of me there nre w< men. wonderful beauties from Paris, but I never even look it them. No gambler ever looks at women, the game holds his whole at tention. February 12th. ! sat down et the roulette table and trusted my inatlnct. It was perfectly clear to me that I must plAy he figures, one, two, three I stalked accordingly. Strangely enough rnv numbers never came out. I raised my stakes Still they did not come. Impossible! In half an hour I lost everything I bad won nn.l all the money 1 had with me. As soon us my pockets were empty my numbers came out several limes in siicccmsloii. • grew furious. Napoleon must have felt like that when bis reserves failed to turn up at Waterloo, when their arrival tnlgbl have turned the ha I tit :n Ills favor. I was crushed. How could ! ever lose my bead like that’ Gambling Is simply disgusting, fit only for fools. February 13th. I am not going to play nnv more I linve added enough, bin I am getting excited at the thought that In the rou- Brothers Opponents; American Wives - -:=z.„ MRB. ALMERIC PAGET London, —Should the home rule con troversy come to a crisis It would place the two brothers, General Sir Arthur Paget, commander In chief of the English tjpreos In Ireland, and Al merlc Paget, one of the Unionist, und anti-home rule leaders of parliament. In a peculiar situation. Should the two brothers tie pitted against each other, all social London Is wondering whether their wives will take part In the estrangement. Both brothers married American girls, General Kir Arthur's wife being the former Miss Stevens, while Mrs. Alrnerlc Paget was Puulino Whitney. lette room! the halls are spinning ;*nrl the Kohl In failing in showers on the trouts «t qunruntc tables. Kvery moment them ia a chance for me to drop hi a couple of gold coins and return home with hundreds of thou* Hand*. At leusf I miKiit win hack wnut I have hat. I am going to try to do ihut anyway. February 14th I have given up vouleUr. A dull game! When there are .t 6 chances It i> natural ly very difficult to pick the right one. And then the crowd la rattier common, these women with their five trance placet* and their eternal quarrelling, ana these dirty buds that never atop where they ought to und the cold ftally-e.ved croupiers, who rake In the money. Die* guatiug! No 1 ahull never again play roulette. i am going to try trente et quarante. February 16th. Trente et quarunte la a real game. Chancea are even. The crowd Is more select und only gold la accepted. Next to me a gambler who lost made a row. “Thu hank lakes 7o million mince out of our pockets every year, * he said angrily. 1 don't understand such people. No laxly forced him to p:ay. lie may leave at any time he likes to walk Hi trie park and enjoy the view. I have woriiipilc of money. The weath er Is glorious. February Ifith , I can't stand this an longer. When i put my money on red. black wins. And If I fait It on black, red is sure tocome out/* Itougeg g.ipue et couleur" Wm times In succession. And 1 was among the losers. 1 might have won a for tune. 1 went to another table and threw all I had on one chance and lost. J have not a dingie fram left. I must telegraph home fur money, Gambling Is disgusting and not even interesting. It cannot lie compared with life which Is not huJf as dull. J shall leave here soon. MIGHT DO WORSE. Miss llogaboom (of Chicago)—And iri what profession Is your brother, Lord Humercy? Lord Hamercy o, when Algernon leaves Oxford university, don't you know, I fancy he will take orders. Miss Hogaboom (surprised) —Yes? Well, there arc some real nice gentle men travelling for papa.— fSjck. AN EYE TO THE FUTURE. “What's this you have Invented?” "A parachute, and it Is a success.'' “Hut Is there any demand for a parachute In ordinary Jlfe?" “Will be If gowns keep getting tighter. This is for women to use In getting off street cars.”—Loulsvillo Courer-Journal. SUFFICIENT PROVOCATION. “Why did you beat Dobson so ter ribly?" said the Judge, Indicating the be-banded figure of the plaintiff. “I asked him why a horse had run away, your honor,” explained the pris oner, “and he told me that It was because the animal had lost his equlnehmlty.” “H’m,” said the judge. “Discharg ed*”—- Lipplncott’s Magazine. FIVE