Newspaper Page Text
TWELVE
The Case of Jenny Brice
By MARY ROBERTS RINEHART
PROLOGUE.
, Was Jennie lirice murderid/
If she ni( re murdered, who wa
guilty of the f<ul deed?
If the were not dune own-’
with by an assassin, what becani
of her?
Whence did she disappear ?
These and a few other inter
osting questions are raised <
one* in this very clever tale at
mystery written by a womtu
who is not only an adept a
writing fiction of this charac
ter, but the possessor of a styh
that chains the interest by it>
O loarness and directness ana
wins by its rich humor.
Continued From Yesterday
She bad ably u little time. being dm
at the theater aoou. hut she nut down
and told tue tbe story ahe told after
ward on tba ntand:
She had known Jennie Brlee for
yearn, they having been together In
the cbonw an long before nn Nadjy
•‘She wan married then to a fellow
•a tbe vaudeville circuit." Minn Hope
aald “He left her about that time,
and ahe took up with Ladley. I don't
think they were ever married."
**Wbat!" 1 aald. Jumping to my feet,
“had they name to a respectable bonne
like tblnl There'* uever been a breath
of scandal a Iron t thin house. Mina Hope,
aad If It come* out I’m ruined "
“Well, perhaps they were married,'
nhe raid. "Anyhow, they were always
guar, ling And when be wasn’t play
lag It wan worse She used to come
to my hotel and cry her eyes out.”
"I knew you were friends," I said
“Almost the last thing ahe said to me
was about the black and white dress
of her* you were to borrow for the
pier# this week."
“Black and white dress! I borrow
•ne of Jennie Brice’* dresses!" ex
claimed Mins Hope. "I should think
not I have plenty of my own."
That puuled me, for she had said
It, that wan sure. And then I remem
bored that 1 had not seen the dreas
In the room that day, and I went to
look for It. It was gone. I came hack
and told Miss Hope.
“A black and while dresn! Did It
have a red collar?" ahe asked
"To*.”
‘Then I remember 11. She wore a
■mall black hat with a red quill with
that dress. You might look for the
bat”
She followed me back to the room
and stood In the doorway while I
searched. The hat was gone, too.
“Perhaps, after all. he's telling the
trntb." ahe aald thoughtfully. "Her
fur coat Isn't In the closet, la It?"
It was gone. It la strange that all
day I bad never thought of looking
ovar her clothes and seeing what was
missing I hadn't known all ahe had
of course, but I had aeon her all win
ter in her fur coat and ndmlred It It
was a striped fur, brown and gray,
and very unusual But with the coat
missing and a dress and hat gone, it
began to look na If I had been making
a fool of myself and stirring up a
tempest In a teacup. Miss Hope was
as pnssbsl aa I was
“Anyhow If he didn't kill her,” ahe
aald, "It Isn’t because he did not want
to. Only last week she hud hysterics
In my dressing room and said he had
threatened to poison her It was all
Mr. Bronson, the business manager,
and I could do to quiet ber."
She looked at ber watch and ex
claimed that she was late and wonld
have to hurry, 1 saw her down to her
boat The river had tteen falling rapid
ly for the last hour or two, and 1
heard the boat scrape as It went over
the door till. 1 did not know whether
to be glad that the water was going
« -V J*
“Petiri" | laid. "Poor eld Peterl"
down, and 1 could live like a Christian
again or to be sorry for fear of what
we miff tit find In the mud that waa al
mja left. *
I’eter wax lying w Mere I h.ul pu
him. on a folded blanket laid In
clothes basket I went back to hln
and sat down ticeMe the basket
“Peter”' I said. "Poor old Peter!
Who did this to you? Who hurt you?
He looked at me and whined, as If hi
wunted to tell me If only lie could.
"Was It Mr Jjidley?" I asked. And
the |s>or thing cowered close to bis bed
and shivered I wondered If It had
heeu he and If It had why he had coral
hack. Perhaps he had remembered
the towel. Perhaps he would coni'
again and spend the night there. I war
like Peter I cowered and shivered a
the very thought
At II o'clock I heard u boat at th'
door. II had stuck there, and Its occi
pant wna scolding furiously at Hi
boatman. Soon after I beard splash
lug, and I knew that whoever It wn
was wading back to the stairs throng!
the foot and a half or so of water stll
In the hall I ran back to my roon
and locked myself In and then sti o<
arny-d with the stove lid lifter In cast
It should he I,adley and he sliouh
break the door lu.
The steps came up tbe stairs, nn
Peter barked furiously. It scenic
to ine dial this was to lie my end. kill
ed like a rat In a trap and thrown on
the window, to float like my Idtche:
cliHlr, Into Mol He Maguire's kltchci
or to he found lying In the oose of tie
yard ufter the river bad gone down
The steps hesitated at the top of tin
stairs and turned buck along the hull
Peter redoubled Ills noise lie novel
burked for Ml Iteyuolds or the l.ad
leys. I stood atlll, hardly uhle h
breuthc The door was thin and lie
lock loose One good blow, and
The doorknob turiosl, and I screamed
I recall tlmt the light turned black ale
that Is all 1 do reuiem!>er until I cane
to a half hour later and saw Mr. I lot
combe stooping over me. The dooi
with the lock broken, was standing
open. I tried to move, and then I saw
that my feet were propped up on tie
edgo of Peter's basket.
"Better leave them up." Mr. 110 l
come said. "It sends the hlisid hack
to the head Half the fool people
In the world stick a pillow under a
fainting woman's ahouldera. (low arc
you now?"
"All right." I said feebly. "I thought
you were Mr. Ladley."
He helped uie up. and I ant In a
chulr and tried to keep my lips from
aha king. Ami then I saw that. Mr
Ilolcondie had brought a suit case will
klui aad hud set It Inside the door,
"Ladley Is safe until he gets hull
anyhow," lie said. "They picked bin
up aa he was boarding a Pennsylvania
train bound east "
“For murder?” I asked.
"As a suspicious character," he re
piled grimly. "Thut docs ns well o>
anything for n time." He sal down
opposite me and looked at me Intently
"Mrs Pltmuu," he suld, "did yoi
ever bear the story of the horse thic
wandered out of a village and coni'
not t># found?"
1 shook my head.
"Wall, the I test wit of the villm
failed to locate the horse. Bat on
day the village Idiot walked into tow
leading the missing animal h.v lla
bridie. When they naked him how In
had done It, he said. "Well, I irst
thought what I'd do If I was a fc.vm
and then I went and did It."
“I see," 1 aald, humoring him.
"You don't see. Now, what ant we
trying lo do?"
“We're trying to find a body. I>o you
Intend to become a corpse?"
He leaned over and taliped on tile
table between ua. "We are trylUK to
prove a crime. I Intend for the time
to be a crlu |*i:il,"
He looked mi curious, bent forward
and glaring at me from under Ids
bushy eyebrows, with Ills shoes on tils
knee for lie luid taken them oIT to
wade to the stairs and Ills trousers
rolled to his kneea, that 1 wondered If
he was entirely sane. Hut Mr. 110 l
combe, eccentric as lie might Is*, was
aune enough.
"Not really n criminal!"
"As really ua lies in me 1 tsten, Mrs
rttman. I w ant to put mj self In Lad
ley's place for a day o- two, lire as he
lived, If I can. 1 am going to sleep In
bts room toulght. with your portals
slon."
I could not see any reason for object
ing, although 1 thought It silly and use
less. I bat the way to the front door,
Mr Holcombe following w ith Ids shoes
and suit case. ] lighted a lamp and
be stood looking around him.
"1 see you have been here since we
left this afternoon,’; he said
"Twice,” 1 replied. "First with Mr.
(leaves, and later" -
The words died on my tongue. Some
one had been In the room since my last
vlalt there
"He has been here!" I gasped. "I
left the room In tolerable order. Look
at tt!"
"When were yon here last?"
"At 7:30, or thereabouts."
"Where were you lietween 7:30 and
8:30?”
"In the kitchen with Peter." I told
him then alsmt the d«g and about ttml
Ing him shut In the room
The wnshstand was pulled out. The
sheets of Mr. Igidley'a manuscript, usu
ally an orderly pile, were half on the
floor. The lasi coverings had tssui
Jerked off and flnug over the hack of a
chair
Peter Imprisoned might have moved
tile washstand and upset the manu
script. Peter had never put the bed
elolhfng over the chair or broken bla
own leg.
"Humph!" he said. And, getting out
hla notebook, he made an exuct memo
randum of what I hud told him and of
tbe condition of tbe room. That done,
be tnrncd to me.
“Mrs. Pitman." he said, "I'll thank
you to call roe Mr. Ladley for the next
day or so. I am an actor out of era
ployroent, forty one years of age, abort,
stout and bald, married to a woman I
would like to tie quit of, and I am
writing myself a play In which th*
Khuberta Intend to star me or In which
I Intend the Kliiibertn to star me."
"Very well, Mr. luidley." 1 aald, try
ing to enter Into the spirit of the thing
and, Cod knows, seeing no humor In It.
“Then you'll like your soda from th*
loeboi?"
"Soda? For what?"
"For your whisky and soda before
you go to lied, sir."
“Oh, certainly, yes. Bring the aoda.
And Just a moment, Mrs. Pitman.
Mr. Unicornis, la a total uhstalner and
has always been so. It Is Ijidley, not
Holcombe, who takes tills abominable
■tuff.'’
I said I quite understood, but that
Mr. Ladley could skip a night If be ho
wished. But tire little gentleman
would not hear to It, and when I
brought the s<xlh poured himself a dou
blo portion. He stood looking nt It.
with bla face screwed up, as If the
eery odor revolted him.
"The chances are," he said, "that
ladley- that I having a nasty piece
of work to do during the night, would
—will lake a larger drink than usual.”
He rained the glass, ouly to put it
down. “Ilon't forget," he said, "to
put a large knife where you left the
one last night. I'm sorry the water
has gone down, hut I shall Imagine It
atlll at the seventh step. Hood night,
Mrs. Pitman."
"Good night, Mr. Ladley,” I said,
smiling, "and remember, you are three
weeks In arrears with your board."
His eyes twinkled through his spec
tscloa. “1 shall Imagine it paid,” be
said
I went out, and I heard him rinse the
door behind me. Then, through the
door, I heard a great sputtering and
coughing, and I knew ha had got the
whisky down somehow. I put the
knife out, as he had asked me to, and
went to lied. I wss ready to drop.
Not even the knowledge thut an
Imaginary Mr. laidloy was about to
commit, an Imaginary crime In the
bouse that night could keep me awake.
Mr. Reynolds came In at 11 o'elock.
I was roused when he banged his door.
That was all I knew until morning.
The sun on my fare wakened me.
Peter, in his basket, lifted bis head
as I moved and thumped bis tall
against his pillow In greeting I put
on a wrnpper and called Mr. Reynolds
by knocking at Ids door. Then I went
on to the front room. The door was
closed, and some one beyond was
groaning My heart stood still, and
then raced on. I opened the door and
looked In.
Mr. Holcombe was on the bed. fully
dressed. He had a wet towel tied
around bis head, and his face looked
swollen and puffy. He opened one
eye and looked at me.
“What u night!" he groaned.
“What happened! What did you
find?”
He groaned again. "Find!" he said.
“Nothing, except that there was some
thing wrong with that whisky. It
poisoned me. I haven't been out of
the house!"
So for that day at least Mr. Ladley
became Mr. Holcombe again, and as
•itch accepted lee In quantities, a mus
tard plaster over bis stomach and con
sldcrnhle nursing By evening he was
(letter, but although he clearly In
tended to stay on, he said nothing
about changing bis Identity again, ami
I was glad enough. The very name of
Ladley was horrible to me.
The river went down almost entirely
that day, although there was consider
able water In the cellars. It takes
time to get rid of that. The lower
floors showed nothing suspicious. The
papers were ruined, of course, the
doors warped and sprung and t-ha
floors coated with mud and debris.
Terry came In the afternoon, and to
gether we hung the dining room rug
out to dry In the sun.
As I was coming In I looked over
at the Maguire yard. Molly Maguire
was there and all her children around
her, gaping. Molly was hanging out to
dry a sodden fur coat that had once
been striped brown and gray.
I went over after breHkfnst and
claimed the coat as belonging to Mrs.
Ladley. But she refused to give it up.
There Is a sort of unwritten law re
garding the anh age of flood articles,
and 1 had to leave the coat, ns 1 had
my kitchen chair. But It was Mrs.
Ladley's beyond a doubt
1 shuddered when I thought how it
had probably got Into the water. And
yet it wss curious, too, for If ahe had
bad It on. bow did tt get loose to go
floating around Molly Maguire's yard?'
And If she bad not worn It how did
It get In ttu> 'V ter?
T° Be Continued Tomorrow
PUTTING AN I OUT.
Miss Kit Sec Mis* Upper over
there! She thinks she's beautiful, evi
dently But. my dear, that serene
poise of tiers ts merely pose.
Miss Kat—l Know It. Strange that
the elimination of an “l" should leave
a trait so egotistical.—National
Monthly.
THE AUGUSTA HERALD. AUGUSTA, GA.
nfelM' In mnst annrnfjri
W,'
$22.50 SUITS at . $15.95
$25.00 SUITS at sl9 95
$27.50 SUITS at $21.75
Soft, pretty dresses, spiek, span, freshly new, in the /
best styles of the moment. The colors, too, are beautiful,ma-[
terials the very latest Crepe do Chines, Canton Crepos,
Crepe Meteors, Taffetas, Ratines, Crepes, Linens and
Voiles. Every one beautifully fashioned, with puffs, ruffles,
panniers and bustle effects, with the daintiest imaginable
trimmings. See how the prices for this sale are lowered:
$ 7.1*0 Dresses at .. $ 4.98
SIO.OO Dresses at . .$ 7.50
$12.50 Dresses at . SIO.OO
$15.00 Dresses at . $12.50
The Table Linen Specials for
This 10 Days is Wonderful
70 inch extra heavy fine Damask, good range
of fine patterns. This Damask would he good
value at 85c per yard. In this sale at,
per yard 59£
72 inch full bleached, all pure linen Satin Dam
ask, our regular SI.OO grade, this'sale
onJy, , 89<^
72 inch extra fine, heavy, all pure linen Satin
Damask, which would be good value on any
market at $1.31) to $1.50; our special sale
price at 10<*
ready-hemmed mercerized Napkins, at, per
dozen 60<*
Good, lartge size, ready-hemmed Napkins, at,
per dozen SI.OO
All-pure linen Napkins, at, per dozen . SI.OO
Large size, all-pure linen Napkins,
worth $1.75 per dozen, at $1.39
36x36 ineh, all-pure linen hemstitched Lunch
Cloths, worth SI.OO, at 75c 4
45x45 ineh $1.25 linen Lunch Cloths, at SI.OO
54x54 inch $2.00 all-linen Lunch Cloths, at
only . $1.25
Domestics for This Big Sale
36 ineh 7i/ 2 e Sea Island at 5<
7Ue Apron Ginghams, at s<*
45 inch bleached genuine Indian Head,
worth 20c the yard the world over, at .. 16<*
0-4 bleached Peppered Sheeting, worth 32L>c
per yard, this sale at 26^
20c 45 inch Pillow Casing, at 15^
36 inch White Line-no, worth 121/**, at .. 10^
36 inch white Pajama Cheeks, worth 12y 2 e
per yard, at 944^
36 inch full bleached Peppered Drilling, at
per yard 121/I*^
THE WISE DRY GOODS CO.
Is most appropriately represented at this store . Vast
quantities of beautiful Easter merchandise bewildering
attractive is every where about and offered in this the
wind up of our big ten day sale Cit most remarkable
price sacrifices.
SUITS AND
DRESSES
Yes, though new, we are offering
them at tremendous reductions. It’s
really a big Easter display and you are
specially invited to inspect them. Please
note these quotations of* reduced prices:
IN ALL ITS GLORY
$30.00 SUITS at ..$23.50
$35.00 SUITS at . $25.00
$40.00 SUITS at . $29.95^
$20.00 Dresses at ..$15.00
$25.00 Dresses at . S2O 00
$30.00 Dresses at .. $23.50
$40.00 Dresses at .. $25.00
The latest Creations from Fashion Authori
ties in Wash Goods Awaits You at Prices
That Should Surprise the Most •
Economically Inclined
Beautiful range of striped and check Crepes,
worth 35c per yard, at 29C
White ground Ratines, with colored embroid
ered dots, worth 35c per yard, at 29<*
Brocaded Ratine, worth at least 98c per yard,
special at 69^
36 inch colored Ratine?, worth 65c to 75c p(*r
yard, reduced to 49<*
$1.25 36 ineh Silk and Cotton Ratines at . 98£
Exquisite line of Floral Crepes, in the daint
iest imaginable patterns and colors, at, per
yard 25^
35c striped Etamines at 25C
35c fancy Cotton Suitings, reduced to ..
25c and 35e colored Madras, for men’s shirts
arid children’s and ladies’ drfsses, at .. ..
44 inch white Nub Crepes, worth $1.25 per
yard, at 98£
The Greatest Silk Sale in the
History of Our Business
Fashion Authorities Say Silks*=We \'.r ;
Them, See Below The List
Thousands of yards of silks of the highest standard of quality
are represented in this sale. The most fashionable weaves and
colors only are exhibited.
35-Inch extra heavy Silkhack Messaline, about 25 of the very
newest shades, including black and white; nothing on the ma r
ket better at *1.25 per yard; yours tn this sale at 9fv'
Beautiful lot of'printed Ciepe de Chines, in the latest colors
and designs, at '7s'-
Yard-wide Tub Silks, in neat stripes, worth *I.OO per
yard, at 85'’
40-inch Crepe Meteors, big lot just arrived; all we ask you to
do Is to compare It with any *3.00 value on the market; In tnc
very latest shades, also black and white; extra special price,
while the lot lasts, at.. SI f)8
Cheney Brothers' *I.OO Showerproof Foulards, for this sale.
at 850
Big lot of new Silk Tissues, In all the leading shades,
fine for princess slips, at - 250
27-inch white Tub Silks, the real genuine wash kind; worth
76c per yard, at 50 r
27-tnch genuine Spot Proof and Perspiration proof Black
Habutai Silks, worth 75c per yard, at 50'!
Fashion dictates call loud for Taffetas; we have them; come
and see what we have; the best ones on the market
for II 25
#. j x
HI /a %
Mill
,arv mum w\ v \
<• * i i mvf
IIS'II if
■lip
FRIDAY. APRIL 10.