I
Complete Line Of
Groceries
A lso
Shoes
*>
I Jennie Epee
for men, women
and children.
Shirts Collars Socks | work and dress |
Underwear
Gloves|work|
Overalls
Trouse-s
Neckties
Suspenders
Handkerchiefs
Notions
Corsets
Hose
Outing Flannels
Calicoe
Muslin
Gingham
Umbrellas
Threads
Make this your headquarters while at
tending the Saturday picture shows.
We pay CASH for E^gs
“ The Quality Grocers”
Wdterbury & Chapman
Estarada,
•
Oregon
$50. Stove
TO
BE
Disposed of May 15th
Every piece of Blue Granit Ware ticketed
Youi choice of Rockers $2 25 up.
Estacada
! I lse Case of
i-7>
Fu rn itu re
Green Tra tin* Stamps
$2. a day.
Co.
Undertaker«
$10. a week
Hotel Estacada
Modern Conveniences
One nl the most delightful
Resorts on the Coast
Local and Tourist Trade Solicited
This
Week
Co ¡gates Talcum P ow der
and
Japanese Cup and Saucer
For only
25c
Estacada Pharmacy
By
I MARY ROBERfS RINfHART
► I some ilifortmtUou ” lie o|*cncd it and
! I *111 gazing at it in his paliu. Then.
! '*1* Ibis Ladley’* writing?” he asaed
’ I me in a curious voice.
| “ Y es”
I glanced at the slip Mr. Holcombe
hud Just read from his notebook:
“ Hope, knife, slipper, towel, clock.”
Tile slip i bad found behind the
wash-stand said “ Hope, knife, shoe,
towel
Horn” - The rest of the lust
word was torn off
Mr Howell was sturlug at the man
tel
"Clock!" he repeated.
CHAPTER IV.
was after four when Mr.
Holcombe had tluished going
over the room
1 offered to
make both the geutlemeu
Continu®d from last issue
some tea, for Mr. Pitiuun hud beeu an
morning. however, this Reynolds came Luglishmuu. uud 1. had got into the
to the roon und said he had heard habit of Inning a cupful in the after
Home one in a bou^m the lower hall. uoou. with a cracker or a bit of breud.
He uml Mrs Pitman investigated. The But they reiused Mr Howell said bt;
boat, which Mrs Pitman uses during a had promised to meet a lady, and to
fiood and whieh she had lied to the bring her through the ffooóed district
stair rail was gone. Having b. eii cut in a boat, lie shook bauds with me
loose, not ^.untied
Everything else and sinned at Mr Holcombe
“ You will have to restrain his eu
was quiet, except that Mrs. Laoley's
¿log had been abut in u third story thusiasm. Mrs Pitman, lie stud "H e
is
a bloodhound on Ihe scent, if his
room.
“ 'At a quarter after 4 that morning buying gets on youi nerves just send
He went down the stalls
Mrs. Pitman, thoroughly awake, h.nid for me.’
itemein
tile boat returning and. going to the und stepped into the boat
stairs, met Ladley coining in
lie ber. liolcomne. ’ lie called, “every well
muttered someth.ng about having gone constituted murder'has two things
a aioiive and a corpse, tuu haven ¡
for medicine for his wife and went to
either ouiy a mass of piffliug details "
his room, shutting the dog out
Plus
" it everybody waited until he saw
is worth attention, for the dog ordinu
ffuiues instead ui relying on the testi
rily slept in their room ’*
uiony ui the smoke. Mr Hoicoujtic
“ What sort of a dog?" asked Mr
snapped, "what would the tire loss
Howell
He had beeu listening atten
be?”
tively.
Mr Howell poled his boat to tin
“ A water spaniel
‘The rest of the
front door aud. sitting down, preparer I
night or early morning was quiet At
to row out
a quarter after 7 Ladley asked for cof
"You are warned. Mrs. Pitman,’’ he
fee and toast for one. and on Mrs. Pit
called ft*« sue. “ If he doesn t ffud a
man remarking this said that Ids wife
body to dt the clews he’s quite capable
was uot playing tills week and had
of making one to dll the demand
gone for a few days vacation, havin'
“ Horn
said Mr Holcombe, look
left early in the morning
llemember.
lug at the slip again
“ The tall of
during tile night lie had l»eeu out for
the *n is torn off evidently only part
luedlciue for her Now she was able
of a word Hornet Homing. Horner--
to travel and. in fact, had started ”
Mrs IMtmuu, will you go with me to
Mr Howell was frowning at the
tile police station?
door.
“ I f he was doing anything
1 was more than »minus to go. in
wrong, he was doing it very badly.’
fact, 1 could not be.» Hie idea of stay
he said
ing alone in the uouse. with heaven
“ This Is where I entered the case.“
only knows wna< concealed in the
said Mr Holcombe. "I rowed Into the
depths of tnet inndil.v Mood I got on
lower hall this morning to feed the
my wraps again, mat Mr Holcombe
dog Peter, who was whining on the
rowed uie out Peter plunged into the
staircase
Mrs. Pitman was cotniug
I water to follow and had to he seut
down, pale and agitated over the fact
, back
He sat oil the lower step and
that the dog shortly before had found
i whined Mr Holcombe threw’ him an-
Boating in the parlor downstairs a slip
! other pie« e of liver, but lie did not
l»er belonging to Mrs Ladley and later
j touch it
a knife with a broken blade She main
We rowed to the o'fier of Lobinsón
tains that she had the knife last night
upstairs, that It was not broken and street and Federal—it was before Fed
that It was taken from a shelf I d her eral street was raised above the Hood
¡ level—and left the boat in charge of u
room while she dozed
The question
l»oy there. And we walked to the po
Is. then. Why was the knife taken?
lice station. On tlie way Mr. Holcombe
Who took it und why? Has this man
j questioned me closely about the events
made away with his wife or has he
of the morning, and 1 recalled tlie in
not ?“
cident of the burned pillow slip. He
Mr Howell looked at me and smiled
made u note of it at on. e and grew
“ Mr Holcombe and I are old enemies.”
very thoughtful
he said
‘ Mr Holcombe believes that
He left me. however, at tlie police
circumstantial evidence may probably
station. “ I’d rather not appear in this.
hang a man; I do not” And to Mr
Mrs. Pitman.” lie stud apologetically,
Holcombe. “ So. having found a wet
“ uud I think better along uiy own
slipper and a broken knife, you arepre
Hues—not tiiat I have anything against
pared for murder and sudden death!”
the police; they’ ve done some splendid
“ I have more evidence.” Mr. Hoi
work
But this cas** takes imagina
com IH? said eagerly, and proceeded to
tion. und the police department deals
tell what we had found in the room
with facts
We have no facts yet
Mr Howell listened, smiling to him
What we need, of course, is to have
self. but at tlie mention of the onyx
the mau detained until we are sure of
chick he got ii(» and went to the uiun
our case.”
tel
_
He lifted his hat and turned away,
“ By Jove!” he said und stood looking
and 1 went slowly up the steps to the
at the mark in the dust “ Are you sure
police station
IJviug. as I had. in a
the clock was here yesterday?"
neighborhood where the police, like the
“ I wound it night l»efore last und put
the key underneath Y esterday, before poor, are always with us, und where
the visits of the patrol wagon are one
they moved up, I wound It again.”
"'Hie key is gone ulso
Well, what of those familiar sights that no amount
of it. Holcombe? Did he bruin her of repetition enabled any o f us to treat
with the clo< k or choke her with the with contempt. I was uncomfortable
until 1 remem)>ered that my grandfa
key r
Mr. Holcombe was looking at his ther had been one of the first mayors
notebook
"To summarize,“ he said, of the city und that. If tlie patrol had
"w e have here as clews indicating a been at my house more than once, the
crime, the rope, the brokeu knife, the entire nelghliorhood would testify that
ulip|»er, the towel and the clock. Be
iuv boarders were usually orderly.
y
C op yrigh t, 1913. b y the Bobbs-
M e r r ill C om pany
T
m si
At the door some one touched me on
I the arm. It was Mr. Holcombe again.
“ 1 have been thinking it over.' tie
1 suiti. “ and I believe you'd betier uot
, mention tlie piece of paper that you
I found behind the washstuud
They
might say the whole thing is a hoax.”
“ Very well." 1 Mgreed, and went In.
Tlie police sergeant In charge knew
me ut once, having stopped at my
house more thau once in tlood time for
a cup of hot coffee.
"Sit down. Mrs. Pitiuun.” he said. ’ I
suppose you are still making tlie best
coffee and doughnuts In tlie city of A l
legheny? Well, what’s the trouble in
your district? Want an injunction
against the river for trespass?”
“ The river has brought me a good
hit of trouble.” 1 said. “ I’m- I’m wor
ried. Mr Sergeant I think u woman
from my house has beeu murdered, but
I don't know.'
“ Murdered!” he suid. and drew up
ids chair “ Tell me ab^ut it.”
I told him everything, while he sat
buck with his eyes half closed and Ins
fingers heating a tattoo on the arm of
his c hair
When I finished he got up and went
into an inner room, lie came back in
a moment
“ 1 want you to come in and tell tiiat
to the chief.” lie said, and led the way
All told. I repeated uiy story three
times that afternoon to the sergeant,
to the chief of police and I he third
time to both the others and two de
tectives.
The second time tlie chief made notes
of what 1 said.
“ Know this man Ladley?" he asked
the others. None of them did. but they
all knew of Jennie Brice and some of
them had seen her in the theater
“ Get the theater. Tom.” the chief
said to one of the detectives.
„Luckily what he learned over tlie
telephone from the the.iter corrobor
ated my story Jennie Brice was n t
In the cast that week, but should h ive
reported tiiat morning (Monday» to re
hearse the next week's piece. No m a
nage had been received from her and
l substitute had been put in !n*r place.
The chief hung up tin* receiver uud
turned to me “ Y'ou are sme ubout the
clock Mrs 1'LilianV" lie asked.
“ It
was there tv lien they moved upstairs
to the room?"
“ Yes s ir ”
“ You are certain you will not find It
on the parlor mantel wbeu the water
goes down?"
“The mantels are uncovered now.
It la not there.”
“ You think Ladley baa gone for
good?”
“ Yes. air.”
Continued on page 4