Argosy All-Story Weekly, January 13, 1923 — page 80: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

all these pains, merely because you believed your friend was incapable of the act of mur- der?” “TI told you he was off his head. He talked a lot of wild nonsense. It seemed only fair to give him a chance to get well and think things over.” _ “ Thank you, Mr, Creigh. I'll come back to you later.”’ It was now Evelyn’s turn. Dick walked over to one of the windows and stood with his back to the room while it was going on. This inquiry, informal as it was, had quite unnerved him. How was it going to end? It was his first experience of what may go on behind closed doors, and it seemed a most peculiar proceeding alto- gether. Evelyn was talking, giving her evidence in very low tones, but with none of the hesitation Jimmy Creigh had so foolishly betrayed. She said in reply to-a question that Mr. Ardell’s manner that day she and her mother lunched with him was ‘noticeably strange only because it was so unusual for him to suffer from headaches. Her mother had drawn the conclusion that he had been drinking heavily the night before. No, on that occasion, Mr. Ardell did not mention having gone to the house in Ken- sington. He had mentioned dining with a friend at the Savoy. About three days later a package came to her containing the pendant in a case ac- companied by Mr. Ardell’s card. She had assumed the pendant to be a present for herself, but had not shown it to her mother as she was still feeling unkindly toward Mr. Ardell. “And you—did you feel unkindly toward him?” Inspector Lewis asked. Dick drew in a long breath and pressed his hand to his forehead. All this talk of headache made him feel ghastly, and he re- membered Dr. Thatcher’s warning. ‘“T was a little hurt because I did not understand,” Evelyn said. “ Are you at the present moment engaged toebe married to Mr. Ardell?” “Must I answer that question?”’ ‘“ Just as you please. But as I explained to Mr. Creigh, it will be less embarrassing ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. and troublesome if you give me all the help you can. What we want to find out is who murdered the Stern woman. Your evidence, Miss Harland, may not be necessary in court, but it is very necessary for me to have as full a knowledge of everything pertaining to the case before a charge of murder is brought against anybody. I asked you if you are still engaged to be married to Mr. Ardell, but if you don’t care to answer—” ‘““T am not engaged to him now,” “Thank you. Will you look at that card very carefully and tell me if you can iden- tify the handwriting?” There was a breathless silence. To Dick Ardell, with his back to the room, it seemed never-ending. Then came Evelyn’s answer: ‘‘ No, in- spector, I cannot identify it.’ ‘“ When you received the card with the pendant did you assume it to be the writing of any one you knew?” ‘Yes, I thought it was Mr. Ardell’s, but it isn’t.” ‘You are quite certain?” ‘* Positive.” “You would take your oath on it? may be required to do so.” “Yes, I would swear that it is not Mr. Ardell’s handwriting.” ‘* Have you any idea whose it might be?” ‘No idea at all.” ‘You have no theory as to who might have sent you this piece of jewelry, or his or her reason for doing so, if it was not sent by Mr. Ardell?” — ° For the first time Evelyn hesitated, but the hesitation was not because she feared to get Dick into further trouble, but because she was turning over something in her mind which had occurred to her before. ‘““T have thought a great deal about it,” she said slowly. ‘‘ Particularly since learn- ing that Mr. Ardell did not send it to me.” ‘““What you mean is, since learning that he claims not to have sent it.” “Yes. I have thought that it must have been sent by somebody of his acquaintance who dislikes him and wants to have him ac- cused of that horrible crime.” ‘“Do you know of any one who dislikes Mr. Ardell to such an extent?” “No, IT don’t.” You COPMICLOOOKS (E@)