Show ove ver vy eriv RELEA ae TOE THE STORY THUS mus fani FAIL reynolds Hey noldi questions mei bleg at her home there ti is a knock at t the door and ed martha uvan avani lorn fat Fal fallona lont 0 n sister hilaa ln law enters enten she w wanted aled to tell them about the knife martha story li that alicia was oot not murdered with au th the knife that was wai found deat m aha d declared was wai one she he tom babul ika J tom had taken way away from toms tomi tte tle letty the invalid and mental patient ti ent martha declared that tom did not inow his elfei Is true condition believing vow to be etting better but the he Is violent at martha insisted as ai dat sh ibe to told h bow ow le letty t ty had e attacked her with the knife ong on night that night you yea said you fell and hurt your ankle lies alleg asked martha denied it IL CHAPTER XV miss martha said huskily only I 1 fall she pushed me down the steps bob waited and after a little she went on huskily tom and I 1 saw to it that there was never any any in trumont tru ment around that she ehe could use to hurt hers herself elf or anybody y else tom thought she was bedridden I 1 aldna told him that she was grow ar kint stronger that ahe be could walk not very far but at least she was no longer helpless I 1 knew of course the danger that was growing around her danger that she might tup slip away from me and do some ome horrible thing bob said swiftly then you mean that she managed to get away and kill mrs stevenson miss martha flung up her head bead her eyes blazed she did nothing of the bortl use your head young man its a mile from our house to mrs Steven sons place she travel that tar far and she been out of my tight sight one single minute since the night she attacked me she bla blazed ed at him hotly bob said gently we nave only your word for that miss evans miss marthas marthaa stocky body slumped a little and she said wearily yes of course you have only ampy word r d tor for it zd and the knife miss evans asked waked bob very quietly she seemed to wince as though he be had struck her she drew a d deep ep breath and lifted her head a little though her shoulders sagged yes the knife she repeated that th t was night before last As I 1 anid ald tom know that letty edudd get out of 0 bed or walk he thought it was a little foolish of me to keep every sharp pointed instrument in the house under lock and key he thought as long as we kept them out of her room out of her reach she shrugged tiredly and then she went on in that hea heavy vy exhausted voice so he left a knife out on the kitchen sink highl before last id had a good deal of trouble with letty and I 1 was very tired I 1 fleat I 1 p t in her room and I 1 thought to aliat liat ia t she was sleeping soundly and bo I 1 let myself go to sleep when I 1 woke up I 1 dont know what woke me but suddenly I 1 was wideawake and there was letty standing beside my bed bending over me the moonlight on that knife in tier her hand she set her teeth hard in her lower lip and her hands crushed each other and in spite of her efforts at self control two swollen tears slipped from her eyes and down her white cheeks leaving little marks in the thick powder spread so 00 inexpertly there megan went to her and put an arm about her and tor for a moment miss martha resisted then she turned and hid her face against megan while the two men waited laurence was sick with pity for this tired harassed woman who had carried her heartbreaking burden tor for to so long with such indomitable courage bobs expression was intent watchful waiting miss martha went or on 1 I Mc screamed reamed earned and that roused tom and unearned Ur bywell by well wl 1 between us we managed to get the knife away from her she fought hard and then suddenly she went to pieces just slumped alumpe between us like a randoll that lost 10 st all its sawdust we got her to bed we knew there was nothing we could do for her the doctor warned us any sudden exertion excitement would almost certainly result in a brain hemorrhage she paused again and then went on 1 I left her with tom I 1 wanted to get rid of that awful knife once and for all time apo so I 1 hid it where you found it she was ump limp with exhaustion and nerve strain and bob let her rest for ia I 1 a moment before he asked very gently and your sister miss mis s I 1 evans v L miss N martha rtha said eald to in a voice that ad 1 fas a ghost of sound she died yearly early this morning it was wa an hour later after miss martha had had a cup of coffee and a chance to rest a little that bob W went ent over the story of the knife again it seems quite a coincidence M miss iss evans that all this happened the same night that mrs stevenson was killed he pointed out 1 I dont know anything about abou t that young man 11 said miss martha with the faintest possible trace of her old brusqueness all I 1 know is that when I 1 heard found the knife I 1 was afraid some innocent person would be accused of doing away away stevenson worn i an by means incani of that knife and I 1 11 knew I 1 had to come and tell you about it since telling you cause my my poor retty letty any trouble now bob nodded sitting on the edge 4 of I 1 the desk his eyes fastened on miss marthas face ace amos who saw the knife b being ing hidden spoke of a thing in white about eight feet tall he mentioned there was the faintest possible trace of a smile in miss marthas tired eyes 1 I know she told him quietly it was a bright moonlight night and you never know who nuy may be roaming around late at night in these parts and for just the barest instant her glance flickered towards megan and away 1 I want anyone to see me you can understand that of course and it occurred to me that that old place would be an ideal place to hide something you ever want found but if somebody y saw me and recognized me you see bob nodded of course he a answered n quickly well tom was with letty miss martha went on 1 I slipped out into J kal then she turned and hid her face against megan while the men waited the kitchen got the knife and a sheet out of the linen closet I 1 also took a good stout walking stick that I 1 sometimes use when I 1 go to the gro grocery ery there are so many half savage dogs around and I 1 put one of 0 I 1 toms hats on the end of the stick and held the stick above my head under the sheet I 1 imagine I 1 must have looked pretty fearsome but you see I 1 wanted anybody who saw me to think he was seeing a ghost and if such things as ghosts exist surely their favorite place would be something like that old overgrown garden I 1 never dreamed that annb anybody 0 dy seeing me would stop long enough to see what I 1 was do ing or if he did that he would report it to anybody you see amos asked bob quickly no answered miss martha and hesitated so oddly that bobs attention was caught and it grew stronger whom did you see then demanded bob no one answered miss martha firmly too firmly too emphatically 1 I saw no one at all no one bob said sternly youre not telling me the truth miss evans up to now I 1 believe you but if you start telling me lies now dont you see youre likely to make me believe that all youve told me is a liel miss martha said grimly you can believe anything you want to young man ive told you all im going to tell you and id never have told you what I 1 did if I 1 had not felt so sure that jump to the conclusion that the knife amos helped you find was the one that killed mrs stevenson and once you were convinced of that not stop until hauled to in some poor devil that was as innocent of that crime as admy my poor letty she got up and bob said sternly ive not finished yet miss martha eyed him as though he had bad been an importunate beggar and sa said id coolly you well I 1 have good day to you all she looked at megan and said tonelessly tom and I 1 are taking letty home were leaving today so BO this will be goodby good by and thanks tor for all youve done miss martha whom did you see that night bob demanded sharply 1 11 I can forbid you to leave you knowd l can hold you as a material mater ifil witness A witness to whit what I 1 within a mile of the stevenson place miss MR martha rtha pointed out amos Is my MYa alibi libl just as I 1 amala am his id say that he be and I 1 are the two who possibly have had anything to do with the murder but you did see someone thai oat night began bob she met his eyes straightly and said coolly did I 1 IV megan drew a deep breath and a said aid levelly you saw me you miss martha bob flung her a startled glance but laurences mouth only tightened blittle a attle miss martha looked straight at megan and then she sighed and nodded yes yeb I 1 saw you she admitted bob said quickly look here miss mactavish you told me anything about being up tip there that night you ask met mel megan reminded him 1 I said that if you were in bed and asleep you have heard a scream megan nodded and I 1 said no I 1 cou but you ask me HI if I 1 had been in my bed asleep she reminded him again who was with you he asked sternly dont tell me you went out al alone one at that time of night megan said quietly no I 1 alone I 1 was wai when I 1 left the house but when I 1 reached the ridge mr fallon fallen was there and we talked a little while bob asked abruptly your father was involved with mrs stevenson he megan gasped as though he had struck her and laurence said sharply HI lay off bob you have no right to ask her such a question bob met his eyes squarely and said coolly IV I 1 As her counsel began laurence heatedly but bobs grin was cool amused and it silenced him bob lit a cigarette first securing permission from megan and then he looked at mi miss s s martha and said very gently miss evans just why did you kill mrs stevenson it was so unexpected and the tone of his quiet even voice was in such contrast to the thing he said that for a moment mor rient everybody in the room went rigid and outside the door in the shadowy hall there was a smothered gasp gap from the unseen but listening annie miss martha sat very quiet for a moment her body held upright by her grip on the arms of her chair without raising her face ace she lifted her eyes and looked straight at bob lie he was watching her quietly steadily and in complete silence after a moment miss martha sagged back in her chair limp and beaten all her defenses down AU all right s she e said her voice a mere thread of sound 1 I did it megan caught her breath on a strangled sob and swayed a little and laurence without tak taking ing his eyes off miss marthas white ravaged face put his arm about megan and drew close why miss martha asked bob very gently with pity in his voice miss martha drew a hard breath and lifted her hands in a little gesture of helplessness before she gripped them once more moie about the arms ot of her chair 1 I hated her she was a wicked woman she ma made de so much trouble tor for everybody she had started spreading lies and slander about tom I 1 was afraid that letty might hear in one of her periods of lucidity tom told me about the things she was saying ile he had been foolish enough to go to her house one evening and face tier her with a story she was spreading about him and miss mactavish the tired voice died and 8 she he opened 0 pen el her eyes and looked at megan and sold said faintly im sorry but I 1 might as well tell you the whole story so mrs stevenson was broadcasting the fact that miss mactavish and mr air fallon fallen were friends and hinting that there was more to it than that and you decided to have a talk with her was that it bobs gentle voice asked M miss as martha she rubbed her hands together as though the palms were damp and her voice steadied a little yes that was it she said evenly and mrs stevenson was curious about lettys illness and she came prying and snooping tom and I 1 knew that if the people here in pleasant grove knew that letty was of unsound mind they might be afraid of her tor for all that she was completely helpless and that tom might lose his job or worse still that he might be forced to put letty away tn in an institution we bear the thought ot of that once more the voice died away and without a sound annie materialized beside miss marthas chair offering her a glass in which there was some pun gent smelling milky colored fluid bob waited patiently until annie had performed her act of kindliness and had once more vanished as silently as she had come so you went to have a talk with mrs stevenson bob prompted miss martha his tone gentle and friendly yes jes 1 said miss martha and now she was pl eating the crisp percale of her bous hous edress over her knee with twitching fingers finger hei bez eyes on the task TO BE CONTINUED |