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2 i The Green Murder Cast BY S.S. VAN DINE. * con} * tie for her to do but follow Instrue-" tions and keep her head. : "And as for Rex's murder, don't forget that, although she was Ir in Mr. Markham's office at time of the shooting, she person: chgineered the entire coup. Thin back. She refused to let either you ted that Rex be summoned im- > "> CHAPTER XLI . First we must revert to the wea- ther; for the weather ran like a sin- jster motif through all that followed. The second might after Julia's death it was quite warm, and the snow had melted considerably. This was the nigh' chosen by Ada to retrieve the gun. "Ada rose quietly, put on her coat and went down to the libvary. Get- ting into the galoshes, she again walk- ed to the front gate and back. Then she went directly upstairs so that her tracks would show on the marble #leps, and hid the galoshes tempor- arily in the linen closet. rhat was tte shuffling sound and-the closing door that Rex heard a few minutes before Chester was shot. "After she had removed the gal- oshes and put them in the linen clo- set, she took off her coat, donned a dressing-govn and went to Chester's room--probably opened the door with- out knocking, and went :n with a friendly greeting. I picture her as sitting on the arm of Chester's chair or the edge of the desk, ani then, in the midst of some trivial remark, drawing the revolver, placing it against his breast and pulling the trigger before he had time to recover from his horrified astonishment. "He . moved instinctively, though, just as the weapon cxploded--which would account for the diagonal course of the bullet. Then Ada returned q:ickly to her on room and got into bed. Thus 'was another chapter writ- ten in the Greene tragedy." "It's easy enough to see how Ada got rid of Julia and Chester," grum. bled Heath. "But what stops me is how she murdered Rex." "That trick of her shouldn't cause you any perplexity," Vance returned. "But, before I desc.ibe it to you, let ne recall a certain architectural de- tail of the Greene mansion. "There is a Tudor fireplace, with carved wooden panels, in Ada's room, and another fireplace--a duplicate of Ada's--in Rex's room; and these two fireplaces are back to back on the small wall. An aperture was made jr the past ""etween 'the two rooms running from one of the panels in Ada's mantel to the corresponding panel in Rex's mantel. "This tunnel is about six inches square--the exact size of the panels-- and a little over two feet long, or the depth of the two mantels and' the wall. It was originally used, I ima- gine, for private communication be- tween the two rooms. The rane] at either end of the shaft is on a spring hinge, so that when it is opened and JFeleased it closes automatically, snap- ping back into place without giving any indication that it is anything more than a solid part of the wood- work----" "I get you," exclaimed Heath, with the excitement of satisfaction. "Rex was shot by the old man-killing safe idea; the burglar opens the safe door and get a bullet in his head from a stationary gun." : "Exactly." "Sure!" The sergeant'. eyes sparkled. "There was a shooting like that in Atlanta two years ago--Bas- comb was the name of the murdered man. And in Richmond, Va--"" "And given this knowledge between Ada and Rex, the method of the mur- der becomes perfectly clear, Tonight 1 found an old-fashioned bootjack in Ada's clothes closet--probably taken from Tobias' library. Its width over all was just six inches and it was a little less than two feet long--it fit- ted perfectly into the communicating cupboard. Ada, following Gross' dia- gram, pressed the handle of the gun tightly between the tapering claws of the bootjack," which would have held it like a vise, then tied a string to the trigger and attached the other end to the inside of Rex's panel, so that when the panel on a hair trigger, would discharge straight along the shaft and inevitably kill any one look- ing into the opening. "When Rex fell with a bullet in his forehead the panel flapped back into place on its spring hinge, and a second later there was no visible evi- dence whatever pointing to the origin of the shot. And her: we also have the explanation for Rex's calm ex- pression of unawareness. When Ada returned with us from the District Attorney's office, she went directly t her room, removed the gun anc. the bootjack, hid them in her closet, and came down to the drawing-room to report the foot-tracks on her carpet --foot-tracks she herself had made before leaving the house. It was just before she csme downstairs, by the 'ay, that she stole the morphine and strychnine from Von Blon"s case." "You think, then," put in I[faxkham, "that Rex really heard the shot in Ada"s room that first night, and con- fided in her?" "Undoubtedly. = That part of her story was true enough. I'm inclined to think that Rex heard the shot and had a vague idea Mrs. Greene had fired it. Being rather close to his mother {emperamentally, he said rothing. Later he voiced his sus- picion to Ada; and that confession gave her the idea for killing him-- or, rathery for perfecting the technic she had already decided on; for Rex would have been shot through the secret supboard in any event. But Ada now saw a way of establishing a perfect alibi for the occasion; al- though even her idea of being actually with the police 'when the shot was fired was not original. In Gross' clapter on alibis thei: is much suz- gestive material along that linc." Heath sucked his teeth wonderingly. "I'm glad I don't run across many of her kind," he remorked. "She was her father's daughter," said Vance. "But too much credit ghould not be given to her, sergeant. She had a printed and diagrammed guide for everything. There was lit- ROYAL YEAST CAKE Coffee Cake COFFEE CAKE---equally popular for tea, luncheon or supper. . . Gp together 3 c. butter and' . sugar, add 1 well- beaten egg and '5 c. milk. mixture with about bowl. Cover and set in warm x ; *ROYAL YEAST SPONGE: Vi R eal sw real ! location until double in bulk. (About 1%; hrs.) Shape into regular coffee roll shape. Al- Jow to rise until double in bulk. Brush surface with melted butter and sprinkle with nuts or cinnamon. Bakeat 400° F. about 25 min. warm place free from draughts. Makes 5 to 6 cups of batter. mediately. She even went so far as to pled with us to call him by phone. Then, when we had complied, quickly informed us of the mysterious uiagram, and offered to tell Rex ex- actly where she had hidden it, 20 he could bring it with him. : "I begin to understand why no one upstairs heard the shot," said Mark- ham. "The revolver detonating in the wall, as it were, would have been almost completely muffled. But why should Sproot have heard it so dis- tinctly downstairs?" + "You remember there was a fire- place in the living-room directly be- neath Ada's--Chester once told us it was rarely, lighted, because it would- n't draw properly--and 'Sproot was in the butler's pantry just beyond. The sound of the report went down- ward through the flue and, us a re- sult, was heard plainly on 'he lower floor." ] "You said a minute ago, Mr. Vance," argued Heath, "that Rex maybe suspected the old lady. Then why should he have accused Von Blon the way he did that day he had a fit?" "The accusation primarily, J think, wis a sort of instinctive effort to drive the idea of Mrs. Greene's guilt from his own mind. Then, again, as Von Blon explained, Rex was fright- ened after you had question:d him about the revolver, and wanted to 3i- vert suspicion from himself." "Get on with the story of Ada's plo*, Vance." This time it was Mark- ham who was impatient. "The rest seems pretty obvious, don't y' know. It was unquestionably Ada 'who was lisiering at the library door. the afternoon we were there, She realized we had found the books and galoshes, and she had to think fast. So, when we came out, she told us the dramatic yarn of having seen her mother walking, which was sheer mognshine. She had run across those books on paralysis, d' ye see, ard they had suggested to he: the possibility of focussing suspicion on Mrs. Greene --the chief object of her hate." "That's where those books on poi- sons come in, isn't it, Mr. Vance?' interjected Heath. "When Ada had decided to use poison on some of the family, she got all the dope she need- ed on the subject outa the library." "Precisely. She herself took just enough morphine to render her un- ¢ uscious--probably about two grains. And to make sure she would get im- mediate assistance she devised the simple trick of having Sibella's dog appear to give the alarm. Incidental- ly, this trick cast suspicion on Sibel- la. After Ada had swallowed the morphine, she merely waited until she began to feel drowsy, pulled the bell- cord, caught the tassel in the dog's teeth, and lay back. She counterfeit- ed a good deal of her illness; but Drumm couldn't have detected her 1 alingering even if he had been as great a doctor as he wanted us to be- lieve; for the symptoms for all doses of morphine taken by mouth are vir- tually the same during the first half- hour. And, once she was on her feet, she had only to watch for an oppor- tunity of giving the strychnine to Mrs. Greene." "It all seems too cold-bl real," murmured Markham. "Cold-blooded? Yes! But in Ada's case there was passion, too. I'm in- clined to believe that it takes a par- ticularly hot flame--a fire at white heat, in fact--to carry the human heart through such a Gethsemane. However that may be, Ada watched for her chance to poison Mrs. Greene and found it that night. The nurse v.ent to the third floor to prepare for bed between 11 and 11.80, and during that half-hour Ada visited her mother's room. £ "Whether she suggested the citro- carbonate or Mrs. Greene herself ask- ed for it we'll never know. Probably the former, for Ada had always given it to her at night. When the nurse came downstairs again Ada was al- ready back in bed, apparently asleep, and Mrs. Greene was on the verge of 'her. first--and, let us hope, her only--convulsion." : "Doremus' post-morten report must ded to be mented Markham, "It did. It upset all her " tions, Imagine her feelings when informed her that Mrs. Greene could- n't have walked! She backed out of the danger nicely, though. The de- tail of the Oriental shawl, however, nearly entangled her. But even that point she turned to her own advan- using it as a clue against have given her a terrific shock," com-| led "sense o 'things that Sibella should demise. Ada intended, after having killed her whe | &'ster, to say that Sibella had tried to murder her, but that she had sus- pected the other's purpose and jump- ed from the car in time to save her- sf; and that Sibella had miscalcu- lated the car's speed and been carried over the precipice. The fact that Von Blon and Van and I had heerd Si- bella speculate on just such a method of murder would- have given weight to Ada's story. And what a neat end- ing it would have made--Sibella, the murderer dead; the case closed; Ada, the inheritor of the Greene millions, free to do as she chose! And--'pon my soul, Markham--TIt came very near succeeding." There ig little more to add to this récord. The truth was not given out and the case was "shelved." The fol- lowing year Tobias' will was upset by the Supreme Court in Equity; that is, the twenty-five-year domiciliary claused was abrogated in view of all that had happened at the house, and Sibella came into the entire Greene fortune. Mrs. Mannkeim, broken-hearted over Ada's death, claimed her inheri- tance, which Sibella generously dou- bled, and returned to Germany to seek what comfort she might among the nieces "and nephews with whom, ac- cording to Chester, she was constant- ly corresponding. Sproot went back to England, He told Vance before departing that he had long planned a cottage retreat in Surrey, where he could loaf and invite his soul. I picture him now, sitting on an ivied porch overlooking the downs, reading His beloved Mar- tial. Mr. and Mrz. Von Blon, imme- diately after the court's decision re- lating to the will, sailed for the Ri- ~ieta and spent a belated honeymoon there. They are now settled in Vi-| enna, where the doctor has become a privatdocent at the University, his fether's alma mater. He is, I under- stand, making quite a name for' him- self in the field of neurology. (Copyright 1928 By Charles Secrib- ner's Sons.) THE END. Britain to Try Prison Newspapers Crime News Will Be Barred and Only Results of Turf Classics May Be Published sondon.--The first prison news- papers are about to make their ap- pearance in Britain. They will con- sist of several foolscap sheets run off on a duplicator and published weekly. The sheets will be distributed to every prisoner in his cell, where he will be allowed to keep it. The experiment is being tried at Parkhurst and Exeter. If it is found to be successful it wiil be generally extended. ¢ At present the policy of the Prison Commissioners is to keep convicts in touch with world events through the chaplain or some official who reads once a week a summary of the week's happenings to the bled convicts. Now what has been said verbally will be typed out end duplicated, The , about running one's victim over al precipice in a or Mr. Markham come to the house, | doubt appea 4 and insisted upon visiting the office. | fitness of 6 | Once there, she told her story and thus suggest the meas her own "I wouldi't be at ull surprised #] quiet atmosphere of his home, a blind man, who has taught many to learn the secrets of the universe, visualizes an amazing degree of scientific prog- res during the ext 100 years. He is, Dr. Edwin Brant Frost, for- mer director of the Yerkes Observa- instructor of astrophysics. - Whether man, within that period or beyond it will find an answer to the age-old question as to the possi- bility of intelligent life beyond the earth, he is not prepared to say. "It is reasonable to assume, how- ever, that thousands of yellow stars closely resembling our sun in physi- cal and chemical characteristics are quite as likely to have habitable plunets circulatirg about them as has our sun," he said, "I suspect that life would develop on a planet ready for it as naturally as familiar pro- cesses occur on the earth" And methods of detecting and of trans- 1nitting radiation, he added, "May de- velop in ways undreamed of." 7 Vienna Opera Has Heard 3,074 Wagner Singings In connection with the Richard Wag- ner Festival, which started with a per- formance of "Parsifal, writes the Vienna correspondent of "The Sunday Observer," London, it is interesting to note that since the first production here of a Wagner opera, in 1858=that is,, seventy-five years ago--no fewer than 3,074 performances of his works have been given at (he Vienna Opera House, now called the State Opera House. "Lohengrin" has been given 601 times, "Tannhauser" 476, "The Meis- tersingers" 388, "The Flying Dutch- man" 368, "The Valkyrie" 277, "Tris- tan and Isolde" 204, "Siegfred" 195, "Gotterdammerung" 179, "Rhinegold" 176, "Rienzi" 109 and "Parsifal," pro- duced in Vienna for the first time in 1914 (when the rights of production became independent of Bayreuth), 101. ee ee L'Atlantique Owners Sue Paris.--The owners of the passen- ger steamer L'Atlantique, which burn- ed in the Engiish Channel early in January, have now filed suit against the insurers, seeking payment of 170, 209,000 (approximately $6,800,000), of which 12,000,000 france was held b. New York companies. R The insurers proposed to repair the vessel, but the owners claimed the right to surrender the hulk and col- lect the full insurance, ee meee Some men are worth more than others and some are worth-less. Williams Bay, Wis. -- Amid the] tory, who won world' renown as an "But, believing," as man of the University of Californ that bacteria had been founi in the interior of stone meteorites--a fa which has led some scientists to spec- thegry that original forms of terrestrial life may have been brought to the earth by these aerolites hundred of iwillions ulate further on the of yearc ago: he Pointing out that he was express- irg a personal opinion and was speak: ing in no way for Yerkes Observa- Frost said that positive tory, Dr. I Jor that the progress of science in next 100 years will be even more rapid than in the last, I think it unwise to set limits on discovery for the future." The occasion for Dr. Frost's re- marks was the recently announced disecvery of Dean Charles B, Lip- 1 nce Wi all their RTE 0 poison rese ' | He wrote that there are whole of plants of which we know nothi: specimen has been analysed. most curious and interesting results. For instance, he found that- the leaves of pampag grass are intensely poisonous because they contain hy- drocyanic acid, and that a single ia|leaf of the common planetree cone tains enough of this poison to kifl 8 ct | sparrow. ' : "The Devil's Cherry" i Ot common British plants about 200 are poisonous. They include such well-known plants as antirrhls num (snapdragon), daffodil, and yew, The worst of the lot is probably the well-named "deadly" night-shade, the fat, black fruit of which 'is very like a cherry. Indeed, in Bucking- proof of the existence of living or-| village folk as "The Devil's Cherry." ganisms in meteorites would - only shift the point of origin to sone other unknown body. In this connection he also called attention to the slowness of any inter-communication in sid- . erial spuces. Weary Willie. -- "Did you e\ have all yer wanted of anything?" Tattered Tom--"Yep, two things ~--advice and water." It In idle wishes fools supinely stay; be there a will, and wisdom finds way.--Crabbe. spoken_bulleting sometimes pass over the heads of the slower-witted pris- oners. The news sheets will be edited by the prison governors and contain a brief summary of the principal public events at home and abroad. Crime news, however, is strictly ruled out, as is news of horse racing to prevent bet- ting, although results of such classics av the Grand National and the Derby will be included. Ts i ine FORTUNE Fortune, men say, much to many, any, ~--Sir John Harrington. SAVED IMPORTED DRESS "After a little wearing, a lovely green ost doth give too} But yet she never gave enough to --_------ = - ! Next, or perhaps equal in virulence, is the hemlock. All the nightshades are very poisonous. The potato, be~ longing to the same family, has edible roots but poisonous fruit. Life and death, too, are strangely blended in the mandioca or cassava Fplant, from which we get our excel lent tapioca. Cattle eat the stalks and leaves, the roots ground to pulp feed millions of Indians, but the juice is so deadly that thirty-five drops will kill a strong man within yiYe minutes, Yet this same juice '#'Pe¥mented and bottled, forms a wholes some drink, The 'home of cassava is South ¢ | America. Here too, grows the ter. which is a narcotic far more power- ful than either opium or hemp. It is little known to white folk, .but much used by the. "medicine men" a |of the Amazon basin, Australia has a plant called the "Finger. Cherry," common in some parts of Queensland, the fruit 'of which is pretty and not ill-tasting. But it has the shocking effect of | causing blindness. There is some mysterious property which complete ly.destroys the optic nerves, Another blinding plant is the "Ase cleplas Gigantea" of the Upper Nile. The least drop of its milky juice in contact wth the eye causes a ters rible inflammation which ends \in blindness. The wood of this shrub is very light and is often used by na- tives to make rafts, New Zealand's worst plant 3 the "origaonga," a kind of nettle which grows to a height of eight 'or ten feet. The underside of the leaf is set with fine hairs which are as poison- ous as the sting of a hornet. A :at- tler's dog chasing a eat through a thicket of this stuff was pricked in '| the tongue and died the same night. South Sea Secrets "Many native tribes posses secrets of poisons of which white men know little or nothing. For instance, the people of the Trobriands, a group of South Sea slangs, obtain from the gall bladder of a fish a secretion 80 deadly that a banana pierced with a thorn dipped in the poison will kill the man who eats the fruit within a very few hours." The authority for this statement is Miss Beatrice Grim | shaw. 3 ¢ Gipsies have knowledge of many strange poisons unknown to science; Some of these are obtained from toadstools of different kinds. Praktl is a particularly deadly gipsy poison which kills in a hideously cruel mans ner. It causes difficulty in breath. | suffocation. ¢ This was one of the many little known poisons used by that rible gang of insurance poisoners which 'worked in land during ties of the last century. The hea of this gang was a brilliant chemically, and of which not a single Plants That Cause Blindness ing which ends in a slow and terrible nine: Some of his experiments produced . bamshire this plant is known among _ rible maikoa, or "Dead Man's Bush * ~ emist, | ho died befores sufficient evidence 3 arent