Argosy All-Story Weekly — "The Purple Limited" — page 139: what you’re looking at

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

HOW MANY CARDS? 705 and what he read there brought a slight flush to his cheek. “You are prepared to swear that Hill was in his rooms all during the time you mention?” “Yes, sir.’ “ How do you know that the man who is charged with the murder ef Eugene Crevel- ing is the same man you knew frst as Hil- dreth and them as Hill?” persisted the in- spector. “From the pictures of him that was printed im iast night’s papers, and this moming’s, too; I’d swear to him anywhere,” she retorted with spirit. “ What happened’ Friday night?” = Well, I was busy putting sleeves in that dress, sir, when along between twelve and one I heard a sound like people going up- stairs past my door real soft, but I didn’t think anything of it. I heard some one groaning, too, but I wouldn’t open my door; . i neveg want to get into any neighber’s rows! Then Mrs. Hildreth’s door slammed and I heard her running toward the kitchen; and she aim’t what you might call light- footed! ““{ dropped my needle and listened then, and I heard a terrible noise all at once; the crash of her door coming down and a lot of pottery breaking. Something hit my kitchen window and I ran in there just in time to see Mrs. Hildreth come down the fire-escape. She begged me to hide her, and said it was the police, but she hadn’t done any wrong and she could explain. That was enough for me, and I hid her, all right!” A little mischievous twinkle came into Miss Hopkins’s reddened eyes. “ The policeman and your own smart young detective walked all rownd her and never saw her!” ““What do you mean?” inspector Druet demanded. “YT made a dummy of het!’ she replied with evident satysfaction. ‘‘ There wasn’t a place you could hide a cat in my reams, -and I was at my wit’s end, when all at once I thought of the form—the figure, you know, that I drape dresses on. Quick as a wink I whipped that wedding-dress off it, dragged # over and stuck it in the cleset and made Hildreth stand straight up on the 9A skirt-measuring platform. I don't know how I ever got that wedding-dress on her, for it was an awful tight fit, her being so big, but I m ed it somehow, pulling the skirt down Over her feet and throwing a sheet over the top’ of bet like I ahvays do . over dresses onthe form to keep them clean. When the policeman and your detective ceme through my rooms I was sitting on the door, stitching away at the hem of that skirt and they never so nach as lifted a corner of the sheet!” McCarty coughed, but the inspector avoided his eye and asked hastily: ‘ What happened after they had gone?” ‘“Nothing. Mrs. Hildreth came down off the platform and told me who she was and the story she’s come here to tell you new and nobody knew she was in my rooms. until now. Ever since she read in the papers yesterday afternoon that her hus- band had been arrested for that murder she was near crazy, and this morning she couldn’t stand it any longer, for she knew he would never speak and give away where she was; he’d go to the chair first. She made up her mind to come down here to you and give herself up, and nething could stop her.” “Ts this all true?” The inspector turned ence more to the woman before him. ‘“ Are you the wife of Frank Hill?” “Yes, sir; I have brought with me my matriage-certificate. It is most certainly true that my husband was at home with me at the time the murder was committed and true also that I did not touch the jewels of Mrs. Creveling. I told all that I knew about that when I was! first arrested, but what I suspect—” She shrugged. “ Who would delieve?”’ “We'll listen to you, ail right,” the in- spector promised. “Sit down and tell me | everything. You are «Swedish and called yourself Ilsa Helwig, didn’t you, whea you went ‘to work at the Crevelings?”’ “Yes, sir, it is my name. I am of Ger- ‘aan parents, but always I have lived in Stockholm. In October I went as house- maid to the Crevelings, and in January I . Married Frank.’’ Sbe paused and then add- ed: “IT have so many times before told my — story of what happened the afternoon the (C(O) nn) (C 6)(0)O) S (C(O)