I didn't know what was
up, but when me and the wife went into Hamilton Sat'dy night in our
flivver we seen one of the extries and read about how the poor lady was
murdered. But that ain't what I was gittin' at, sir--"
"Well, what _are_ you getting at?" Sanderson urged.
"Well, the extry said the police had found some footprints under the
frontmost of them two side windows to Mis' Selim's bedroom, and went on
to talk about the rose vines being tore, and straight off I said to the
missus, 'Them's _my_ footprints, Minnie'--Minnie's my wife's name--"
"_Your_ footprints!" Sanderson ejaculated, then shook with silent
laughter. "There goes Strawn's case, Bonnie!" But immediately he was
serious again, as the import of this new evidence came to him. "Tell us
all about it, Rawlins.... When did you make those footprints?"
"Friday, sir. That's the day I gardened for Mis' Selim.... You see, sir,
the poor little lady told me she was kept awake nights when they was a
high wind, by the rose vines tapping against the windows. Says she, 'I
think they's somebody tryin' to git into my room, Elmer,' and I could
see the poor little thing was mighty nervous anyway, so I didn't waste
no time. I cut away a lot of the rose vine and burned it when I was
burnin' the garbage and papers in the 'cinerator out back.
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