The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-11-05

sand caught his eye. Afer looking at me for .
minute or 50 he turned and came back to me.
"A trcacherous place, Mr.. Betteredge,' he
said; and no signs Of Rosanna Spcarman any
where on the beach, look where you may"
lie took me down lower on the shore, and
saw for myself that his footsteps and mine were
the only footsteps printed of on the sand.
.How does the fishing village bear, standing
where we are now 2 asked Sergeant Cuf.
'Cobb's Hole,' answered, (that being the
name Of the place), bears as near as may be
due SOUTH
Il saw the girl this evening. walking north
ward along the shore. from Cobb's Hole said
the sergeant, Consequently. she must have
been walking toward this place !: CToo's
Hole on the other side Of that point OF land
therei And crn we get to it-now it's low wa
ter by the beachi'
answered, 'yes', 10 both these questions.
If you'll excuse my suggesting it, 'we'll step
out briskly,' says the sergent. Il want to lind
the place where she left the shore before 1t gets
dark
We had walked, should say, q couple Of
hundred yards toward Cobb's Hole, when Ser
gcant Cuff suddenly went down on his knees on
the beach. to all appearance seized with sud.
den frenzy for saying his prayers.
There's something to be said for your marine
landscape here, after all, remarked the ser
geant. Here are q woman's footsteps, Mr..
Betteredge! Let us call them Rossnna's foot
steps, until we find evidence to the contrary
that we can't resist. Very confused footsteps,
you will please to obserye-purposely confused,
| should say. All, poor soul, she understands
the detective virtues Of sand rs well as do!
But hasn't she been in too great hurry to
tread out the marks thoroughly l think she
has Here's one footstep going from CObb's
Hole, and here is another going back toit. Isn't
that the toe of her shoe pointing straight to the
waters edge! And don't see two heel-marks
further down the beach, close ut the waters
edge alsol don't want TO hurt your feelings,
but I'm afraid Rosanna Is sly. II looks as II
she had determined to get to that place you and
I have Just come from, without leaving any
marks to trace her by. Shall we say that she
walked through the water from this point till
she got to that ledge Of rocks behind US, and
came back the same way, and then took to the
beach again where those two heel-marks are still
leftr Yes, wen say that. 1t seems to ft in
with my notion that she had something under
her cloak when she left the cottage. No not
something TO destroy-for, in that case, where
would have been the need Of all these precau-
tons to prevent my tracing the place at which
her walk endedl Something to hide is, think,
the better guess Of the two. Perhaps, IL we 90
on to the cottage, we may find out what that
something s."
At this proposal nv detective fever suddenly
cooled. You don't want me- said. What
good can Idor
The longer | know you, Mr.. Betterelgc,
said the sargent, the more virtues l discover.
Modesty, oh, dear me, how rare modesty is in
this world and how much Of that rarity you
possess If 90 alone TO the cottage the peo-
ple's tongues will be tied at the first question
put to them. If I go with you 20 introduced
by Justly respected neighbor, and f,w Of
conversation is the necessary result. II strikes
me in that light; but how does Il strike your
Not having an answer Of the needful smart
ness as ready rs could have wished, tried to
gain time by asking him what cottage he want
Cd to 90 to.
On the sergeant describing the place recaS-
nized Il as cottage Inhabited by q fishernisn
named Yolland, with his wife and two grown
up children, a son and daughter. IL you will
look back, you Will find that, In first presenting
Rosanna Spearmpn to your notice, l have de-
scribed her as occasionally varying her walk to
the Shivering Sand by a visit to some friends Of
hers at Cobb's Hole Those friends were the
Yollands-respectable, worthy people, credit
to the neighhorhood. ROsanna's acquaintance
with them had begun by means of the daugh-
ter. who was afflicted with misshapen foot and
who was known in our parts by the name Of
Limping Lucy. The two deformed girls had,
suppose, n kind of fellow-fecling for each other.
Any way, the Yollands and Rosanna always
appeared to get ON together, at the few chances
they had Of meeting, in pleasant and friendly
manney. The fact Of Sergeant Cuff having
traced the girl to their cottage set the matter Of
my helping his inquiries in quite new light.
Rosanna hal merely gone where she was in the
habit Of going; and to show that she had been
in company with the fisherman and his family
was as good rs to prove that she had been inno-
Gently occupied, so far, at any rate. Ii would
be doing that girl service, therefore, instead
Of an injury, IL allowed myself to be convinced
by Sergeant Cuf's logic. l professcd myself
convinced by il accordingly.
We went on to Cobb's Hole. seeing the foot
steps on the sand. as long as the light lasted.
On reaching the cottage, the fisherman and
his son proved to be out in the boat; and Limp
ing Lucy, always weak and weary, was resting
on her bel up stairs. Good Mr. Yolland re-
ceiyed US alone in her kitchen. When she
heard that Sergeant Cuff was n celebrated char
acter in London. she clspped bottle Of Dutch
gin and n couple Of clean pipes ON the table,
and stared as IL she could never sec enough Of
him.
I sat quiet in a corner. waiting to hear how
the fergcant would find his way to the subject
of Rcsanua Spearman. His usual roundabout
manner Of going to work proved, on this occa-
sion, to be more roundabout than ever. How
he manayei II is more than could tell ut the
time, and more than can tell now. But this
Is certain, he began with the Royal Family, the
Primitive Mcthodists. and the price Of fish; and
he got from that lin his dismal. underground
way) TO the loss Of the Moonstone. the spiteful.
ness Of our first house-maid. and the hard be-
hayior Of the women-seryants generally toward
Rosapna Spearman. Having reached his sub
ject In this fashion. he described himself as
making his inquiries about the lost Diamond,
partly with view to find il, and partly for the
purpose Of clearing Rosanna from the unjust
suspicious Of her enemies in the house. In
about quarter or an hour from the time when
We entered the kitchen good Mrs. Yolland was
persuaded that she was talking TO Rosanna's
best friend. and was pressing Sergeant Cuff to
comfort his stomach and revive his spirits out Of
the Dutch bottle.
Being firmly persuaded that the sergeant
was wasting his breath to no purpose on Mrs.
YolIsnd, I sat enjoying the talk between them,
much as have sat, in my time, enjoying n
stage play. The great Cuff showed wonder
full patience; trying his luck drearily, this
way and that way, and firing shot after shot,
rs il were at random, on the chance Of hit
ting the marx. Everything TO Rosannas
credit. nothing to Rosanna's prsjudce-that
was how it ended, try as he might; with Mrs.
Yolland talking nineteen to the dozen, and
placing the most entire confidence in him.
His last effort was made, when We had look.
ed at our watches, and had got on our legs
previous to taking leave.
Il shall now wish you good night, ma'am,'
says the sergeant. And shall only say, at
parting. that Rosanna spcarman has a sim
ccrc well-wisher in myself, your obcdent SER
want. But, oh dear me she will never get
on in her present place; and my advice to her
is-leaye it.
BLESS your heart alive. she is going 10