The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-09-03

/ "He was smothered, that man was, SO
were the other two. Men don't smother
themselves. We made it inscrutab.e Prov
| idence t'other time. We make it murder
this time. That there watch, you know"
Thus, without any new light, I went
home and formed my plans. There was
but one way in which to penetrate the
mystery. must enter the house I must
see the people there l must penetrate to
the room in which these men had died sud-
denly, and l must not be known in my
real character. That Madame Matteau
| was innocent l fully believed, but that
some one beneath her roof was guilty
made nc doubt. 1t might be The librarian,
Mr.. Bassford, whose key fitted the dead
could not harbor mad superstition. There
could be no supernatural power beneath
which human beings dropped and died.
Death as it came to us was mystery enough.
What had been said to me by a woman,
who would have been Spirtualist had she
lived to-day, was mere absurdity.
81 believe there is some horrible unseen
thing in the room," she had said, ''some
awful shapeless spirit, that when it is
locked in with it's victim murders him.
Let others believe what they will, believe
that"
The words haunted me, but laughed at
| them, of course. Whatever it was,
wou Id try to know. l had plan.
AT dusk that day 1 went into my bed
room myself l came out a strange man.
l wore a white wig, pair of green gog-
giles, and an overcoat the tails of which
reached to my heels. l had a muffler
| about my throat, and little hunch on one
of my shoulders. 1 carried thick cane,
and stopped a great deal as l walked. In
my hand ] carried carpet-b bag and in my
bosom a pair of pistols well loaded,
AS passed out into the streets the early
moon was just rising she lit me on my
way to the door of Madame Matteau's
| house.
1t was opened for mo, when I knocked,
by old Hannah. Her eyes were red and
swollen. Then 1 told her that was a
stranger, and had received Madame Mat
teau's address from a gentleman in New
York, and desired to stay under her roof
all night. She shook her head.
81 don't think you can," she said. ssThe
| lady is away from home. Besides we are
| in trouble here. l don't think Miss Ga
brielle would
But here Miss Gabrille herself appeared
81 am an old man, Miss" l said ''and,
as you see, quite infrm. l dread another
step. / should take it as kindness if you
would accommodate me, and l will pay
| any price you ask
Miss Gabrielle looked at Hannah.
'We have only one room," she said,
'tand that
l ended the question of my stay by beg
ging to be taken to it.
''You will have supper, sir ?" asked the
girl.
Blu. i declared that had eaten, and
only wanted rest.
Her reply was
''Hannah, show the gentleman to the
blue room, and make fire.
l was in the blue room, the scene of the
three sudden deaths or murders. 1t was a
| small apartment, painted blue. 1t had
also blue window curtains and blue silk
coverlet on the bed a neat striped carpet,
| a set of old mahogany furniture, and a
very handsome ever and basin of costly
| China. 1t was at the time almost univer-
sal custom to burn wood. In this room
however, was a small coal fire. l alluded
to this as Hannah came in with the scuttle
eyes, SIR" she said. sM:sss does burn
Goals. Her son is a clerk, or the like, at
the new mines at Mauch Chunk and he
sends it cheap to her but it's nasty, dirty
| smelling thing, and l hate it. Now it's
built and lit; twill warm up in fifteen
minutes. 1t takes longer than wood.'
| She went out of the door and came back
in a minute with little tray, on which
stood pot and cup and saucer, also a
tiny pitcher, and something in napkin.
"Miss sent up a bit and sup" said she.
''Tea rests us old folks mighty. Good
night
Goodnight" said, sT expect 1 shall
sleep soon Unjust be up very early, though,
for have bills to pay. have some hun
dreds of dollars with me to pay out to-mor-
row, and it's i'm this Bag
She looked at me in a queer sort of way,
and fingered beside me. At last she spoke
'Look We, sir think that old folks of
your age do wrong to lock doors Oh them
selves. You might be i'll at night, and
who'd get into you? Leave your door un-
locked"
Was it this woman's practice to beg trav-
/ a1orc N CT hor ,;c<,
lock the door? Was there some baneful
potion in the cup she had given me?
1t was an Innocent Unlocking cup enough
an old fashioned affair, covered with lit
tie gilt sprigs. The tea was fragrann Hy-
son but the suspicion that had crept into
] my mind had tainted IL fancied a stranne