, 1876-01-09

sizes; at least it WAS key that would oDs,
I Is. 1t WAS the kew to Mr. D1assfords door.
She knocked the other ont with stick aud pr
| that in."
"The people who were there on that picht
| were your boa.ders whea tho other man war
found doad /" asxed.
| "Oh, yes-"
"Ard Hannah was tho.e aIso7"
"All my married Life Hannah has lived with
me-"
Your daughter oversees your household IN
your abaence:'
'Yes, poor child with Haanah's hep"
! I Thought little wnile.
"Malame," / said, s'there is soms str.nr.
mvstery in this affair. I do not despair ..
proving to all the world your eurro Innocence
Meantime be a. calm as possible. and endeavol
TO remember everything connected with the
| sudden deaths that have occurred in your
ho7se. Tho incident tina. Seems the least I'M
pcrtans may really ba OF the moss immeusa
| ya'ue.'
| So LEFT and went home. Strange enough.
! on tne way met the doctor who had been c2el
10; Ho was dull heavy sort of penson. con-
slderably given to bcer-drinksng. aud ms opn-
| ion Of his ability Was not very great However
/ questioned hin On tie subject, auu 10 ro-
| piled:
| "Nell, you See, don't ssy the old worpau
| murdered him. II She did, I should say bg
|
| holsters. suppose tns CAUSE OF his death VA,
| asphy1ia- Well. then. what il asphyxiA? Well
| too Little breath to keep one hsirg. He lieo
because lie WAS short OF breath. I wash n7
banda Of that matter. Only, there's the wa:ca,
t that looks dark"
had learned nothing from the doctor. Tht
Corooar lived near ns. HIS jury bad ba-p
twelve of tho most ;suorans men IN she town.
THIS is all he told me-: 'Ho was s:no,hered, saa,
naan was; so were the other two. Men don't
EGNr 10 fhafn nm fr.1r hLa
providence t'other time We make 1t ma:dc,
this t1me- That watch. you kno.."
Thus without anJ new hight, I went hons
aud formed my plans. There vas hu. oaa way
house; must zee the people there; must pen
etEate the room in which sheae men had died SO
suddenly, and must not ba known by my real
character. That Madame Ma:tean VAS innoSeu:,
| fully be.ieTed; but that somo ono beneath be,
roof wns guilty, made no doubt L. might Be
tho librarian. Mr. Rraxafotd. whosa ke7 lifted sht
dead mao'd door. Ii was possible-hut no. ]
would not harbor . mad superstition There
could be no supernatural power beneath whlcb
human be:nss dropped and died: Death as II
came to us Is mystery enough. Wha. hal feep
qald to me by womsn, wao would have beeua
Spasitual:st had sha lived To-day, MAS maio ab-
surdtY.
II believe that there is soma horrible unseen
thing in the room" she said sJ1no awi"l
shape1ess spirit; and, when it is locked in With
what they WILL be!ieye that
The words hauntad NC. but laughed q. them.
Of cousse. Wha:oSar it WAS, woull try 20
know: bad plan.
1t dusk that day, I went into N. bedroom
myBe.f. came out 8 strange man. Woro
nhito wig. pair Of green glasses. and an over
coat the tails OF which reached to my heels I
had . mCffler about my throat, and Gt!ls
bunch on ooe OF my Shoulders. I catr:o1
rh cl cane, and stopped u Hoool deal IL 1lla-
s1 Tf,3n ham T n
my bosom pair Ut pistols Well loadej.
As passed out into tho street, thu early
moou WAS just rising; she 1t mo On the way -
Madame Matteau's horsa.
It vas opened for no. when Knocked, by Gil
Haunnh 1Ier eyes vera rcd aad swollen. Tnon
told her tha; WIS . stranger, AMI had recsiv-
ed Madame natteau's adl:ess from gentleman
in New Iors, and desired to etay under her
roof all mig ght- She shook her bead
Il don't think you can" She said "the I.dy
IL AWAY from hons. Besides, wo arc in trouol5
here. / don't think M;ss Gabrielle would
But here Miss Gabrie!la herself appoared.
IL an an old man, mis-" said land, as you
see, qr.te inirm. I dread another steo.
should taae it as a kindness il you wou'd accom-
moda.s me, ana will pay you any p1ica yuu
ak"
Miss Gabrie'a looked ut Hannah
1--WE havo only one ROOM" she eaid, land
/ ended the question Of my stay by begging to
be taken to it.
.You will have supper. sir ?" asked .ho girl
But declared Aad eaten, and wanted Test.
Her reply was: ''Hannah. show tho gentle
man to the tblue room '"--tte scene OF the thres
sudden deatha or murders. 1t WIS a email apart
maut, painted blue. Il had also blue window
curtains & blue silk coSerlet on the bed, neat
striped carpet, set Of old mahogany furniture.
and very handsome ever and basin OF costly
china. Il WIS at tho tina almost q universal
custom to burn wood. In this room, however.
Was small coa!-hre. alluded to this Us Aaa-
nah came in with the scuttlc.
.Yes, Sir" she said. ''Misses does burn
Goals. Her son is clerk, or the las. at The nov
miues at Mauch Chunk, and he seuds it cheap to
her. but it's nasty. d:r1y-smell,ng thias, aud
hate it. Now lt'a built and lie; twill warm up
in fifteen minutes, II tales lonses than wood"
She wen. ont OF the door aud cauo back IN .
miouto with . little tray. on Wh1ch stood pot
and 4 cup and q saucer. also bowl aat tluy
pitcher, and something in O napkln-
..M;ss.sent . bit aud s,p." said she- "To1
rcsts old folks nightly. Good night"
..Good night" l sa1d. II expect shall aleeF
have bills to pay. have some hundreds OF do.
lars with me- to pay out Tomorrow, and is's in
tho bag"
She looked at mo in queer sort OF way, ant
fingered beside me. At last she spoke:
.tLook ye, sir; think old folks OF your ag4
do wrong to LOCK doors on themselves You
might be i'll all night. end who'd SO. in to 500
yout"
Was i. this woman's practice to beg travellers
who stopped With her mistress not to lock the
door2 was there some baueful potion in tho
cup she had gwen ms? .
It was an ianocent-looking cup enoush,-au
old d-fashioned affair, covered with little Gilt
spriss. Tho tea was fragrant Hyson hut ths
suspicion that had cEept into my mind had
taiuted it. fancied a strange color, curious
smell. / put it from me, and would not hare
tasted it for q Kingdom.
mad not intended to sleep, and did moi
undress myself. merely removed my dis
guise, and sat down beside the taolo. with ny
pistols beside NE. That some attempt might
be shortly made TO murder me, felt 20 De pos
siple. thought OF ali tho old tales that had
heard Of trap-doors and sliding panels, and
secret entrances to t1ayelers' rooms. vas nof
u coward bus felt strangely nervous, and,
sinsu'arly enough for man In my period
health MY hands we're growing cold aud MI
feet wese lump. OF ice. vhsls my haad wu
burning hot
Fifteen u,inutes had passed and tho fire wu
kipdied, but tha room was not Nar1n. The blud
flames struggled among the black Goals, and
tuas forGe1 tougueA tipped with yellow tint
into tito room. There was nothing cheerful
abou: tho store, though It was OF the open etylf
nov called franklin. let drew a chair toward