Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-05-28

Before two days had elapsed, the
whole country was made acquainted
with the sinister affair, and one more
was added to the list Of mysterious
disappearance" There were some
frivolous wags who did not scruple to
suggest that Miss MacWinkle had eloped
with some adventurous swain who had
obtained iDgress to her chamber by
means Of rope ladder bat this m
generous rGrlor found small credtn noe.
The most common opinion was that
Miss MacWink!e had jumped ont of her
window in fright, run to the river and
got drowned.
One peculiarly, however, struck the
police who were investigating the case,
viz, this: That if the unfortunate
lady had jumped out of the window
she must have fallen upon freshly
turned hower-bed, and have left marks
on the mold. Now there were no
marks and this puzzled the detectives
not little.
A certain member of the police force,
named Timsot, had been specially in
trusted with the conduct of the Mac
Wrinkle case and when all Nns re-
searches had proved Intellectual, he
asked that he might come and spend q
few days in Capt. Jatae's house and
sleep in TIE apartment which Miss
MacWinkle had occupied. This re-
guest was acce!ed to, and the detective
announced that he would lay himself
out to discover whether there really
was anything of ghostly nature that
haunted the room.
He was rather tired when ho went to
bed on the day of his arrival at Crab
tree Hall, but wishing to be ready for
action, he did not undress he simply
threw himself on the bed with his
clothes on, revolver in his breast.
pocket and q lighted candle on the table
beside him. AS his eyes were about to
close he wondered what the time was,
and, half rising to look at his watch, he
caught sight of clock placed on o
bracket in the wall just over the bed.
There was popularity about this
clock, for it was surmounted with a
wooden negro's head, whose tongue-a
very red one-protruded from his
mouth in hideous grimace. Mr..
Timsot's curiosity was always excited
by little things as well as great, SO he
stood up on the bed to examine the
clock, and, doing so, he pulled the
negro's head to see if it were movable.
Instantly a giddiness seized Mr.. Tim
eot. The bed gave way under his feet,
darkness encompassed him and with
horrible plunge he went head over
ears into black, icy water, which closed
above him with whirling noise.
Luckily Mr.. Timsot was good swim
mer, and he did not lose conscious
ness he struck out with both arms,
saw light, struggled on, and present.
ly found himself swimming in the
river. "Ah," said he, as he reached
the shore, and regained his foothold I;
sit seems an armlet of the river runs
under Crabtree Hall, and Miss Mac
Wrinkle took the same cath, I expect, as
I did,"
This proved to be the case. A few
days later it was ascertained that the
crew of lighter, steaming down the
river, had picked up the apparently
lifeless form OF lady who was floating
down stream in the dark. They had
picked her up, restored her to con-
seriousness and put her to bed. But as
she was found to be in high fever they
were unable to ascertain who she was
until she became cured, some ten days
later. By this time, however, the
Lighter had got across the Channel and
was in foreign waters. It was from
Holland that Miss MacWinkle eventu-
ally returned, clothed and in her right
mind, to explain the accident that had
befallen her and to vow eternal enmity
against the Jatfles.
It proved, however. that Capt. Jaf-
f1es knew nothing of the queer spring
bed which revolved at the touch of a
Negroes head and emptied its occupant
into the water. This work Of art had
been designed by the former owner of
Crabtrse Hall, who presumably had
been animated by the amiable intention
of playing practical joke on his heir.