Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-08-01


Mrs. Wootton " let us all go and look"
And to our rooms we went, I opening nv
burea,, drawer with sinking heart Ii was
as | feared-my casket, which had only
contained the money. was really gone.
Some unaccountable impulse prompted
me TO conceal my loss from the rest when l
joined them again, and | hardly noticed
that Mrs. Graham stopped crying and
looked queerly at me when reported that
my things were all right.
And then she fell to crying again, SAYING
hers were all right, too, but she never
doubted that it would be her turn next.
and that she dared not stay there another
night.
Mrs Wootton reported that every article
of jewelry and all the money she had in
her purse were gone, and Bessie said the
same.
This was a serious case, and we were at q
loss what to do. | said / should inform
the village inspector and then 90 up to
town and consult Mr.. Fraser and lawyer,
and begged them to do nothing till | came
back.
They all promised, but pretty Mrs. Ora
ham said must come back before night.
for she knew she was a dreadful little cow
ard. but she must 20 over to the village and
stay at the hotel for few nights. She
would only take a little satchel, and when
we got all quiet once again she would come
back
was not willing she should go, but l
thought she would get over her fright by
evening and stay, so I asked her if | could
do any errands in the city for her.
She said no-then yes, if | would be so
kind | might stop at Welling's and match
a piece of lace for her-she wanted five
yards more, and she gave me the money to
pay for it.
it seemed to me that the trains went at
snais' PAGES that morning, but at last |
was in Dicks office.
Um-um-yes, to be sure!' said Dick,
stroking his moustache with a thoughtful
air. =" Very bad Mary Very bad, in
deed And your pretty little widow is the
only person who wants to leave, you say ?"
" Yes. And l don't want any one to
leave with such a stain on our house,
Dick.
" You must by all means keep your
pretty little widow till l come down with
an officer and search her trunks
! sprang 10 my feet.
Why. Dick, are you mad ?" l cried
Neither mad nor deluded, my dear
little woman" said Dick, coolly; " but l
have a little theory about this thug, Mary
and if you will let me work it out may
help you. Got errands to do this morn
ing?'
/ was too worried to attend to any shop
ping for myself, but | remembered Mrs.
Graham's lace and answered.
" \ es-one.
We'll, go and do it, and then come back
here, will you? | think I'll have a plan
perfected by that time
| went to Wellings. stopped at the lace
counter, and held out the scrap pretty Mrs.
Graham had given me.
Can you match this?" 1 asked of the
polite shopman who stepped up. " wish
to purchase some more OF it,
He took the bit of lace, and | noticed a
queer look come over his face. | also saw
two or three of the young men draw near
and eye me curioUsly, and began to feel
embarrassed.
q don't know" said the shopman,
slowly. Mr.. Jones, ask Mr.. yelling to
step this way
The young man addressed hurried away,
and in a moment the gentleman named
came up, which was a relief to me, for |
saw something was wrong, and | knew
him well, as he was an old friend of my
fathers.
This is bad business, and requires ex-
PLANTATION Miss Mary he said. "A week
ago lady exactly answering the descrip-
ton you give of Mrs. Graham, came here
and bought twenty yards of this same lace
After she was gone it was discovered that
the money she paid was bad. We have
been trying to trace this lady ever since
but had not the least cleW till now. What
do you think ?"
4 think" I tremblingly said, that 1
must tell you the bad business at our house
last night, which brought me to town to-
day"
So | told him my story, and then he
of1;a -1,o,,
| went home knew all had to do.
l told Mrs. Graham that | could not find
her any more of the lace, and returned her
money.
As / had planned Dick came by the 6
o'clock train, and we were all at tea when
Emma came in with the quiet announce
ment-
Mr. Fraser is in the parlor, ma'am."
g excused myself a moment, and hast
ening to the parlor found Dick and de-
tective.
We hurried quietly up stairs-I was so
glad Jeanette was out of the way-and
into pretty Mrs. Graham's room. One Of
her trunks was gone but her hat and
shawl lay upon the bed. and under the
pillow we found her Russian leather hand
bag.
Mr. Detective made short work of open
ing that bag, and 10 he had no need to
look farther, There we found all Miss
Burton's iewelry, al! that belonged to Bes-
sic and Mrs Wooton. and my lost money,
besides a bunch of skeleton keys. And
then his course was plain, and before
hardly knew what happened we had as
tonished the group at the supper table, and
pretty Mrs. Graham was a prisoner.
Afterwards we found proof enough that
her work was done on Sunday afternoon,
while lay asleep in the parlor, and the
window opened at night by her lively maid
Jeanette to throw suspicion aside.
But we never heard any more either of
pretty Mrs. Graham or Jeanette.
Both, no doubt, got their just deserts, for
Mr.. yelling prosecuted. though | refused
to do 50.