Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-10-08

distance from home. Much stress was laid
editorially, upon the melancholy circum.
stances of the whole affair, the girls parents
being in Europe at the time of her death
and the matter being left in the hands o.
strangers. No allusion was made to Shrow
in this item, and yet 1 did not fail to con
meet him with the affair, and to identify
the charge that fate had given into my
keeping with the unfortunate Janet Archer
Here was difficulty, indeed. had now
little doubt but my box of samples had been
buried without having been opened, and its
true character thus discovered. l could not
be sure of this until l had seen Shrowl, o1
course, but felt that my prescience OF the
fact was only too correct. If so, was safe
for the present from discovery. At the
same time I had this body on my hands
which felt it would be sacrilege to dispose
of in any way save the one planned by the
poor girls friends, and already put into ex-
ecution by them, as they supposed. Unfor,
tunately had now no opportunity to effect
an exchange of these boxes, ShroWls indie
cent haste having put it out of my power
I could, for the moment, see no course Of
action that particularly commended itself
to me. But first of all I had to see ShroWl
and make sure of my ground.
IWent at once to the address that had
been given me, and found his place of bust
ness without any trouble. Mr.. Shrowl was
engaged for few moments, l was told
would sit down and wait? I did so, and
made use of the leisure thus afforded to me-
to plan the best method of extracting the
information I was in search of from ShrOWl
simple matter enough, now.
In short time little pudgy chap with
red cheeks and generally well-fed and
cheerful appearance bustled into the shop
and was introduced to ME as Mr.. ShroWl
His appearance was great shock to me
and great comfort, too; it would be very
easy to arrange matters with man like
this.
"Well, SIR" began ShroWl in an oily
and persuasive tone, sizing me up profession
ally with his twinkling eyes.
II have not called upon any matter dl'
rectly connected with yonr business, Mr.
Shrowl," I began without any circumlocu.
ton, "but to trace, if possible piece of lost
baggage. If am not misinfOrmed, you left
Burlington on the 6.55 train yesterday
morning."
eyes" admitted Shrowl, "that's true"
"You were accompanying body, were
you not?"
eyes," said Shrowl, "that's true"
"Then you are no doubt the man." l said
with an appearance of great cheerfulness
Dy SUtlle ullSldhS lliy IIuuh "tlo O|ANHohSCo
in Burlington, for that of a man answering
your description, and I have called to have
the blunder rectified, if possible-''
"Hold on q bit," said ShroWl 81 guess
you've got the wrong man. I had NO
trunk"
"'No?' 1 said, as if surprised. "Why,
that's strange. There could hardly have
been two men answering that description.
They certainly told me my checks had been
exchanged with those Of the man who was
bringing on the body of poor Janet Archer.
"'Eh?' cried Shrowl. 'They couldn't have
told you that for they didn't know it,
They simply said body. But having you
in mind this afternoon as glanced overt the
paper I fancifully identified you with very
melancholy event I SOW chronicled there,
and introduced the name without thinking.
By the way, was l right in my conjecture
was it Miss Archer"
eyes, admitted the undertaken dubi-
ously.
"sAh,' said, "a very sad case. Parents
both away. So you buried her this morn.
ing, uo 49, ou osou4,
"'Poor girl-poor girl. In the absence Of
her parents and friends suppose you did
not open the coffin at all p
A long pause followed, during which
Shrowl and l stared at each other curiously
Finally he said:
"'You were asking about trunk you had
lost"
"Yes,' I admitted. Il had almost for.
gotten about that. You say you have not
got it.
"sNo.'
"'Then I need trouble you no further
Good morning.
$50 saying 1 left the shop and walked
down the street. AS turned the corner
looked back. Shrowl had come out of his
shop and was looking after me.
II had found out all I wanted to know
from him. My samples were buried-Where
it would be easy to ascertain. They must
he exchanged for the real body of Miss
Archer in some way. Two courses were
open to me. could take Shrowl into my
confidence, and have the thing done by him,
or I could effect, the exchange myself.
would have preferred the former course only
I did not see how it could be done by Shrowl
without publicity. His standing would
preclude the possibility of his undertaking
to do the thing in any underhanded man
ner for the sake of shielding me; and his
natural and straightforward way of man
aging the affair would assuredly place my
secret in the keeping of others besides our
selves-if, indeed, he did not feel bound tC
give publicity to the whole matter. The
latter course involved some risk, but was
within my power to do alone and unalded.
/ resolved to attempt it.
'The rest of the short afternoon | devoted
to investigation of the details necessary tC
be known in order to carry my purpose in:
to effect. Without arouSing suspicion, /
succeeded in ascertaining the exact location
of the grave where my samples repOSed
The cemetery was on the outskirts of the
town, on a rather lonely road, and was
quite unmatched. There was to be no moon
that night according to the almanac, and
the lot in which the grave was situated was
in hollow on the further side of the in
closure. All this was favorable to me.
"Several times during the afternoon met
Shrowl in different parts of the town, but
we had no further conversation. Toward
night I had a double-seated open carriage
at the hotel stables, and inquired the near
est road to --, g town several miles dis.
tant in the opposite direction from the
cemetery, receiving minute instructions IN
reply. | warned the people in the hotel
and stable that might not be back until
late, and drove off just as twilight was
coming on. On my way through the town
I stopped at hardware store and purchas.
ed shovel and pick. The man was just
closing, but taking me in the dim light 1ol
some belated farmer, sold me the tools with
out apparently wondering what man like
me wanted of them. l then drove on
through the suburbs of the city in the direc'
tion of --.
zone of the last houses 1 passed before
reached the stretch of country road was a
large and pleasantly placed cottage a
man, hanging on the gate before this house,
stared at me as went by. 1t was Shrowl
and he continued looking after me as long