The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-01-30

and served in India, so that it was no
trouble to me to associate with the class
| of persons l met at Sir Georges. ]
made myself as have reason to know,
very agreeable, and was soon on ex-
cellent terms with everybody in the
house. There was no doubt in my
mind that the robbery had been per-
petrated by some one in the dwelling.
10 was equally clear to me that it had
not been accomplished by a domestic.
NY instructions to Watson were to be-
come intimate with the servants of the
visitors, and to learn as much as he could
of the antecedents and habits of their
masters.
''Now. let me go back and tell you
something which happened the first
night l was at Sir Georges. am
naturally as well as professionally of an
inquisitive turn, so when all had retired
and the house was still arose and
opened the door of my room. / may
tell you that the first thing did on be-
ing shown to my room on my arrival
was I'd oil the lock and hinges, so that
the door would open without noise. l
had pursued this course ever since one
of the best laid schemes l ever con-
cocted was frustrated by the grating of
key in lock. Well, l opened the
door noiselessly and looked out. The
long corridor reaching from the central
gallery to the left wing lay before me;
very faint light was flung from lamp
at the head of the stairs. As l gazed
without any particular object, wonder
ing, however. behind which door the Sc
cret of the robbery lay concealed-for l
was certain that some one of the visit
ors was the thief-a white figure
emerged from room between me and
the gallery. stepped back and closed
the door Then listened. Some one
approached my door and paused. 1
could hear the soft footballs cease. Nay,
l could hear the breathing of the person
who paused and evidently listened at
my door. Then the foot steps departed.
l opened the door and saw the figure in
white walking with downcast head to-
ward the gallery. 1t vanished in the
doorway from which had seen it come.
Was | suspected, and was this the thief?
Had she come to reconnoiter and find
out what was about? Had her rest
less and guilty spirit intuitivcly fixed
upon me as the one being in that dwell
ing whom it had to fear9
Next morning l tried to select the
door out of which the figure had come,
and through which it had disappeared.
but in VAN. At breakfast / glanced
around to see whose face gave signs of
disquiet or anxiety, but all appeared
gay and careless.
After breakfast l went into the
smoking-room and conversed with one
and another. Then l went to my
room, having, rs already said, tele-
graphed for Watson. After an hour
spent in thought took stroll through
the park. The air was frosty and
bracing. The sun shone bright, and
was beginning to collect my thoughts
and decide on some course of action.
Where to begin was the gues-
ton. As | sauntered down the avenue
l heard footstep behind me. 1t drew
near, and presently found Miss Ger
trude, or more properly Miss Nj,
Sir Georges elder daughter, alongside
of me. bowed and made some re-
mark about her being alone.
"'Oh, she said, i am going to visit
two or three of my pensioners, for
whom have few small presents
Il observed that she held leather
bag in her hand. After a few further
remarks between us, she excused her
self and fastened on. Whom did she
remind me of as she passed away?
When l reached the gate and glanced
along the road toward the village, Miss
M was out of sight, the road taking
an abrupt turn. walked on in the di-
rcction she had taken for no particular
reason, and soon came to the village.
1t consisted of two rows of small I'M
pretentious dwellings, with one here
l was already approaching the very
last dwelling, low matched cottage
at the corner of a lane leading to
farm -house in the valley, when Miss
M came forth from the cottage and
turned toward me. She TO longer car
ried the bag and had her veil down.
She stopped a moment and asked me
which way was going. l know not
exactly why, but l resolved to deceive
her, and replied 1 was going to see
where the lane led. pointing to that
which ran by the cottage. She said i.
would take me to large pond where
the village children were skating.
Then she hastened away. As l looked
after her the figure in white came to
my mind.
Il turned into the lane and went
few steps and then paused, for l heard
step on the other side of thicket
hedge which separated the small yard
at the rear of the cottage from the lane,
| peered through the hedge and saw a
tail, strongly-built man of about twen-
ty-five, standing with a meerschaum in
his mouth, from which he was sending
forth volumes of smoke. He Wore a
sealskin cap, hal sandy hair and full
fawn-colored beard. A heavy pea
jacket covered his body, and his legs
were encased in breeches and long
boots. He was bold, handsOme-look-
ing fellow, evidently very powerful. In
a few minutes he knocked the ashes
from his pipe and entered the cottage.
went back to the highway AMI walked
on toward Warwick. In a very few
minutes my friend of the cottage passed
me at brisk rate In his left hand he
carried a bag-the bag which had
seen in Miss NJ. S hand when she passed
me in the park.
You may be sure that this excited
my curiosity. Who was this man
whom Miss M had evidently met bv
appointment in the cottage, and to
whom she had con.ided the custody of
her BAG? Furthermore. what did that