Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-02-04


vase was mistaken by my failure to
; find it.
''Please don't apologize, she whim-
pered. Nobody ever apologies to
me, no matter how deeply they have
wounded my feelings. I'll say moth
. ing about reparation = not a word.
But after your unjust suspicious am
fairly entitled to live hereunder
. your eye, so that your may judge of
me for yourself = and such duties as
you give me will do accomplishing
Gould impotence go much further
than this? Here she was coolly
founding upon the one robbery right
to live in the house and rob me at
leisure. Anxious as was to get rid
of her, was still more anxious to re-
cover the vase. But how was I to pro-
Iceed? I could not call in the police
and have her searched, for that would
involve telling all aoout my unfortun-
ate wife.
And now there burst upon me a
thought that brought the perspiration
cut IN great drops upon my forehead.
In every available room in the house
there was one Of these desperate KEEP
t0maniacs, who was doubtless thiev-
ing right and left.
Excuse me one moment-only one
moment" said I, and literally ran
from the room, my intention being to
create a scare and thus prevent any
further depredations. Mrs. Heslop, |
felt, was harmless enough. There
was but little damage she could do in
the hall; so I hurried by into the din
ing-room, and caught Mrs. Stone in
the act of pillaging the plate basket.
She was tall and handsome woman,
with remarkably self-possessed man
ner, for she advanced to greet me
without the least sign Of discompos-
Eure. Being in most agitated state OF
mind myself, I scarcely know what I
said to her, except that [ should GER
tainly be back before she could find a
seat. Then I rushed away to the
! library, where the first thing that
struck me was the disappearance of
my ivory paper knife. Miss Mildew,
who was small and brisk, came smil-
ing out of corner, but, without a
word I fed, thinking that by so doing
I might alarm her more than by any
thing else.
500 to the hall door at once" I said
to James, who happened to be passing,
land on no account let any of the
five ladies out of the house until [ tell
you"
1t really was 8 frightful scene that
had met my gaze in the boudoir. Mrs.
| Dark had discovered in an Indian
cabinet q secret drawer OF which had
no knowledge, and this drawer had
apparently contained q large quantity
of iewelry, all of which I felt sure
had been appropriated by poor Maria.
In order to fill her pocket more
easily, Mrs. Dark was seated upon the
floor, with the whole collection of
rings, bracelets and brooches ia her
lap, and q paper IN her hand.
She was bushy proved, keen-ayed
elderly woman, with very square
shoulders and slight stoOp. A
glance at her hard featured face and
coarse hands was enough to show that
she belonged to q different class from
those of my other visitors-a fact that
rather surprised me, for her letter had
been the most attractive of all. When
I heard her speak I was driven to CON
clude she had not penned it without
assistance, if, indeed she had any thing
to do with it,
Strangely enough, too, she was the
only one of the five who displayed the
least sign Of embarrassment at being
caught theiving. She laughed, it is
true, but the laughter had q very for
ced ring. However she recovered
much sooner than [ did. After clos
ing the cabinet she crammed all the
iewelry into her pocket and rose to
her feet.
''Looks fshy, don't it9" said Mrs.
Dark, scrutinizing me from head to
| foot.
''You are very brazen-faced wo-
man." said I, carefully keeping, be
tween her and the door. For if she
were to get away and pawn the things
Maria had taken there would be ter
rible explosion.
'Well," said Mrs. Dark with an ir-
ritating pretense at resignation, II
suppose hard names are all in the days
work. What wages are you going to
give me for this job of looking after
your wife9"
WINGED at this.
Hand over the property you have
stolenl" angrily exclaimed. you
can not escape for the door is guard
ed"
''That's all right. But stolen!" The
abandoned woman actually winklng
at me! ''That's a hard word, too.
How many kleptomaniacs have you
got slowed about the house,"
Give, including Yourself"
They'll carry off every stick Of
furniture if you don't watch them,
said Mrs. Dark, laughing. "The very
idea OF putting them in separate
rooms! It's just like man. Shall
I help you to make the others fork
out? Set thief to catch a thief, you
know"
jumped eagerly at this suggestion,
hoping to come to terms with Mrs.
Dark. after the rest of my tormenters
had been got rid of. She undertook
the management, and, must admit,
/ I. /