Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-05-13

1 ibtnt rbVuAN VIC III hNA BNeasAtb
\ He had been educated in a different po
tition himself and knew that these rough
work people about her were not of hei
order. LET me come in and look ri
your chimney" he added. 81 am Jacl
Of all trades
She hcsitated a second, then without
( speaking led the way into her room. lie
/ followed. The room was full OF smoke
T and inst az they entered a violent gust d
wind brought down an avalanche Of soot
and rubbish on the fire, extinguisbinG
tho feeble flames which were already al
most succumbing TO adverse circum
stances. with dismayed CRY they both
rushed TO the fireplace. lie insisted
upon clearing up the place for her, ano
they grew quite sociable as they laughed
and talked over the catastrophe IN bel
exquisitely clean and neat room.
When some sort OF order was re-esta-
blishcd he would take no denial to his
request that she should come in and
have a cup Of tea 10y bis fire. She yield.
cd at last. She WAS cold and tired, and
had come home from her work With all
n womans longing for a cup Of tea. The
boiling Of her own kettle looked hope
less, and he had been very kind. Yet il
cost her a terrible effort to cross the
threshold Of that room. Thongu he
talked away cheerfully, and did not
seem TO look at her, he saw the FAINT
shuddcring hesitation IN the doorway.
He pat her chair near the fire, and
making his tea poured her out cup and
cut her some bread and butter. She sat
leaning back in her chair watching bin.
1t was long since she had been waited on
like this. 1t took her back TO old days
when
She rclontlessly drove back the
thought She was workingwoman
now. lie sat at tho table drinking his
own tee and talking sensibly and plea
sanity npou various topics but he was
gradually leading up to one.
eyes, ono might really think poverty
a crime, it takes a man into such strange
places. For instance, my coming 20 tins
room. 1t is not pleasant exactly. bat
the landlord has taken OFF f. little Of the
rent owing 10 the recent event, and dead
men don't trouble the living. And you
too-you have not felt 1t necessary to
change Your room ?"
CAS- YOU cay, poor people cannot
always follow their fancies.
" You are sensible Why should You
90 TO tho expense and bother Of
moving 3 The dead man is at peace,
So apparently is his murderer / won
der what the police are about.
"Thc police like a good many other
people, may make a wrong start to be-
giu with and each step naturally only
leads them further from their goal.
You mean that they may base their
conclusions on an error be said, alb
stactedly.
"rhe first thing is, doubtless, to find
ont the right motive for the crime, be
went on. "In the case of this Patrick
OConnor it was certainly not robbery
was probably personal revenge"
"Pr0bably, as the murderer took
nothing.
cor there are such things as secret
societies. for this man. from all &C
counts could scarcely have had per
soaal enemy. He may have failed the
society he belonged to, and was, there
fore. marked ont for vengeance"
She answered him quietly, her manner
being perfectly selfpOssessed. But lac
saw by her eyes that he was torturlng
her They were the windows Of heI
soul, which WAS rebellinR, hu;tering, cry
iug out against bis mcrciless treatment.
lie had seen euough-for the present
and he let her 90. He turned the con.
vcrsation. She talked few moments
more and then rose.
lie rose. too. and, rs he babe hergood-
bye o sudden discovery ne made fell on
hum like shock. She was "a beautiful
woman. Up to this moment he had seen
in her only tired, hagFard-laced woman
with heavy eyes and pale lips.
Now, though she was Outwardly 40
quiet. her cheeks and lips were tinged
with A crimson Of intense excitement,
and her eyes were brilliant with that
same suppressed pain and fear. The
manhood m him was suddenly stirred to
its foundations by her beautiful, suffer
ing womanhood
81 was right" no said, as he stood
alone staring into his fire. "She knows
all about it. II was q wise thing coming
here She has somo motive, too, tor
STAYING in the house that motive may
guide me to the plans of tho murderer.
Nothing showed more clearly how
powerfully she had moved him than the
fact that his previous suspicion that she
had been an accomplish III the deed had
completely vanished. The murder had
only been known to her after it was done
OF that no was now certain. She must
be shielding some one through affection
or fear She, too, might be member
of that secret society to which he had
already found out the murdered man had
belonged.