The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-08-14
was cIoseted with her 1aGher Tor sew

was closeted with her 1atner Tor sew
eral hours.
"Ah, be sure T can prove my words
There is a woman employed here as
housemaid, named Maggie Willett.
Call her, and ask her a few questions.
If I am not mistaken, you Will have
cause for surprised"
eyes," interrupted Arthur Wynne,
quietly; "let the household be sum-
moned. No allegation of common
hireling can affect the spotless name Of
Ruby Lawrence"
Five minutes later, Maggie Willett
was in the room. A dark-browed, sui
len-looking young woman, who cast a
t,1rtive glance about her before she
commenced to speak, in low, hesitat-
ing tone: 49,
"You wish to speak with me, sir ?"
she began, glancing boldly into the
stern face of Arthur Wynne.
"You will repeat to these gentlemen
all that you told me this morning,
Maggie" said Gabrielle st. Cyr, au-
thoritatively.
The girl hung her head.
Every well," she answered, with ap-
parent reluctance.
"You see, sir" (glancing once more
into Arthur's face), II was bad off with
the toothache last night, so bad that 7
couldn't sleep, no how. I suffered aw-
fully; couldn't bear the pain, and at
last, toward morning, I got up.
ct said to myself, L guess I'll go to
Miss Ruby's room, and beg for little
laudanum to quiet me, and send me of
to sleep and rest Bit So got out
of bed and put on wrapper and slip.
pers, and threw shawl about me, and
went down stairs softly, 80 wouldn't
wake any one in front of the house, to
Miss Ruby's room. .-
my room is in the third story, where
all the servants are; Miss Ruby's is in
the second story. When I got there ]
turned the handle softly and opened
y the door.
"The room was empty; the gas wa,
burning; the fire was low; the bed had
not been slept in, and Miss Ruby wa
not there.
IT didn't know what to think. But,
after all, it was none of my business; |;
30 I hurried out of the room, and just
as got on the landing outside, I heard
a clock, somewhere in the house, strike
two; and at that very minute, door
below stairs opened soft and slow-like.
IT stopped short; I thought twas
burglars, you see; but just then I heard
a voice below speak sharp, and quick,
and angry like.
Its no use making trouble, Ruby
said the voice-and then I knew twas
Mr.. Lawrence himself-'fo T can't help
what is past and gone. I've told you
that I'm sorry, and that I'll make it up
to you all I cam But Miss Ruby spoke
up like mad woman.
You're worse than murderer
she said, T will have that paper, or I
will take your life!' I stood at the top
of the stairs, gentlemen, so afraid that
T could scarcely tell whether I was
dead or alive. Mr.. Lawrence then said
something quick and savage; tney
stepped back into the room and closed
the door, and for q minute all was STILL
Then I heard an awful noise; some
thing fell to the ground; there was the
sound of struggle. knew it, but l
was that afraid that I couldn't move or
cry out. Twas awful, sir, to be face
to face, as one might say, to a scene
like that, but how could know that
twas murder?
IT got my courage back at last. 1
must go down and see what had hap
pened; perhaps prevent crime from
being committed; for you see, I
thought all the time that Mr.. Law
renee had attacked Miss Ruby. I
crept half way down the stairs, when
Just then, gentlemen, Miss Ruby came
out of the library alone. . .,-. 49,.
81 stood upon the stairs just yonder
and watched her. She was white as q
ghost, her hair all down her back; and
as she came into the hall she slipped
something into her pocket, and then
she locked the library door on the out:
side and dropped the key into her
pocket, too.
@For just moment I stood there
watching her; then an awful fear crept
over me. I said to myself, it can't be-
anything serious! How could bit OF
q girl like that do any harm to a strong
man like Mr. Lawrence? So I slipped
back upstairs to my own room, and
locked myself in and laid down on the
bed till morning. When I got back to
my room it was quarter to three pre-,
cisely by the clock on the mantel.
"This morning I arose early and hur-
ried around to a dentist to have my,
tooth out. After it was extracted and,
I on my way back, I met the madame
yonder. I'd seen her several times
already. She used to come about this
place to see the master. Something
seemed to make me stop and tell her
what had happened. So I just told
her the whole story; and while We
stood talking, one of the servants here
came rushing by on his way for doc
tor, and he told us that the master was
dead. And now, sirs, you know all. I
have no more to sayp
The story had been told in monoto-
nous tone, like one who repeats lesson
learned by rote. During its recital
Arthur Wynne had been standing, pale
and agonized, his eyes dilated with,
horror, his cold hands clenching and
unclenching each other convulsively;
look upon his face that BODIED i'll to
some one.
When the story was finished, he
stepped forward and gazed full into
Maggie Willett's stolid face.
You had your tooth extracted" he