Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1892-09-19
"Come in and have a pipe.

Thanks, not-now. DOCTOR" A long
wistful pause. then-.'Well. good night.
Good night. old man. Come when
you will: III be lonely now" And the
doctor stood and gazed after him long
and earnestly as the captain strobe into
the darkness out over the parade.
Within the days that followed, when
he had leisure to think it all over, Holden
felt his perpiexities increase. Up to the
very last Nita had persisted in her state
ment that nothing had happened to war
rant the absurd exhibition she had made
of herself. II was overwrought, nerv
Gus, unstrung," she said Il had not
been feeling quite we'll had run up
to the room for my gloves. which | had
left upon the table. | had not reached
the door, and it was just the waving of
those white curtains in the draft from
the side window. | must have thought
saw ghost. and, like fool. scream
ed and tripped and-voila tout"
But Holden had known her for six
years and felt well assured she was not
of the stuff that is easily stricken with
terror. With every confidence in her
veracity in general he did not in the
least believe her now. The more he
studied the matter he felt that she was
hidifg something from them one and
all, even from Jennie, whom she dearly
loved and whom ordinarily she frankly
trusted. 1t was evident that Jennie
too. believed, as did her husband the
doctor, that there was something behind
it all. But Jennie was gone. and. except
possibly Rolfe. there was no one to aid
him in his search after the truth Rolfes
heart was now so shrouded IN it's own
gloom that any phase of tragedy seemed
credible Rolfe evidently wanted to
know Holden's suspicious or surmises
and again and, again led up to the sub
ject: but of all men in the garrison
much as he esteemed him. Rolfe seemed
hardly the man to make a confdant of
now. Was he not Nita's avowed though
rejected lover:
Of course. no time had been lost in
making investigation on the night OF
the occurrence. Even while the doctor
and others were raising the UNCONSCIOUS
girl from the floor, half dozen officers
were securing the premises for signs of
intruders and had found absolutely
nothing. The room occupied by Miss
Guthrie in the doctors house was imlile-
stairs. The hall was broad, the landing
roomy. 1t was one of the oldest sets of
quarters. at the post and an oddity in
its way. Entering the door of the rear
room on the east three windows ap-
peared, two opening at the back and
one at the side The two at the back
looked out over the roof of the rear
porch. 1t was perfectly practicable for
any one with Il ladder to have clam bered
to this roof. and. had the blinds been
open. peered in the windows at the occu
pant. But there was MO ladder. What
was more, the blinds We're tight shut
and bolted on the inside The shades
within We're drawn down. and the lace
curtains looped over each
Between them stood long, old fash
ioned mirror above the toilet table
draped with lace curtains very much as
were the windows themselves No one
from without could have been visible to
any one within No one within could
have been seen by any one without.
Moreover. the Holdens' cook-an indo1n-
liable Iris shwoman-was on the back
porch at the moment of Miss Guthrie's
fright saying good night to Corporal
Murphy who had long been Kathfeens
devoted admirer, and both stood ready
to swear that nobody was on thatHoof.
The rear windows thus disposed Of, the
doctor had turned his attention to the
window at the side, and here there was
possibility of explanation.
AS has been said, the Holdens' house
was one of the Oldest at the old frontier.
fort. but SO solidly and substantially had
it been built that, when others were con-
Gemned and ordered replaced along the
row. the authorities had decided tore
tain "Bayard Hail. 1t was originally
it double set, with hallway in common.
intended for the use Of four bachelor
officers. each to have his two rooms, there
being four rooms on the first and four
on the second floor. while the kitchen
and servants rooms were placed In a
wooden addition at the rear. The
ground fell away rapidly from the front
piazza. so that while the first floor front
was but few steps higher than the
walk, the rear porch was full story
above the ground, giving abundant
space for storeroOms, ETC., under that
part of the house, and necessitating a
hig..t of a dozen steps to reach the porch
or the kitchen doorway. Around the
front and sides of the second story there
ran originally a broad gallery, but this
was before the days of the war of the re-
bellion, during which the post was lit
tie used, and when, after certain repairs
and alterations, the house was declared
assignable as family quarters, the old
wooden gallery had been condemned