Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-11-29


opening that side door which he indi-
Gated. And he called me doctor. All
| this looks like real mystery, DENIM.
Shall we follow it up?'
I'm with YOU" said DENIM, starting
| toward the side door.
| / caught him by the arm.
go slow, my boy. Remember his
warning about the walls having ears
and not going to work until the house
was quiet. Let's wait and ask no ques-
| lions lest we betray ourselves. The
| more L think of it the more L am con-
WINGED that he has in some unaccounta-
| BILE way mistaken us for other people.
| Who? What sort? OF course l cannot
conjecture. But certain it is, we are
not supposed to be here for any good
| purpose. Didn't you notice how fright
ened he loked when he spoke of it?'
YES" said DENIM, "and that leads
me to believe we are on the point of
making some important discovery
cannot imagine what-but which will
bring that villain and perhaps the
| landlord himself into trouble
Having delivered himself of this
| sage conclusion, DENIM washed him
self and after i had done likewise we
went below to see about supper, exert
| ing ourselves to the utmost to appear
as uncOncerned as possible.
Ike was not visible, and the land
| lord, who was waiting on some new
customers. directed us to the dining
room slyly handing me. as he did so,
something wrapped in paper, which
like key.
On sitting down to supper l opened
the paper, and, sure enough. / found it
contained door key, while on the pa
per were scrawled several lines, which
| / made out to read as follows:
This Key fits the Dore between the
| rooms-don't kun to the Bar agin ii
mite, and LUX out for people in Room
on t'other side of Partition-you will
| find Bags in Closet OF Room"
"Aha!" said DENIM, when he had de-
| ciphered the scrawl in his turn, the
| mystery deepens! What on earth are
| the bags for? Really, Joe, I'm beginning
to think Wen get our fingers burnt if
we attempt to handle this thing. Let's
get out of this internal hole before it
| is too late"
"What, you are not going to back
outY' / said. my curiosity being so
fully reused by the strange note, so 1
was determined to fathom the mys-
| terry
"Not, if you are determined to stick
| to it, my old chum."
After supper we went directly to our
room, taking with us Il large lamp
which had been lighted for our use.
1t was then eleven O'Clock.
Through the partition on the right,
| opposite the door opening into the 9th
er room, we heard voices, and listened.
mi, ind Cyin hai
| talk, discussing business matters.
These We're doubtless the people
against whom the note had warned us.
They did not separate till midnight,
and / can assure the reader it was Il
long wait for us-for DENIM and me.
Soon after we heard them go out;
the house became as still as death.
Then, with a strange feeling creeping
| over me, / babe DENIM take up the
camp, and, going Oh tiptoe to the side
| door, / unlocked ii, very carefully, so
| as not to make the slightest noise, and
slowly opened it.
A damp, chilly air struck our faces,
and the light fiared up. IKE windows
| of the room were raised, but the shut
tiers were closed tight.
We entered. There was no carpet on
the floor, and no furniture save Il long
deal table in the middle Of the room.
| To the right, in the farther corner, was
q cot. with a blanket thrown over it,;
| to the left a closet.
well" / was on the point OF say
ing Il see no mystery in this when
DENIM, who was between me and the
farther corner. holding The lamp, start-
ed back, suddenly and clutched my
arm.
Heavens. Joe-' he said, in hoarse
whisper. there's something covered up
on the cot!''
The hand with which Jie held the
lamp shook so that. fearing he would
drop it, I took it from him. and, IN
breathless uspEnSe, we wen+ on tiptoe
to the cot.
Yes; there was certainty something
under the blanket. Something that
looked like the top Of Il human head
peeped out.
I pulled down the blanket a little,
and n CHASTITY face, framed by long,
brown hair, stared up at us with CLASSY
eyes.
Mortified, 1 recoiled and set the lamp
upon the table, while DENIM staggered
back against the wall, murmuring:
For Gods sake, Joe, what does this
meanT
at MEANS" 1 replied, mastering my
emotion, 1T means that we stand face
to face with the victim of a crime
a murdered woman. Choked to DEATH"
'Choked!" gasped DENIM. How do
you know that?"
'It is very evident" I made answer,
approaching the cot again. ''See for
yourself" and / showed DENIM, at
the throat, several dark marks, like the
imprints of fingers. There" I said,
gravely, "are the irrefutable proofs.
To the medical eye they are crying
witnesses"
Cover it up again, Joe. The sight is
too horriblev' moaned DENIM. I'VE
must not disturb tit must be left as
we found it," and selling the blanket
with shudder he pulled it over the
staring face.
"And now what's to be done?" he
continued. Our first step is undoubt-
edly to go and lodge complaint
against this Ike and Pete Burroughs,
the landlords. We must do so at
once"
Not so fast, my boy. Do you mag
inc we would be allowed to leave this
house by stealth at this hour? No,