The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1894-10-17
TRACED BY A BUTTON,

by the way, my name is Jack Hind
son, at your service-I had a case on
my hands that baffled me. 1 wanted
to get on, for was at that time en-.
gagged to Kitty Pease, and she had
said that though she was very fond of
me she did not mean to marry me un-
til 1 had enough to marry on, which
should have as soon as / had found
out the party who committed a GER
tain murder.
Mrs. Jeffries, rich, miserly sort of
old lady, had been found dead in her
bed, murdered by some one. No one
knew who it was.
Everybody was under suspicion-a
man servant who had been dismissed
weeks before; a dissipated nephew
who had quarrelled with her; ped
dler; a man who had mended the
roof. But it seemed likely that no
one would be actually proved guilty.
To be sure, the nephew would come
in for her property, being her only
relative, but though he had been to
the door that evening he had been
seen to go away again, and the SER
want had to call for help before the
bedroom door could be broken in.
The only clue that l had was a bit
of black cloth clutched tight in the
dead woman's hand-a find bit of old
black broadcloth torn in quite a sim
gular shape. We hid the fact that
this had been found from the news
paper men, and / was looking for the
coat it had been pulled off of. That
would be my chance.
The dismissed servant was waiter,
but l bribed myself into chance of
seeing his black coat off duty, and it
had not been torn or patched. l huut-
up the nephew's boarding-house and
got into his room under pretense of
having been sent from the telegraph
Office to see the wires, but his clothes
were all of thick, coarse cloth. talked
these things all over to Kitty, and she
set her wits to work to help me. She
asked me to let her go to the old
lady's house and show her the room
she slept in, and she went out on the
roof, as had done many time, and
went along first in one direction and
then in another, looking at all the
scuttle doors, until 1 thought she
would go off into the street. but she
stopped Mt the last of the row and
beckoned me. hurried up.
Close to the scuttle door lay little
black button.
"This belongs to the garment the
bit of cloth came FROM" she said.
''There are blacks and blacks. This
is n button that matches that black.
Not blue black, nor brownish
black, nor foxy black, but black
that is almost invisible green. Do
you know No. 1902"
"It's a very respectable first class
boarding house." said l.
"Will they take ladies?" she asked.
'If they are we'll introduced.
81 shall go there to board"
Next day got card from her
she hadn't been in the habit of having
cards-with that address on it. call
ed. She came down to see me in her
best black silk, with her bonnet and
mantilla on.
There was an old lady in the room.
She introduced me to her and ther
said she was ready. / took the hint.
We went out together.
"Of course you know why I came
here" she said. "I'm spending al
my salary and wearing my best clothes
but I've found something out already
Mrs. Jeffriess nephew calls here some
times. He calls on young widow
who has the upper front room. H,
has been engaged to her for som,
time"
She paused long time and thel
said: she was here the night of tn
murder"