The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1894-04-25

ANBAJs
''First of all you must please answer
very carefully some questions l shall
put to you. Did you on that day de-
stroy any paper?"
''No, miss. F"
''Have you destroyed or removed
any sinceG"
mot scrap, miss. You see there
amt no fires this time o the year, and
the little cooking l does is ell done on
the gas stove"
Everything was being turned upside
down and inside out, when Edith sud
denly stopped.
"Do you remember whether the win
dows we're open on that day?" she
asked.
eyes, miss; Mr.. Stanton alwaysuse
to ave g winders open"
"Well, just open them as they would
be if he were here.
The woman did as she was bid. Edith
then placed piece of paper on the table
where Gilbert said he had laid the
confession, the door leading into the
bed room and the entrance door hav-
ing first been opened. There was
considerable draught, and the paper
trembled on the table.
'Perhaps there was more air on that
day." said Edith. 81 will substitute q
lighter piece of paper"
This she did, and almost Immediate
ly it was caught by a current, and it
futtered across the room. As it fell
on the floor they we're startled to see
little kitten spring from the open
doorway and pounce upon the paper,
rolling over and over with it in her
teeth.
"Lor', MISS" suddenly broke in
Mrs Morton, ''now / remember
When the gent shot 'isself I was work
ing in the 'ouse opposite, and came
back to see what was the matter.
That little kitten belongs to the party
in the next set, and when L came up
to the landing she was playing just
like that with bit o paper, which
she runs away with and leaves on the
stairs"
eyes," said Edith, in breathless
eagerness.
"Well, paper about the stairs looks
SO untidy, miss, SO picked it up
and"
"What did you do with it?"
"I threw it in the pail with the other
rubbish.
For the second time the contents of
the pail WAS emptied by the laundress
and carefully examined. 1t was abso-
lutely certain that the paper was not
there.
Edith sent the laundress home, shut
herself in the solitary chambers and
began the hunt afresh.
Next morning she returned to her
hopeless task. Mrs. Morton she had
relieved from further attendance, and
was walking up and down the cham
bers in thought when there came
knock at the door. 1t was the laun-
dress herself.
81 know where that bit o paper is,
miss l stays bit in the kitchen
just to see if might be of any use,
you understand--and while L was
waiting 1 puts new candle in the
candlestick Them mines is rather
small for the candlestick, so takes a
bit O. paper ont O. the pail to make it
fit. Come into the bed room, miss.
Why, it's gone.
81 was here late last night and l
burnt the candle very low and the
paper took fire!"
"And you burntit, miss |"
"Only slightly, L remember. I
blew it out, threw the paper away and
put in new candle that l removed
from the piano. I threw it under the
CRATE. Thank heaven, we have found
it at last !"
''There is nothing here, miss" said
the woman on her knees. '"Ihe CRATE
is quite empty! You can take my
word for it, that papers bewitched." "
81 don't care whether it is bewitched
or not, said Edith, 81 mean to find
it. Fetch me that magnifying glass
from the table in the next room"
Edith removed the fender and care
fully examined the dust that Mrs. Nor
tons not over scrupulous cleanliness
had allowed to accumulate.
81 thought as much, she said.
''Micel They have been attracted by
the candle grease, and have dragged
the paper to their hole.
They searched around about every
where, but no mouse hole could be
| found.
Edith then directed the woman to
mix quantity of whiting, which she
placed in large fiat dish in the floor
in the middle of the room. In the
dish was laid a small saucer, and in
that piece of toasted cheese.
When they returned there was
track OF little white footprints across
the room that led to little hole above
the narrow skirting board, hidden by
a loose piece of wall paper.
A man was called in, and after
breaking down some of the plaster and
taking up n corner of the flooring, the
coveted scrap of paper was at last Sc
cured.
The confession was in part de-
stroyed, and required very delicate
handling, but when the precious relic
had been carefully mounted on another
piece of paper it was found to read as
follows, the words in parentheses be-
ing supplied on supposition;
" Il am) sick OF my life and IRE
solve) to put an end to it. In case sus-
] eu1I A