Daily Kennebec journal., 1895-04-04

motive is possible? The mere fac, thai
drug vas skillfuily employed is not
enough"
''And Edward Amcs was thief"
'iBu. we don't know that he WIS
here. Come. let's see what we do know.
Your daughter ran away from home
some years AGO. You've never been
able TO Gad any trace of her. Didn't
you look too far away from home?
After | left the cemetery comnuni-
Gated by wire with an assistant of
mine who was in the junction. which is
the nearest considerable town in this
place He was on his way here. In
reply to my questions, he wired that
Charlotte Warren was seen there
Thursday afternoon, but he couldn't
find out how she got there. Now what
do you say to the theory that she's
been there all the time? And if so,
what young man of this place has
made most frequent visits to the juno
ton? Who's got the speediest team of
horses in the place?
well, that's only theory, and
hope that Maxwell is all right. But
remember that you never knew on
whose account Charlotte left her home,
and"
II have always believed that Edward
Ames was guilty. If she loved Max
well, why were they not honor
ably married? On the other hand, she
knew there was no hope of my consent
ing to her union with Edward Ames :"
'Well, l give that up. We don't
know enough yet to consider such ques-
tions with any hope of getting any
thing out of them. If Ned Ames was
in town at the time I'd be pretty near
sure of him. but can't get a trace of
him. Who's there?"
II hear nothing"
There's some one at the door. Not
that one; the back door of the house"
Mr.. Warren went to the window and
looked out.
"A man and a boy. Who can they
be?"
he hurried out of the room; and
presently returned with Horace Riddle
and old Abncr Riddle, the boys father.
MY sons got something to say to
you, Mr.. Warren" said Riddle ''Speal,
up and tell the truth for once in your
life"
This tender parental admonition ep-
reared to make little impression on the
boy. He was staring at book on the
study table.
"That's the bible, amt it?" he said
'1t is, replied the clergyman.
"That's the book you swear on, and
1t makes it worse for you if you don't
tell the truth. I'm willing to do it.
You know wouldn't lie to you, any,
way, Mr.. Warren. l never did. And
if put my hand on that book, and
cross my heart, you'll be sure that what
l say is true"
eff you mean to tell us that you lied
in the cemetery" said the clergyman,
frowning upon the young barbarian,
''it's unnecessary. This man has al
ready told me all about it."
"That's what came here for" said
the boy, firmly. 81 told father that the
man would tell, and you'd think what
1 said wasn't SO. Itwas this way: This
man came to me, and asked me fiat il
I'd tell lie for a dollar, and / said !
would.
"Then he told me to say what l did
say up in the graveyard, and when he
put those words in my mouth, you could
have knocked me down with feather.
L didn't dare to tell him, for fear that
wouldn't get my dollar, but the truth
was that l really did see Ed Ames in
the woods back of High street, not hals
an hour before this man spoke to me.
81 say this with my hand on the book
Mr.. Warren, and it's truc-it's true as
what's in the book; every word Of it."
The little fellows manner carried
conviction.
swell, I've run up against good
many queer things in my life," said
Mulligan, ''but this beats them all.
Young man, believe what YOU tell me.
and I want to say that it'll be worth
more than a dollar to You, before we're
through with this affair.
"Mr. Riddle, he continued, "you take
your son home, and keep an eye on him
all the time. What he says is likely to
convict somebody of murder, and !
don't suppose it's necessary to tell either
of you that it isn't thing to be talked
about yet"
CHAPTER ".
FRANK AMEs' DISCOVERY.
In the afternoon of the following day
the body of Charlotte Warren was COM
mitted to the tomb.
Detective Mulligan-whose total lack
of Irish characteristics suggested that
he could find another name for himself
by looking in his family Bible-held
what he called a conference, after the
funeral. Nobody else was present. He
opened the discussion by remarking to
himself that Charlotte beat any woman
he ever knew for keeping secret.
Never did see a corpse that had
less to say" he remarked. '.She walked
a considerable distance through the
snow, and got her dress and her shoes
wet, and then she partially dried them
before hot fire (her dress is scorched a
bit) and that's all know about what
she did in this town.
The fire he surmised to have been that
which had burned in the room where