Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-05-28
copyright, 1905. by Irving Bachellcr)
CHAPTER 1V.-THE BOX OF
Giles

CHAPTER 1V.-TUE BOX OF
CLUES.
Crhe pages which follow are from Miss
Fairbanks journal, begun after the CON
clusion of the notes already given TO tho
readcr.)
Wednesday night have resolved to
record carefully each day the progress
] make in my examination of the house.
j began to-day at the bottonl-that is,
with the room least likely to contain any
clue, the parlor l took "a chalk line aud
yard stick, and divided the floor into
square yards and every one of these
squares | examined on my hands and
knees. | found in this way literally moth
ing on the carpet but dust. lint, two COM
mon white pins and three inches of blue
sewing silk.
At last | got the dust pan and brush
and yard by yard swept the floor. / took
the sweepinGs in white pasteboard
box out into the yard in the strong sun
light, and examined them. There was
nothing but dust and lint and five inches
Of brown wooden overwhelmingly n
raveling from some dress material. The
blue silk and the brown thread are the
only possible clues which | have found
to-day, and they are hardly possible.
Rufus wife can probably account for
them. l have written to her about them.
Nobody has como to the house all day.
j went down to the store this afternoon
to get some necessary, provisions, and
people stopped talking when | came in.
The clerk took my money as if it were
poison.
Thursday night.--To-day | have search
ed the sittnC-room, out Of which my
fathers bedroom opens. / found two
bloody footprints on the carpet which M
one has noticed bcfore-perhaps because
the carpet itself is red and white. l used
microscope which / had in my school
work. The footprints, which are close
to the bedroom door, pointing out into
the sitting-room, are both from the right
foot: one 10 brighter than the other, but
both are faint The foot was evidently
either bare or clad only in stocking
the prints are SO widely spread. They ar,
wider than my fathers shoes. l triet
one in the brightest print.
/ found nothing else new in the sitting
room. The boolstaius on the doors
which have been already noted are still
there. They had not been washed away
first by order of the sheriff, and next by
mine. These stains are Of two kinds
one looks as if made 10y II bloody gar
ment brushing against It; the other,
should say. wns made in the first plnc,
by the grasp of bloody hand. and thct
brushed over with n cloth. There ar,
none of these marks upon the door lead
Ing into the front entry and the china
closet. Tho china closet is really pan
try, although | use 1t only for my bcs'
dishes and preserves.
Friday night.--Today i searched tn,
closet. One of the shelscs, which il
about as high as LILY shoulders, wat
bloodstaincd. 1t looked to me as if tn,
murderer might have caught hold of j.
to steady himself Did he turn faint
after his dreadful deed! Some tumbler,
of jelly were ranged on that shelf anC
they had not been disturbed. There wa,
only that bloody clutch on the edge.
found on this closet door, under III,
shelves, as il it had been rolled there b,
careless foot, button, evidently iron
mans clothing 1t is an ordinary black
enamolled metal trousers button; il ha,
evidently been worn off and cumsil.
sewn on again, for quantity of stou
white thread is still clinging to it. Thi
button must have belonged either to
single man or to one with an idle wife.
If one black button has been sewn ol
with white thread another is likely to be
may be wrong, but I regard this buttol
as a clue.
The pantry was thoroughly swept
cleaned, indeed, by Rufus wife, the da
before she left. Neither my father no
Rufus could have dropped it there, an
they never had occasion to go to tn
closet The murderer dropped the but
ton.
have a white pasteboard box whic
] have marked, "Clues." In it have pr
the button.
This afternoon Phoebe Dole came il
She Is very kind. She has recut til
dyed silk, and she fitted it to me. He
great shears, clicking in my ears, mad
me nervous. l did not feel like stoppin
TO think about clothes. / hope did NJ
appear ungrateful, for she is the onl
soul beside Henry who has treated me q
before this happened.
Phoebe asked me what found to bus
myself about, and replied II am searcl
ing for my fathers murderer" She aske
# l thought | should find q clue, and
replied, II think So" | had found Il
button then, but l did not speak Of
She said Maria was not very well.
l saw her cycling the stains on Il
doors, and / said had not washed the,
off, for 1 thought they might yet ser,
purpose In detecting the murderer. 81
looked at those on the entry door-tl
brightest ones-and said she did not 5.
how they could help, for there were
plain finger marks there, and she shou
think they would make me nervous.
I'm beyond being nervous" said /.
Saturday.r-To-day have found som
thing which l cannot understand.
have been ut work In the room where n
father came to his dreadful end. {
course some of the most startling cy
dences have been removed The bed
clean, and the carpet washed, but IL
worst horror of it all clngs to that ROOF
The spirit of murder seems to haunt
1t seemed to me at first that | could m
enter that room. but in it / made
strange discovery.
My fnther, while he carried little mo
ey about his person, was in the habit