The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1898-12-30
CIRCUMSTANTIAL
EVIDENCE.

v young man Of decidedly pre-
4 4 possessing appearance, good.
looking, well made, we'll dressed.
81 want your help with regard to
young lady" he sald. 'IIer name Is
Margaret Dalton. She was engaged as
governess to the children of Lady
Decker, who lives at The Perches,
Avenue road. l first saw Miss Dalton
when my firm was putting In the cleo
trio light at The Perches-I am an cleo
tric engineer. As l am a distant cous-
IN of Lady Decker l took occasion to
cultivate her acquaintance. fell vio-
lently in love with her and soon pro-
posed. She refused me at first on the
ground of her poverty and position,
but l was determined, and, in short,
She consented"
"What did Lady Decker say?"
"She was angry. AS 1t was no con
Germ Of hers-our relationship being
remote can only imagine that she
must have Intended me to marry one
of her own daughters. She treated
Miss Dalton cruelty, abused her vilely,
and ordered her to leave the house at
Once.
However while Miss Dalton was
packing her box Lady Decker changed
her mind, and told her harshly that,
as the mischief was done and 1 was
a connection, It was better that the
marriage should take place respect
ably from her house. and, in short. If
she liked, she could stay on till the
wedding day. We were to have been
married this week."
And what has happened?"
"a week ago Miss Dalton disappear
ed. She posted me a wild note, In
which she said that, though 1t nearly
broke her heart to leave me, she had
determined never to see me again, and
charging me, if I loved her, to make
no attempt to follow her"
''What did Lady Decker sayY
"Unluckily, by a most malign coin
cidence, Lady Decker lost a most val
liable diamond necklace at that time.
would stake my life on her innocence,
but Lady Decker"
Essays that Miss Dalton has gone off
with the necklace"
Exactly, and l want you to find
Miss Dalton and disprove this odlous
charge She Is an orphan and has no
relations that she knows Of. She had
a patroness who paid for her school
ing got her place with Lady Decker.
and. dying soon afterward, left her
$3.50, but all that this lady ever told
her was that her parents were both
dead, and she had taken charge Of her
ON account of an old friendship for
her father, who, she said, was a Gap
tain In the army
"Then, of course, you are sufficiently
acquainted with Miss Dalton's hand
writing TO know whether she wrote
that letter of farewell or not; hut stfll,
to make sure, Will you let me have It
and some others Of hers to compare
withT
The young man flushed as he drew
from his pocket a small packet.
''These are the last three that l Ne
oeived from her. he said with emo
.tiOn, "and the last Is on top"
] wished TO hear an independent
opinion on the subject Of Miss DaltOn's
character, and so | disguised myself
as peddler, and IN that character
made the acquaintance OF one Of the
maid-s6rvants az The Perches. She
told me that Miss Dalton was nice
young lady. perfect lady, but know
ing her place and giving herself no airs
I at al.
"Where was the necklace keptY'
| 1T was IN missls' bedroom. Missis
/ kept It has a rule hin a hion syfe, but
she took It bout ter look hat halter
lunch, and SEES that she forgot to put
hit back agyne."
A few days after this I was going
through Broad Sanctuary In the after
noon when heard a man and a WON
an Quarreling. At least to be exact
the man was evidently in the quarrel
some stage Of drunkenness, and he was
abusing the woman violently.
"Why don't you go back to your
Lady DOckerT cried the man as
passed, ''Why did you leave her al