Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1898-12-31

am. Yet I couldn't help thinking ii
mighty comfortable, too, for an old fel-
low like him who likes such things and
don't have chick or child to meddle.
Why, he had pincushions on all his
bureaus, and they had pins in them.'
The laugh with which he delivered
this last sentence might have been heard
a quarter of mile away. Lucetta look
ed at Loreen and Loreen looked at me,
but none of US Joined in the mlrth,
which seemed to me very i'll timed.
Suddenly Lucetta asked:
"Did they dig up Mr.. Trohm's eel
lar?''
William stopped laughing long
enough to say:
"His cellar? Why, it's cemented as
hard as an oak floor. No, they didn't
polish their spades in his house, which
was another source of satisfaction to
me. Deacon Spear hasn't even that to
comfort him. Oh, how did enjoy that
old fellows face when they began to
root up his old fungir
Lucetta turned away with a certain
odd constraint could not but notice.
"It's hulniliating day for the lane, "
said she. "And what is worse" she
suddenly added, nothing will ever
come of it. No band of police can ever
reach the root Of this matter"
thought her manner odd, and, NOV
ing up to her, took her by the hand
with something Of a relatives familiar
ity.
"What makes you say that? Mr..
Gryce seems a very capable man."
"Yes, yes, but capability has nothing
to do with it. Chance might and pluck
might, but wit and experience not.
Otherwise the mystery would have been
settled long ago. 1 wish p
"Well?" Her hand was trembling
violently.
"Nothing. don't know why 1 have
allowed myself to talk Oh this subject.
Loreen and l once made compact new.
er to give any opinion upon it. You see
how / have kept it."
She had drawn her hand away and
suddenly had become quite composed.
I turned my attention toward Loreen,
but she was looking out of the window
and showed no intention of further pur-
suing the conversation. William had
strolled out.
"Well," said l, eff ever girl had
reason for breaking such compact you
are certainly that girl. l could never
have been as silent as you have been
that is, if l had any suspicious on so &c.
rious a subject, as from your appear
ance you certainly have. Why, your
own good name is impugned-yours and
that of every other person living in this
lane"
miss Butterworth, she replied, 81
have gone too far Besides, you have
misunderstood me. l have no more
knowledge than any one else as to the
source of these terrible tragedies. I only
know that an almost superhuman cum
ming lies at the bottom Of so many un.
accountable disappearances, cunning
so great that only crazy person.
"Ah," l mu1mused eagerly, "Moth'
or janet
She did not answer. Instantly I took
a resolution.
"Lucetta, said !, "is Deacon Spea,
q rich man?"
Starting violently, she looked at me
amazed.
eff he is, l should like to hazard the
guess that he is the man who has hello
you in such thraldom for years
"And if he were?" said she.
"I could understand Williams an
tipathy to him and also his suspicious u
She gave me a strange look, ther
without answering walked over ant
took Loreen by the hand. "HushW
thought I heard her whisper. At all
events the two sisters were silent fol
more than moment. Then Lucetta said
deacon Spear is well OF, but moth
ing will ever make me accuse living
man of crime so dreadful. " And she
walked away, drawing Loreen after her.
In another moment she was out of the
room, leaving me in state Of great ex'
citement.
"This girl holds the secret to the
whole situation" thought L "The be-
lief that nothing more can be learned
from the Knollys is false one. must
see Mr.. Gryce. Williams rodomantades
are so much empty air, but Lucetta's
silence has a meaning we cannot afford
to ignore"
So impressed was by this that I took
the first opportunity which presented
itself of seeing the detective. This was
early the next morning. He and several
of the townspeople had made their ap'
pearance at Mother James cottage, with
spades and picks, and the sight had
naturally drawn US all down to the gate,
where we stood watching operations IN
a silence which would have been con-
sidered unnatural by any one who did
not realize the conflicting nature Of the
emotions underlying it. William, tc
whom the death of his mother seemed
to be great deliverance, had been in
clined to be more or less jocular, but
his sallies meeting with no response he
had sauntered away to have it out with
his dogs, leaving me alone with the two
girls and Hannah.
This latter seemed to be absorbed en-
tirely by the aspect of Mother Jane,
who stood upon her doorstep in an at
titude so menacing that it was little
short of tragic. Her hood, for the first
time in the memory of those present,
had fallen away from her head, show
ing a wealth of gray hair which flew
away from her head like weird halo.
Her features we could not distinguish,