Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-26

Now, where was Miss Page during those
two long hours? think | know, and 1t is
time unburdened myself to the police.
But first l must inform you Of a small |
discovery made while the dance was still
in progress Miss Page had come down .
stairs, as have said, from what now know |
to have been her own room. Her dress was
in all respects, the same as before, with one
excepton-her white slippers had been ex-
changed for blue ones. This seemed to
show that they had been rendered unservice- /
able, or at least unsightly, by the walk she
had taken. This in itself was not remark
able, nor would her peculiar escapade have
made more than a temporary impression
upon my curiosity IL she had not afterward
shown in my presence such an unaccount-
able and extraordinary interest in the MUIR
der which had taken place in the town below
during the very hours Of her absence from
Mr.. Sutherands ball. This, in considera-
tion of her sex, and her being a stranger
to the person attacked, was remarkable, and,
though perhaps l had no business to do
! what | did, l no sooner saw the house
/ emptied of master and servants than / stole
softly back and climbed the stairs to her
room. Had no good followed this
| intrusion, which, l am quite ready to
acknowledge, was trihe presumptuous, 1
/
but as l did make a discovery there which
has, as l believe, an important bearing
| on this affair, have forced myself to men
| tion 1t. The lights in the house having been
| left burning, l had no difficulty in finding
her apartment. l knew it by the folderols
scattered about, But l did not stop to
| look at them. l was on a search for her
slippers, and presently 1 came upon them,
thrust behind an old picture in the dimmest
Igly r FI,,1.l
examined them closely. They were not only
soiled gentlemen, but dreadfully cut and
rubbed In short, they were ruined and,
thinking that the young woman herself
would be glad to be rid of them, / quietly
put them into my pocket and carried them
to my own home Abel has just been for
them, so you can see them for yourselves,
and, II your judgment comedies with mine,
you will discover something more on them
than mud
DR.. Talbot, though he stared a little at the
young mans confessed theft, took the slip
pers Abel was holding out and carefully
turned them over. They were, as Sweet
water had said, grievously torn and soled,
and showed, besides severai deep earth stains,
a mark or two of bright red color quite
unmistakable in character.
Blood" declared the coroner. "There is
no doubt about it. Miss Page was where
blood was spilled last night"
" 81 have another proof against her."
| Sweetwater went on, in full enjoyment of
his prominence amongst these men who, up
till now, had barely recognized his exist
, ence. when, full of the suspicion that Miss
Page had had hand in the murder of Mrs.
Webb, l hastened down to the scene of the
tragedy, l met this young woman issuing
from the front gate. She had just been max
= | herself nv q
trail of blood on the grass plot. DR.. Talbot,
, who was there, will remember how she
looked on that occasion; but doubt If he
noticed how Abel here looked, or so much
{ as remarked the faded flower the silly boy
a had stuck in his button hole"
e g. me, If did" calculated the coroner
"Yet that flower has a very important
g bearing on this case He had found it, as
t he will tell you, the floor near Batsy's
e skirts, and as soon as 1 saw it in his coat
" 1 bade him take it out and keep it., for
gentlemen, it was very uncommon flower
:. the like of which can only be found in this
e town in Mr.. Sutherlands conservatory.
:? remember seeing such one in Miss Pages
/ hair, early in the evening. Have you that
| flower about you, Abel?"
y Abel had, and, being filled with impor.
n tance, too, showed it to the doctor and tc
70 Mr.. Fenton. 1t was withered and faded il
hue, but it was unmistakably an orchid O.
the rarest description.
1T was lying near Batsy," explained Abel
=, 81 drew Mr.. Fenton's attention to it at the
- time, but he scarcely noticed it..
81 will make up for my Indifference now,
a said that gentleman.
81 should have been shown that flower,
70 put in Knapp.
$50 you should" acknowledged Sweet
water, "but when the detective instinct i
aroused it is hard for a man to be just t.
his rivals; besides, was otherwise occupied
II | had Miss Page to watch. Happily for m
el it had been decided that she should not b
id allowed to leave town till after the Inquest
at and so my task became easy. This Who'll
day l have spent in sight OF Mr. Suther
g lands house and at nightfall l was re
l. warded by detecting her end a prolonge
IS walk in the garden by a hurried dash int
,e the woods opposite / followed her an
noted carefully all that she did AS she ha
IT just seen Frederick Sutherland and Mis-
n Halliday disappear up the road togethe
she probably felt free to do as she liked, 70
ID she walked very directly to the old tree W
50 have just come FROM and, kneeling dow
IL beside it. pulled from the hole underneat
y something which ratified in her han
y with that peculiar sound we associat
with fresh banknotes. | had approache
~ her as near as 1 dared and was peerin
, around tree trunk, when she stoope
:, down again and plunged both hand
ID into the hole. She remained in this pos
l. tion so long that / did not know what t
40 make Of it. But she rose at last and turne
I, toward home laughing to herself in a wicke
=, but pleased way that did not tend to max
"a me think any more of her. The moon wa
ID shining very brightly by this time and
"a could readily perceive every detail OF he
- person. She held her hands out before he
to and shook them more than once as she tro
~ by me, so i was sure there was nothing i
- them, and this is why was so confden
Of we should find the money still in the hole.
"When / saw her enter the house ] sc
a. out to find you, but the court house ROOF
=, was empty, and 1t was a long time befor
In | learned where to look for you. But a
last a fellow at Brightons corner said h
= saw four men go by on their way to label
, cottage, and on the chance of finding yo
in amongst them ! turned down here Th
"A shock you gave me in announcing that yo
40 had discovered the murderer of Agath
= Webb knocked me over for the moment, bu
-, now / hope you realize, as i do, that h
"a could never have had an active hand in he
death notwithstanding the fact that on