Evening star., 1899-04-01

opened in terror upon the face of this man,
once SO plain and insignificant in her eyes,
but now SO filled with menace she inward
ly quaked before it, for all her apparent
scorn.
Slippers she murmured.
Did not your feet pass through the blood
in the grass as well as your hands?"
She did not answer She held him, pos
Slbly, in too much scorn.
Il have accounted for the blood on my
hand" she said, not looking at him, but at
Mr.. Courtney. IF there is any on my slip
pers, it car be accounted for in the same
way" And she rapidly renewed her mar,
rative. II had no sooner made my little
finger clean-I never thought of any one
suspectlng the old gentleman-when heard
steps on the stairs and knew that the mur-
derer was coming down, and in another in
slant would pass the open door before
which l stood
Though I had been courageous enough
up to that minute, I was seized by sud
den panic at the prospect of meeting face
to face one whose hands were perhaps drip
ping with the blood of his victim. To con-
front him there and then might mean death
to me- and l did not want to die, but to
live, for am young, sirs, and not without
a prospect of happiness before me. SO I
sprang back, and, seeing no other place of
concealment in the whole bare room,
crouched down in the shadow Of the man
you call Philemon For one, two minutes,
knelt there in a state of mortal terror
while the feet descended, paused, started to
enter the room where I was, hesitated,
turned and finally left the house,
Miss Page, wait, wait" put in the cor
oner. You saw him; you can tell who this
man WASP
The eagerness of this appeal seemed to
excite her. slight color appeared in her
cheeks and she took a step forward, but
before the words for which they so anxious
ly waited could leave her lips, she gave a
start and drew back with an ejaculation,
which left more or less sinister echo in
the ears of all who heard II
Frederick had just shown himself at the
top of the staircase.
Good morning, gentlemen said he, ad-
vancing into their midst with an air whose
unexpected manliness disguised his inward
agitation. "The few words I have Just
heard Miss Page say are of SO important a
nature find it impossible not to join YOU"
Amabel, upon whose lips faint COM
placent smile had appeared as he stepped
by her glanced up at these words in secret
establishment at the indifference they Show
ed, and then dropped her eyes to his hands
with an intent gaze which seemed to affect
him unpleasantly, for he thrust them i'm
medately behind him, though he did not
lower his head or lose his abr of deter
mination.
rs my presence here undesrable?' he
| inquired with a glance toward his father.
Sweetwater looked as If he thought it
was, but he did not presume to say any
thing, and the others being too interested
in the developments of Miss Pages story
to waste any time on lesser matters, Fred
dent satisfaction.
"Did you see this mans face?" Mr. Court
ney now broke in, in urgent inquiry
Her answer came slowly after another
long look in Frederick S direction.
NO. | did not dare to make the effort. I
was obliged to crouch too close to the floor
simply heard his footsteps"
See now!' mutteEed sweetwater, but in
so low tone she did not hear him "She
condemns herself. There isn't a woman
living who would fail ito look UP under
those circumstances, even at the risk of her
life" ns ~ ''~'> - 49,
Knapp seemed to agree with him, but Mr..
Courtney, following his one idea, pressed
his former question:. saying:
Was 1t an old mans step?"
ut was not agile one"
And you did not catch the least glimpse
of the mans face or f1gure?"
Not glimpse
$50 you are in no position to identify
him.
"If by any chance I should hear those
same footsteps coming down a flight of
stairs, think should be able to recognize
them" she allowed, in the sweetest tones at
her command.
'She knows it is too late for her to hear
those of the two dead zabels," growled the
man from Boston.
1--WE are no nearer the solution of this
mystery than We We're in the beginning"
remarked the coroner
Gentlemen. l have not yet finished my
story Amabel sweetiy intimated. Per
haps what I have yet to tell may give
you some clue as to who this man was.
"Ah, yes: go on, go on. You have not yet
explained how you came to be in possession
of Agatha's money!
Just So" she answered, with another
quick look at Frederick, the last she gave
dared, ran out Of the house into the yard.