Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-03-19
result was that Susan Ellen had not
finished the windows

uOl lIllHk IL WOulu lnuttcI W ieuNc oul
one sash, and l meant to clean it and
put 1t In today"
/ understood now why 1t was that
Cousin Susan was so powerfully at
fected by the death of a great uncle
whom she had never seen till yester-
day. She thought IL she had not left
out that window sash the murderer
could not have gained entrance.
Aunt Samyra employed the finest de-
tectves to clear up the mystery, but it
remained a mystery still.
"Alicia," said my aunt about six
months after the murder. what is
your theory on this subject?'
81 have none" l answered, "unless
1t was Il case Of suicide"
impossible" she calculated.
"What sort of mood was he in when
he babe you good night?"
every bright and cheerful"
GLOW long was it after he left you
before you retired"
Il hadn't retired at all. but was put
ting up my hair in curl papers when l
heard the pistol shot and went after
YOU"
"Then you heard the report of the
pistol shortly after he babe you good
night"
~ did"
"And you say he was in bright,
cheerful frame of mind:"
"Yes; he went off with a laugh about
being in the top story, saying he could
get better view Of the comet, which
was then attracting the attention Of
every one, as he would be so much
nearer to it,"
At the end of this conversation l was
as much in the dark as had been at
the beginning.
But one thing had been borne in up.
on my mind very forcibly of late, and
that was the change in Susan Ellen.
Ever since that memorable night she
had been different girl and seemed
only the shadow of her former self.
attributed this state of things to a
morbid. oversensitive conscience which
would persist in attaching great blame
to herself for having left out that win.
dow sash. One phase Of her character,
however, was at loss to account
for. and that was the sudden and un.
accountable aversion she had taken to
Aunt Samyra's poor old yellow cat
Formerly. remembered. she had
been the cats greatest champion and
many time had shared Il meal with
pussy, but now she actually shivered
If the animal happened to brush
against her.
But it was many years before l dis
covered the cause Of that aversion.
Aunt Samyra was dead; pussy had
died and been buried by me with many
tears under the cypress tree in the
back yard; Susan Ellen had married
Mr.. Wentworth, the young man who
had been her escort to the concert the
night of Uncle Ralphs death; the old
home had been broken up. and | was
drifting about the world in an aimless
way.
Susan Ellen had invited me to spend
week with her, and as her husband
was away on business we had ample
opportunity for tie eEcl.::"se Of long
| condolences about OLD .'..'s.
| One night as we sat by the fire the
subject happened to turn on Aunt
Samyra's old yellow Cat. asked her
why it was that she took such sud
den and unaccountable aversion to that
poor animal.
at is something | have often want
ed to tell YOU" she answered, "bui
somehow always shrank from doing so
| At-Grst | was afraid, and afterward
| just kept putting it off because knew
ought to have told it at first. You
remember the night Uncle Ralph was
killed."
81 certainly do"
"Well. that evening | went to con
cert with Mr.. Wentworth. We got
home about 1890 and stood talking al
the front gate a few minutes he mean
| while calling my attention to the com
| ct. felt guilty standing at the gate
for Aunt Samyra had often told me not
to do so, and involuntarily | glanced
toward the house, expecting to see hel
poking her head out of the window
looking at me. Instead two curious
objects in Uncle Ralph's window
caught my eye.
"You remember it was such a bright
moonlight that one could see very dis
tinctly. You remember also about my
washing the windows. The bottom
sash was in. but hosted on piece Of
broom handle so as to take the place OF
| la tI,n hnf nf
window open.
| "Now, then, on the window sill
walking backward and forward, look
ing at the comet, too, suppose, was
| Aunt Samyra's old yellow cat, while
Uncle Ralph. with his head poked ou
from the window, was also regarding
the comet with rapt intentness.
"My first feeling was one Of guilty
dismay He was looking at the come
now, to be sure, but if he were t.
glance in my direction and then to tel
Aunt Samyra!
"Whle hesitated what to do pussy
| began rubbing herself against the piece
Of broom handle that held up the win
dow. The broom handle, am afraid
had been put up in a very slanting, in
secure fashion. realized this in :
flash as noticed Uncle Ralph's pisto
lying on the window sill, And l hat
barely realized it when the broom han
die slipped. the window came dowl
on the pistol, and you heard the sho
and know the rest"
She paused and took deep breath.
"And now / want to know which
| x,-aS rornonsihla FOR the murder thu