El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-12
result was that Susan Ellen had not
&r; hD


not think it would matter to leave out
one sash, and I meant to clean it and
put it in today
I understood now why it was that
Cousin Susan was so powerfully af-
| fected by the death of n great uncle
| whom she had never seen till yester-
day. She thought if she had not left
out that window sash the murderer
could not have gained entrance.
Aunt Samyra employed the finest de-
| tectiveS to clear up the mystery, but it
remained n mystery still.
'Alcia,' said my aunt about six
months after the murder what is
your theory on this subject?'
81 have none," 1 answered, unless
| it was 4 case of suicide
'Impossiblev' 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 1
| heard the pistol shot and went after
| you
''Then you heard the report of the
| pistol shortly after he babe you good
| night?''
81 did,
and you say he was in a bright,
| cheerful frame of mind?"
Yes; he went off with a laugh about
being in the top story. saying he could
get Il better view of the comet. which
was then attracting the attention of
every one. as he would be so much
nearer to it,
hn >ft T
as much in the dark as I 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 a different girl and seemed
only the shadow of her former self.
L 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. 1 was at a loss to account
for, and that was the sudden and I'M
accountable aversion she had taken to
Aunt Samyras poor old yellow cat.
Formerly, 1 remembered, she had
been the cats greatest champion and
many n time had shared n 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 Ralph's death; the old
home had been broken up, and l was
drifting about the world in an aimless
way.
Susan Ellen had invited me to spend
a week with her, and as her husband
was away on business we had ample |
opportunity for the exchange of long
condolences about old times.
One night as we sat by the fire the |
subject happened to turn on Aunt |
Samyra's old yellow cat 1 asked her
why it was that she took such a sud- |
den and unaccountable aversion to that |
poor animal.
ct is something 1 have often want |
ed to tell you" she answered. "but |
somehow always shrank from doing So |
AT first 1 was afraid. and afterward l |
just hcpt putting, II Oll DtCduSe L hlleW |
1 ought to have told it at first. You !
remember the night Uncle Ralph was
killed?'
81 certainly do"
"Well. that evening 1 went to a con-
cert with Mr.. Wentworth. We got |
home about 1870 and stood talking at
the front gate a few minutes. he mean
while calling my attention to the COM
ct. 1 felt guilty standing at the gate.
for Aunt Samyra had often told me not
to do so. and Involuntary 1 glanced
toward the house, expecting to see her
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 hoiSted on n piece of
broom handle SO as to take the place of
the top sash, leaving the bottom of the
window open.
"Now. then. on the window SILL
walking backward and forward. look
ing at the comet. too. l suppose. was
Aunt Samyra's old yellow cat. while
Uncle Ralph. with his head poked out
from the window. was also regarding
the comet with rapt intentness.
''My first feeling was one of guilty
dismay. He was looking at the comet
now. to be sure. but if he were to
glance in my direction and then to tell
Aunt Samyra,
''While l hesitated what to do pussy
began rubbing herself against the piece
of broom handle that held up the win
Il