Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1900-03-01
The Cat or the Comet
WHAT was that? A confused noise,

fall. and then pistol shot, all at once.
door and called to me in excited tones
through the keyhole-
''Alicia Dean! Alicia Dean! Get up
and dress, quick! There are burglars
upstairs:'
Fortunately I was already dressed,
having sat up later than: usual that
night, waiting for my roommate, Su-
san Ellen, to come back from the con-
cert.
So I opened the door at once. and as
[ did so Susan Ellen almost ran into
my arms. looking white and scared and
almost reaCy to drop.
Aunt Sanyra appeared moment
later, her hair done up in curl papers,
armed with lighted candle, revolver
and poker.
[ got possession of the revolver i'm
mediately; not that l expected to Go
any more good with it than she could,
but 1 hoped to do less harm.
Susan Ellen said l, in a stage whis-
per, did you see anything of the rob-
bers as you came in?'
But Susan Ellen seemed so paralyzed
with fear that she was incapable Of ar
swering. and simply chung to my left
arm like frightened child, shaking
from head to foot.
'Now, girls, follow me, and don't
speak a world" commanded Aunt Sa-
myra, ascending the stairway, protect
= l>x-1 hol Of
were, and with the candle in one hand
and the poker in the other.
We followed at safe distance, and
I confided to Susan Ellen on the way
that the pistol shot seemed to have
come from Uncle Ralph's room, and |
was afraid the robbers had hurt him, or
he would have come to our rescue in
this time.
She opened her mouth to answer, but
her teeth Chartered SO that she could
not.
We now saw that Aunt Sa1nyra had
stepped in front of Uncle Raiph's door
and was making intellectual attempts
to rouse him.
By accident had the key of my room
in my hand, having urconsciously
taken it out after opening the door to
Aunt Samyra. This key now applied
to Uncle Ralph's lock. The door opened
readily, and Aunt Samyra stepped in,
but sprang back instantly with a CRY
of horror, for Uncle Ralph lay on the
floor under the window, with a pisto:
beside him.
1t did not take me many minutes to
decide that he was dead, with bulle;
through his heart. a
After becoming convinced of that
fact, all my nerves left me. While gaz
ing vacantly about with dazed eyes,
vaguely conscious that Aunt Samyra
was sobbing, and tEat the cook. who
had just come on the scene, was utter
ing mortified CALCULATIONS, l felt some
one pull my sleeve. 1t was Susan
Ellen.
''Take me away" she said; cts chilly
up here
''It is chilly" I answered, drawing
her arm through mine.
Then I noticed that a strong gale
was sweeping through the room, and
that the upper sash of the window was
out.
"Look" I said No wonder we are
~cold!'
But she paid no attention.
After l had put Susan Ellen to bed
and managed to get her warm and
quiet with the assistance of smelling
salts and a glass of wine, I went back
upstairs.
I had already decided in my own
mind that Uncle Ralph had been muir
dered by burglar. but the first glance
round the room seemed to disprove
this theory. for on the dressing case
lay the watch and the purse of the
murdered man. Nor, after thorough
search, could 1 find even pin missing.
Of course we had coroner's in
quest, and this developed the fact,
which we already knew, that Ralph
Morton had met his death at the hands
of party or parties unknown
When the verdict had been rendered
/ returned to the scene of the murder
and made another investigation. I'm
der the window [ discovered some bits
Of broken glass. On examining the
window itself I not only found that
the upper sash was out, but that one
pane Of glass in the lower was miss
ing. As 1 failed to draw any conclu-
sion from these circumstances, I went
back to Susan Ellen and asked if she
supposed the murderer had carried off
the upper window sash.
She burst out crying Historically.
and for long time I could get no an
swer out of her at all. But it trans
pired, at last, that when Aunt Samyra
mad been apprised of Uncle Ralph's
unexpected visit the day before she
had sent Susan Ellen upstairs to get
mis- room ready. Susan Ellen, think
ing she had plenty of time before his
arrival to clean the windows. took out
the sashes-they were old-fashioned
windows--in order to wash them
But Uncle Ralph got in two hours
ahead Of time, having come on an
earlier train than he expected. The
result was that Susan Ellen had not