El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-09

| in such startling contrast to the vivid
| glances she threw everywhere except
| behind her OH the landing where E-ed-
erick stood listening to her every word.
1--WE are very much interested" re-
marked Mr.. Courtney. Pray go on"
Drawing her left hand from the bal
| ustrade where it had rested, she looked
at one of her fingers with an odd back
ward gesture.
81 WILL" she said. and her tone was
| hard and threatening. Five minutes,
| no longer. PASSED when 1 was startled
by n loud and terrible cry from the
house. and, looking up at the second
story window, from which the sound
| proceeded, l saw a wOman's figure
hanging out i'm a seemingly pulseless
| condition Too terrified to move, I
! clung trembling, to the tree, hearing
and not hearing the shouts and laugh
| ter of a dozen or more men who at that
! minute passed by the corner on their
| way In the wharfs. ] was dazed, L
was choking. and only came to myself
| when sooner or later, l do not know
| how soon or how late. a fresh horror
happened. The woman whom i had
Just seen fall almost from the window
was a serving woman, but when l
heard another scream l knew that the
mistress of .he house was being at
tackled, and. riveting my eyes on those
windows, / beheld the shade of one of
them thrown back and a hand appear.
hinging out something which fell in
the grass on the opposite side of the
lawn. Then the shade fell again, and,
hearing nothing further, l ran to where
the object flung out had fallen and,
feeling for il. found and picked up an
old fashioned dagger. dripping with
blood. Horrified beyond all expression.
] dropped the weapon and drew back.
trembling, into my former place of con-
cealment.
But / was not satisfied to remain
there. A curiosity. n determination
even. to see the man who had commit
ted this dastardly deed attacked me
with such force that / was induced to
leave my hiding place and even to en-
ter the house where in all probability
he was counting the gains he had just
obtained Mt the price Of such precious
blood. The door, which he had not
perfectly closed behind him. seemed
to invite me in. and before l had real
lied my own temerity l was standing
in the hall of this i'll fated house"
The interest which up to this moment
had been breathless now expressed It.
self in hurried CALCULATIONS and broken
words. and Mr.. Sutherland, who had
listened like one In n dream, exclaimed
eagerly and in a tone which proved
that he for the moment at least be-
lieved this more than improbable tale:
'Then you can tell us If Philemon
was in the little room at the moment
AS every one there present realized |
the importance Of this question. a |
general movement took place. and each |
and all drew nearer as she met their |
eyes and answered placidly:
Eyes; Mr.. Webb was sitting In a |
chair asleep. He was the only person |
saw"
"Oh, know he never committed this |
crime" gasped his old friend. in re-
lief so great that one and all seemed
to share it.
Now I have courage for the rest.
Go on. Miss Page"
But Miss Page paused again to look
at her finger and give that sidewise
toss to her head that seemed SO I'M
called for by the situation to any who
did not know of the compact between
81 hate to go back to that moment"
said she. "fOr when ! saw the candles
burning on the table and the husband
of the woman above sitting there In
apathy l felt something
rise in my throat that made me death
ly sick for a moment. Then I went
right in where he was and was about
to shake his arm and wake him when
n spot of blood on my finger
from the dagger l had handled. That
gave me another turn and led me to
wipe off my finger on his sleeve"
Its a pity you did not wipe off your
slippers. too" murmured Sweetwater.
Again she looked at him; again her
eyes opened in terror upon the face Of
this man. once so plain and insignia
can't in her eyes. but now so filled with
she inwardly Quaked before II.
For all her apparent scOrn.
shippers" she murmured.
Did not your feet pass through that
blood in the grass. as well as your
landsT
She did not answer. She held him
possibly in too much scorn.
Il have accounted for the blood on
ny hand. she said. not looking at
him. but At Mr.. Courtney. IF there Is
my on my slippers. il can be account
ii for i'm the same way" And she
ipidly renewed her narrative. Il had ,
10 sooner made my little finger clean
never thought of any one suspecting
he old standardization | heard steps .
IN the stairs and knew that the muir
iercr was coming down and in an
ther instant would pass the open door