The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-03-29


him half insane from the house and
sent him wandering blindly about the
streets for a good half hour before he
reappeared in his own house. How do
know this? From very simple fact.
Abel here has been to inquire, among
other things. if Mr.. Crane remembers
the tune we were playing at the great
house when he came down the main
street from visiting old Widow Wal
ker Fortunately he does, for the trip,
trip, trip in it struck his fancy, and he
has found himself humming it over
more than once since. Well, that waltz
was played by us at a quarter after
midnight, which fixes the time of the
encounter at Mrs. Webb's gateway
pretty accurately. But as you will
soon see, it was 1880 before James
label knocked at Lotions door. How
do l know this? By the same method
of reasoning by which | determined
| the time of Mr.. Cranes encounter.
| Mrs. Lotion was greatly pleased with
| the music played that night and had all
her windows open in order to hear it,
and she says we We're playing Money
| Musk when that knocking came to
disturb her. Now, gentlemen, we play
| ed Money Musk just before we were
called out to supper, and as we went to
supper promptly at 1:45 you can see
just how my calculation was made.
'"Thirty-fve minutes then passed be-
tween the moment James label was
seen rushing from Mrs. Webb's gate
way and that in which he appeared at
Lotions bakery, demanding loaf of
| bread and offering in exchange one of
| the bills which had been stolen from
the murdered woman's drawer. Thirty
five minutes! And he and his brother
were starving Does it look, then, as
if that money was in his possession
when he left Mrs Webbs house?
Would any man who felt the pangs of
hunger as he did or who saw a brother
perishing for food before his eyes. al
low 80 minutes to elapse before he
made use of the money that rightfully
or wrongfully had come into his hand?
| No, and SO | say that he did not have
| it when Mr.. Crane met him. That, in
stead of committing crime to obtain it.
| he found IT in his own home. lying on
| his own table, when. after his frenzied
absence. he returned to tell his dread
full news to the brother he had left be-
hind him. But how did it come there5
i you ask Gentlemen. remember the
footprints under the window. Amabel
l Page brought it. Having seen or per-
haps met this old man roaming in or
near the Webb cottage during the time
she was there herself. she conceived
i the plan of throwing upon him the onus
Of the crime she had herself commit
ted and with Il slyness to be expected
from her stole up to his home, made a
hole in the shade hanging over an open
window, looked into the room where
John sat, saw that he was there alone
and asleep. and, creeping in by the
front door. laid on the table beside him
the $50 bill and the bloody dagger with
which she had just slain Agatha Webb
Then she stole out again and in &c
minutes more was leading the dance
again in Mr.. Sutherland's parlor."
'sWell reasonedw murmured Abel
, expecting the others to echo him. But
though Mr.. Fenton and DR.. Taboo
looked almost convinced they sale
nothing. while Knapp. Of course, wa:
, quiet as an oyster
Sweetwater, with quiet smile cal
: culated to hide his disappointment
: went on as il perfectly satisfied.
Meanwhile John awakes, sees th
dagger and thinks to end his miser.
with it, but finds himself too feeble
. The cut in his vest, the dent in tn
: floor, prove this, but if you call for full
Their proof, a little fact, which some
not all of you seem to have overlooked
will amply satisfy you that this one a
least of my conclusions is correct. Ope
the Bible, Abel: open it not to shake
for what will never fall out from bt
\ tween it's leaves, but to find in the B
"A bic itself the lines l have declared
q you he wrote as a dying legacy wit
that tightly clutched pencil. Have yo
found them?"
NO" was Abel's perplexed rotor
81 cannot see any sign of writing O
fly leaf or margin"
Are those the only blank places
the sacred book? Search the leave
devoted to the family record. Nov
what do you find thereY
Knapp, who was losing some OF h
; indifference, drew nearer and read fl
himself the scrawl which now appea
:, ed 10 every eye OH the discolored pa;
- which Abel here turned uppermost
If Almost illegible," he said. zone c;
IT. Just make out these words: 'Forgi
40 me, James-tried to use dagger-foul
lv lying but hand wouldn't-dying wit
out-don't grieve true men -haveI
ho disgraced ourselves-God bless Th
.t- is all"
To "Ihe effort must have overcome hin
30 resumed Sweetwater in a voice frc
H. which he carefully. excluded all sig
m. of secret triumph, land when Jam
To returned, as he did few minutes Il
* er, he was evidently unable to ansW
he questions even if James was in a &C
ad dition to ask them. But the fallen dt
y ger told it's own story, for James pic
I'D ed it up and put it back on the tab
- | and If was at thjS nlinl1tp he saw WI