The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-03-26

on lip UiiFs VI my iuuslS, VIII llle
intention of seeing how long my lady
would linger outside alone Gentle
men. it was two hours before | saw her
face again. How she got back into the
house | DO not know 1t was not by
the garden door, for my eye seldom
| left it, yet at or near half past !
heard her voice On the stair above me
crowd as if she had not been absent
i from it for more than five minutes. A
| half hour later I saw her with Fred
erick again They We're dancing, but
not With the same spirit as before, and
even while l watched them they sep
arated. Now where was Miss Page
! during those two long hours? think
know. and it is time l unburdened
myself to the police.
"But first | must inform you of a
small discovery | made while the
dance was still in progress. Miss Page
J had come down stairs, as | have said,
from what now know to have been
her own room. Her dress was, in all
respects, the same as before, with one
eXception-her white slippers has been
i exchanged for blue ones. This seemed
to show that they had been rendered
llnserviceable, or at least unsightly, by
the walk she had taken. This in itself
! was not remarkable, nor would her pc
culiar escapade have made more than
a temporary impression upon my
curiosity If she had not afterward
shown an unaccountable and eXtraor
binary interest in the murder which
had taken place in the town below
during the very hours of her absence
from Mr. Sutherland's ball. This, in
consideration of her sex and her being
a stranger to the person attacked, was
remarkable. and, though perhaps had
lno business to do what did, no
sooner saw the house emptied of
master and servants than | stole
softly back. and climbed the stairs to
her room. Had no good followed this
Intrusion, which, am quite ready to
acknowledge. was a tlifie presump-
tuous, should have held my peace in
regard to it: but as | did make dis
covery there which has. as believe,
an important bearing c,l this affair,
have Forced myself 70 lslcatien il. The
lights in the house having been left
burning. mad 10 difficulty in finding
her apartment. ! knew it by the fol-
derols scattered about. Di:t Aid not
stop to look at them. was on u
search for her slippers. and presently
came upon them. thrust behind an
old picture III the dimmest corner of
the loom. Taking them down, ex-
amined them closely. They We're not
only soiled, gentlemen but dreadfully
cut and rubbed. In short, they We're
ruined; and, thinking that the young
lady herself would be glad to be rid of
them, l quietly put them into my
pocket, and carried them to my own
home. Abel has just been for them,
SO you can see them for yourselves,
and. if your judgment comedies with
mine, you will discover something
} more on them than mud
DR.. Talbot. though lie stared a little
at the young mans confessed theft
took the slippers Abel was holding out
and carefully turned them over. They
were. as Sweetwater had said, griev-
sides several deep earth stains, a mark
or two of a bright red color quite un
? mistakable in character.
"Blood." declared thescoroner "There
|, is no doubt about it. Miss Page was
/ where blood was spilled last night"
. 81 have another proof against her,
) Sweetwater went OH. in full enjoy
ment of his prominence among these
: men who, up till now. had barely rec
) ogniZed his existence. when full o.
i the suspicion that Miss Page had had {
e hand in the theft, il not the murder o.
t Mrs. Webb. l fastened down to the
a scene of the tragedy, met this youns
2 woman issuing from the front gate
e She had just been making herself con
1 spicuous by pointing out trail o
d blood on the grass plot. DIR. Talbot
: who was there. will remember how sh
t looked on that occasion. but doub
if he noticed how Abel here looked, o
e so much as remarked the faded fowe
). the silly boy had stuck in his button
d hole"
l. 81 did not" calculated the coronel
" "Yet that flower has very importan
e bearing on this case. He had foun
is it, as he will tell you. on the floor nea
1t Batsy's skirts. and as soon as saw
r. in his coat, bade him take it out an
lie keep it, for, gentlemen. it was a yer
er uncommon flower. the like Of whic
k can only be found in this town in NJ
to Sutherland's conservatory. remembt
lie seeing such one in Miss Pages hal
N early in the evening. Have you til;
lie flower about you. Abel?"
n Abel had. and being filled with in
tie portance, too. showed it to the doct'
G. and to Mr.. Fenton. 1t was withert
d. and faded in hue. but it was unmi
ne talab!y an orchid of the rarest
I'd scription.
at was lying near Batsy," explain'
I'd Abel. 81 drew Mr.. Fenton's attentit
~ to it at the time. but he scarcely II
ut ticed it,
as 81 will make up for my Indifferent
ne now" said that gentleman.
f? 81 should have been shown that flo
or err" mt in KnanD