Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1901-02-20

as { Il" rpt crow. IL was not by
the garden door. for my eye seldom
left Il: yet ut or near half past /
heard her voice on the stair above me
and saw her descend and melt into the
crowd as IL she had not been absent
from II for more than five minutes. A
half hour later l saw her with Fred
erlck again. They were dancing, but
not with the same spirit as before, and
even while I watched them they sep
nrated. Now where was Miss Page
during those two long hours? | think
| know, and II Is time l unburdened
myself to the police.
"But first | must inform you of q
small discovery | made while the
dance was still In progress. Miss Page
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
cXception-hcr white slippers has been
exchanged for blue ones. This seemed
TO show that they had been rendered
unseryiccable. or at least unsightly. by
the walk she had taken. This In itself
was not remarkable, nor would her pc
culiar c%scapade have made more than
a temporary impression upon my
curiosity II 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
no 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 n trile presump-
tuous. | should lave held my peace in
regard to IT,; but as | did make n dis.
covery there which has. rs | believe.
an important bearing on this affair, |
have forced myself to mention it. The
lights in the house having been left
burning. | Lad no difficulty In finding
her apartment. | knew 1t by the fol-
derols scattered about. But | did not
stop 10 look at them. | was on n
search for her slippers, and presently
| came upon them, thrust behind an
old picture in the dimmest corner Of
the .oom. Taking them down, | ex-
amined them closely. They We're not
only soiled, gentlemen, but ~dreadfully
cut and rubbed. In short, they were
ruined; and, thinking that the young
lady herself would he glad to be rid of
them, | 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,
aud, If your judgment comedies with
mine, you will discover something
more on them than mxd."
Dr. Talbot, though he stared a little
Mt the young mans confessed theft,
took the slippers Abel was holding out
and carefully turned them over. They
were, as Swcetwatcr had said. griey.
ouSly torn and soiled and showed, be.
sides several deep earth stains, n mark
or two Of n bright red color quite un'
: mistakable in character.
"Ilood." declared the coroner. There
! Is no doubt about It.. Miss Page was
where blood was spilled last night"
81 have another proof against her,
Swcetwatcr went on. In full enjoy
mcnt Of his prominence among these
= men who, up till now. had barely rec
ogu. cd his existence. when full oi
the suspicion that Miss Page had had {
hand I'm the theft. II not the murder oi
Mrs. Webb. | FASTENED down to tho
, scene of the tragedy, | met this young
] woman issuing from the front gate
! She had just been making herself con
b spicuous 10y pointing out a trail Of
{ blood on the grass plot. DIR. Talbot
who was there, will remember how sh'
2 looked on that occasion, but | doub
If he noticed how Abel here looked, OF
g so much rs remarked the faded fioweI
= the silly boy had stuck in his button
hole"
@ 81 did not" calculated the coroner
S "Yct that flower has a very importan'
u bearing on this case. lie had fount
g II. as he will tell you, on the floor neal
t Batsy's skirts, and as soon as | saw I
n In his coat. | babe him take 1t out ant
Z keep II. for, gentlemen. II was n yer,
c uncommon flower, the like of whicl
l can only be found In this town in Mr.
d Sutherland's conservatory. remembe
seeing such n one in Miss Pages hair
early In the evening. Have you tina
d Hover about you, AbelT
G Abel had, and being filed with i'm
portance. too. showed II to the docto
d and to Mr.. Fenton. 1t was withere'
J. and faded In hue. but 1t was unmls
v takably an orchid Of the rarest dc
G scription.
at was lying lear Batsy." explaine,
Abel. IL drew Mr.. Fenton's attention
to 1t at the time, but he scarcely no
G tIced It,"
II will make up for my indifference
k now" said that gentleman.
o II should have been shown that flow
err" put In Knapp.
II $50 you should" acknowledge,
Swcetwatcr. but when the detectiv
instinct Is aroused IL is hard for
man To he just TO his rivals. Besides
| was otherwise occupied. | had Mis-
Page to watch. Happily for me,
had been decided that she should no
d he allowed to leave town till after th
inquest, and so my task became easy
d This whole day | have spent in sigh
Of Mr.. Sutherland's house, and n
nightfall ! was rewarded by detectinI
ler end a prolonged walk In the gar