Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-05-29

"a half mile or So"
I must have looked my disgust, To-
his hands opened deprecatingly.
"The ground has undergone a thor
ough search, F" said he. "Not a square
foot in those woods you see on either
side but has been gone over"
"And the houses? l see there are
three houses on this road"
"Oh, they are owned by most respect
able ~people-most respectable people,
he repeated with a lingering emphasis
that gave me an inward shudder. 81
think l had the honor of intimating as
much to you a few minutes ago.
/ looked at him earnestly and ire
sistibly drew a little nearer to him
over the diagram.
Has none of these houses been visited
by you:" l asked, "Do you mean to say
you have not seen the inside of them
all:'
"Oh, said he, 81 have been in them
all, of course, but a mystery such as
we are investigating is not written up
on the walls of parlors or halls"
You freeze my blood, - l murmured.
Somehow the sight of these homes
drawn out before me seemed to bring
me into more intimate sympathy with
the affair,
His shrug was significant.
II told You that this was no vulgar
mystery" said he, "or why should l be
considering it, with you? 1t is quite
worthy of your interest. Do you see
that house marked AZ"
II do" l nodded.
"Well, that is a decayed mansion of
imposing proportions set in a forest Of
overgrown s%hrubbery. The ladies who
inhabit it,
"Ladies!' l put in, with a small
shock of horror.
Young ladies" he explained, ''of a
refined if not oyerprosperous appearance.
They are what is left of a family of
some repute. Their father was a judge,
/ believe"
"And do they live there alone" ]
asked, two Young ladies in a house so
large and in a n~eighborhood 20 full of
mystery"
ooh, they have a brother with them,
a lout Of no great attractions, he re-
sponded carelessly-too carelessly, 1
thought.
l made a note of the house A in my
mind.
"And who lives there?" | now que
ried, pointing to the house marked B,
"a Mr.. Trohm. 1t was through his
o-or+,-,A- 49,. H.. q, ,r;a,, &c +la N,,.-
York police were insured. His place
there is one of the most interesting i'll
town, and he does not wish to be forced
to leave it, but he will be obliged to do
so if the road is not soon relieved of its
bad name, and so will Deacon Spear.
The very children shun the road now l
do not know of a lonelier place"
II see a little cross marked up here
on the verge of the woods. What does
that mean?"
THAT is a hut-it can hardly be
a cottage--where a poor old wo-
man lives called Mother Jane. She is a
harmless old imbecile, against whom no
one has ever directed a suspicion. You
may take your finger off that mark.
Butterworth.
l did so, but I did not forget that it
stood very near the footpath branching
off to the station.
"You entered this hut as well as the
big houses" l intimated.
-Four walls, was his answer. "Just
four walls; nothing more"
l let my finger travel along the foot
path | have just mentioned.
"Steep," was his comment. cup, up
III the way, but no p~recipices. Nothing
out pine woods on either side, thickly
with needles"
My finger came back and stopped at
he house marked NJ.
"Why is a letter affixed to this spot?"
asked.
because it stands at the head of the
ane just as Deacon Spears guards the
GOT. Any one sitting at the window l.
see whoever enters or leaves the lane
t this end. And some one is always
lifting there. The woman who lives
here has two crippled children, a boy
nd a gill. One of them is always in
hat window"
~ See, " said L Then abruptly
What do you think of Deacon spearY"
"Oh," said he. "a well meaning
ian, none too fine i'll his feelings. He
oes not mind the neighborhood likes
uiet, he says. 1 hope you will know
i'm for yourself some day, said he.
At this return to the forbidden sub
ect 1 held myself very much aloof.
"Your diagram is interesting, " said =
"but it has not in the least changed
" determination. 1t is you who will
o back there and that very SOON"
mot very soon" said he. Whoever
oes there on this errand must go at
nee, tonight, if possible; if not, . to-
lorrow at the latest"
Tonight! Tomorrow cried. "And
thought
"No matter what I thought" he
ghed. sit seems I had no groundwork
II it," And folding up the map he
owly rose. 1.-THE young man we have
# there is doing more harm than good.
hat is why l say some II of real abil-
Y must replace him and that immedi-
ely. The detective from New York
ust seem to have left the place"
1 made him my most ladylike bow of
.smissal.
II shall watch the papers," / said. 81
i've no doubt that l shall SOC see in
Iem some token of your success"
He cast a rueful look at his hands,