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

CHAPTER I.
Ever since my fortunate-oy shall ]
say unfortunate, connection with that
famous case of murder in Gramercy
park I have had it intimated to me by
many Of my friends-and by innumera-
BILE acquaintances-that no woman who
had met with such success in detective
work would ever be satisfied with a sin
gle display Of her powers and that
sooner or later I would find myself again
at work upon some other case of strik-
ing peculiarities.
AS vanity has never been my foible,
and as, moreover, Inever have and never
would be likely to forsake the plain
path marked out for my sex at any 9TH
er call than that of duty, l invariably
responded to these %insinuations by an
affable but i%ncredulous smile, striving
to xcu their presumption by remem-
bering their ignorance Of my nature and
the very excellent reasons l had for my
one notable interference in the police
affairs of New York city.
Besides, though l appeared to be rest
ing quietly, if not in entire content
ment, on my ~laurels, | was not so utter,
ly removed from the old atmosphere of
crime and its detection as the world in
general considered me. Mr.. Gryce still
visited me; not on business, of course,
but as a friend, as a man for whom /
had some regard, and naturally our con-
versation was not always confined to
the weather o. even to city politics,
provocative as the latter subject is of
controversy between all right thinking
men and wome just now.
Not that he ever betrayed any of the
secrets of the office or even any of his
own-oh, no; that would have been too
much to eXpect-but he did sometimes
mention some of the outward aspects of
some celebrated case, and though l new
er ventured upon advice-I know too
much for that, | hope-I found my wits
more or less exercised by conversation
NIiiGii liz SApSNAt'i w gam III
thing without acknowledging it, and I
to give something without appearing to
be conscious of the fact.
| was therefore satisfied in my mind
and was finding life pleasant and full of
interest when suddenly q had no right
to eXpect it. and | do not blame myself
for not expecting it or for holding my
head so high at the representations of
my friends an opportunity came for a
direct exercise of my detective powers
in a line seemingly so laid out for me
by Providence that | felt | would be
sighting the powers above if Irefused to
enter it, though now l see that the line
was laid out for me by Mr.. Gryce and
that l was obeying anything but the
call of duty in embracing it.
But this is not explicit. Let me tell
the whole from the beginning. One
night Mr.. Gryce came to my house look.
ing older and more feeble thar usual.
He was engaged in a ~perplexing case, he
said, and missed his early vigor and per-
sistency. Would l like to hear about it?
It was not in the line of his usual work,
it had points-and well-it would do
him good to talk about it to a nonpro-
'essional who was capable of sympathiZ-
.ng with its battling and worrisome fea-
lures and yet would never have to be
5old to hold her peace. {
l ought to have been on my guard. / {
ought to have known the old fox well I
enough to feel certain hat when he !
vent so manifestly u of his way to |
AXE me into his confidence he did it &
or a purpose it would be well enough !
or me to understand before placing |
90 great stress ON his disabilities, but {
love mods now and then-or SO l have ,
,een assured by what should be consid- I
red as unimpeachable authority-and
f Joye has ever been caught mapping t
urely Amelia Butterworth may be par
for one such inconsistency. I
"It is not a city crime" Mr.. Gryce
vent on to explain, and here he was
,ase enough to sigh. cat my time of '
ife that is an important and a far from Y
.esirable consideration. 1t is no longer s
simple matter for me to pack up a
alise and go off to some distant viii n
age, way up in the mountains perhaps, Y
where comforts are few and secrecy an n
.possibility. Comforts have become I
Indispensable to my threescore years t
nd ten, and secrecy-well, If ever I
here was a case where one needs to 60 Y
oftly, it is this one, as you will see if l.
on will allow me tt give you the facts q
f the case as known at headquarters d
b
l bowed, trying not to show my sur q
rise or my extreme satisfaction. Mr.. 81
assumed his most benignant as. "
ect, always a dangerous II with him, O
nd began his story. Il
CHAPTER II. b
AN IL
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