Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-10-10
Es5xSzEasYSaEExMEURS
MYSTERIOUS
MISS DACRES
By Mrs. Schuyler crowninshield.
Copyrlsh. 1901, by j. u. Llpp,nco.. Co.
SYNOPSIS.


Copyright 1901, by j. d. Llpplncott Co.
SYNOPSIS.
CHAPTER IA young lady. giving the
and protesting to be- a nurse. engages a
room of Mrs. Brathwaite, the narrator
OF the story. at her quiet country home.
rest. Mr.. Bcldon. Claiming to be an edi-
torial writer who works nights. also en-
cages room. Both boarders openly OBJ
David Darlington. a millionaire who had
lived at the "lIall'' close by. has just
died under somewhat mysterious clrcum-
CHAPTER 1.-During night Mrs.
f Srathwaite witnesses meeting at her
explanation of the occurrence. although
paf yen d9es not agts satSfy hsE
the Misses Elizabeth and Evelyn sisters
of David Darlington of the latter's III
ness and death. and how his nurse. a pre-
tain possession of a number of valuable
rubies belonging to the family, ostensibly
Tor the church. Mrs. Brathwaite had
TONS old housekeeper, Margot. The sis
tiers have, searched in vain for their
niece nice and h heir to the estate Amaranthe.
had some years before gone to india
where the latter had died. Mrs Brath-
waite. sees her two boarders conversng
other.
,s snAr NE, Iv.-,rhrough certain evi-
Dacres is the missing girl. Amaranthe
Darlington. new boarder. an old man
giving the name of DIR. Wynne. is taken
In by Mrs. Brathwaite,
$50 you have been in India" said.
"You have Travelled great deal for
so young a."
did say India, really? How
careless I am. didn't mean to tell
you now. Perhaps will sometime,
all about it. In our Wisconsin home
we hadn't, of course, any old
churches, and after mother died
father took me abroad with him.
When you came here you said
that your mother was in town-in
the city, 1 mean-and that your
brother brought out your slippers"
Yes, you dear old thing" said she,
stroking my knees with her thin
brown hand, II know did. was so
afraid that you would turn me adrift,
and I had really nowhere to go.
said ! was married, too, at least
spoke OF my little chap ut school!
No such good luck for me. Can you
forgive me?"
"Poor child!" AS l spoke a tear
dropped from my eye upon her yellow
curls.
Don't cry" she said. Don't cry
for me-" She got up on her knees
and stroked my cheeks. ut may be
better some day" She winked very
hard and bit her lip. II really
haven't any mother. That is just
good woman who took me in, but her
married daughter came home with
two children and I had to leave. 1
could send you to her any time. She
would tell you the same. And that
maxwell, his name was .Waldemar,
but he wasn't my brother. / am
going to confess all about it. He is
that kind woman's daughters huss
band. She sent him out here with
my slippers. They are plain people,
and queer sort of people, but I'd
trust them as I would myself. I
knew you would not like it, and, in
fact, didn't like it any too well my
self. What do you think he did? He
threw gravel against my windows.
Now, did you ever hear of such a
thing Railing respectable girl In
that waye Did you hear anytbing?"
II didn't hear the gravel" said I.
"Then I needn't have told you," she
laughed. II was SO ashamed when
you discovered it, wrote to his
mother that when she had anything
more to send or any message, or
anything, she must send her son
out in the daytime; but he is en-
ployed in an automobile factory, "a
I told you-that is all tgue-and he
can't very we'll get away in the day"
1 started, for Just here 1 thought
heard a faint rumbling sound be-
meath the place where we were Sit
/ ting. What is that noise?" I ex-
claimed.
S'"Noise? I don't hear any,"
Eyes, underneath us, in the cellar.
1t sounds like rumbling."
Dear me! Dear mel" she jumped
| up from the floor and began to
scream neryously. perhaps we're
going to have an earthquake. We
had one out in" She ran to the
cellar door, making a great deal Of
noise as she went, and flung 1t wide.
us there anyone there?" she called.
"Come and listen for yourself, Mrs.
Brathwaite. Come and listen for
yourself" The rumbling had ceased.
II certainly heard noise" said 1.
"Well, you ought to know your
own cellar. You will make me
afraid to sleep if you say such
things"
Let us go down and see," sug-
gested.
She hesitated, and then said:
"Well, if you wish, but it's very
draughty. O-o-o-h! I'm shivering
already"
Now, had the beginning of a cold,
caught suddenly, feared, in the old
church. and for that reason hest
tated also to go. down into that
gloomy vault. I did, however, push
myself a little way down. and then.