Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-08-15
madam-worthless trlnkets, as you will
Immediately see, butt
sFyNa11 wall - ,,ruod

"They have been identified as belong
ing to the pedlar who was one of the
victims in whose fate we are interested y
"Ah, all" l cried out, somewhat
amazed, own. "And number esp
"That was carrot, and it held q
really valuable ring-a ruby surrounded
by diamonds. If>you remember, | once
spoke to you Of this ring. 1t was the
property of young Mr. Chittenden and
worn by him while he was in this vii
lage, He disappeared on his way to the
railway station, having taken, as many
can vouch for, the short detour by Lost
Mans lane, which would lead him di
rectly by Mother Jane cottage.
lyon thrill me, F." said |. keepl""
down with admirable self possession my
own thoughts in regard to this matter
"And what Of No. 10, beyond which
she said she could not COUNT
!. "In 10 was your 25 cent piece and in
various other vegetables small coins
smallness. The only numbers which
seemed to make any impression ON her
mind We're those connected with these
crimes. Very good evidence, Miss But
terworth, that Mother Jane holds the
clew to this matter, even if she is not
responsible for the actual killing and
putting away Of the individuals repre-
sented by this property.
"Certainly,' | acquiesced, land if
you though to examine her after her re-
turn from the Knollys mansion last
night you would probably have found
upon her some similar evidence of her
completely in the last crime of this ter
rible series 1t would needs have been
small, as SILLY Rufus, as l take it,
neither INDUCED in the brass trinkets
sold by the old pedlar nor the real jew
elry Of well to do man like the young
westerner.
"Silly Rufus?"
HE was the last to disappear from
these parts, was he not!''
Eyes, madam.
And as such should have left some
clew to his fate in the hands of this old
crone if her motive i'll removing him
was, as you seem to think, entirely that
of gain. y
Il did not say it was entirely SO, sill
~ Rufus would be the last person any
one. even such Il non compos mentis a.
Mother Jane, would destroy for hope OF
gain.
But what other motive could she
have, and Mr.. Gryoe, where could She
bestow the bodies Of so many unfOrtu-
nate victims, even if by her grea
strength she could succeed i'll killing
them
There you have us - said he. 1--WE
have not been able as yet to unearth
any bodies Have YOU
"No," said |, with some little show
of triumph showing through my disdain,
"but | can show you where TO unearth
one. "
He should have been startled. pro
foundly startled. Why wasn't he: l
asked that Of myself over and over in
the one instant he weighed his words
before answering,
"You know something then, definite
ly," he declared. "Iou have come
across a grave or a mound which you
have taken for grave -
shook my head.
"No mound" said l. Why should l
not play for an instant or more with his
curiosity? He had with mine.
"Ah, then, why do you talk of I'M
earthing? No one has told you where
you can lay hand on silly Rufus body,
| take it. y
"No. said l. THE house Knollys is
not inclined to give up its secrets
He started, glancing almost remorse-
fully first at the tip, then at the head
of the cane he was balancing in his
hand.
"It's too bad he muttered, "but
you've been led astray, Miss Butter /
worth, excusahly, | acknowledge, quite !
excusably, but yet in way to give you
quite wrong conclusions, The secret OF /
the knollys house But wait a mo-
ment. Then you were not locked up in
your room last night"
Scarcely" returned wavering be-
tween the doubts he had awakened Ivy
his first sentence and the surprise which
his last could not fail TO give me-
Il might have known they would not
be likely to catch you i'll a trap, he re-
marked. 80 You were up and in the
halls?"
Twas up, said l, land in the halls
May | ask where you were
He paid no heed to the last sentence,
"This complexities matters, - said he,
"and yet perhaps it is as well. lunder-
stand you now, and i'll few minutes
you will understand me. You thought
it was silly Rufus who was buried last
night. That was .7ther an awful
thought, Miss Butterworth. l wonder
that you look as well as you do, madam.
Truly you are wonderful woman-a
very wonderful woman.
"A truce TO compliments, | cried.
IF you know as much as your words
show of what went on i'll that i'll omened
house last night, you ought to show
some degree of emotion yourself, for if
it was not silly Rufus who was laid
away under the flower parlor who,
then, was it? No one for whom tears
could openly be shed or of whose death
public acknowledgment could be made,
or we would not be sitting here talking
away at cross purposes the morning aft
or his burial.
Tears are not shed or public ac-
made for the subject of
4 half crazy mans love for scientific III
yestigation. 1t was dog you saw
I