Evening star., 1903-07-01

compelled to believe that only a matter
of Importance to themselves as we'll to
him would have detained them at such
minute. Oh. that Tampa were not so far
Off or that I had happened on this clue
earlier! But Tampa was at that moment
a far prospect for me and 1 could only
reason from such facts as had been able
to collect in Washington.
Fixing my mind now on Mrs. jeffrey. l
asked the cause of the many caprices
which had marked her conduct on her we'd
ding morning. Why had she persisted in
dressing alone. and what occasioned the
absorption which led to her ignoring all
appeals at her door at time when
woman is supposed to be more than usual
itself Her heart was not in her mar
riage. and tht last hour Of her maidenhood
had been an hour of anguish and struggle.
Perhaps she not only failed to love Francis
Jeffrey, but loved some other man. This
seemed improbable, but things as strange
as this have happened in our complex So
ciety and no reckoning can be made with
woman's fancy. If this was so-and
what other theory would better or even
SO well account for her peculiar behavior
both then and afterward? The hour usu-
ally given by brides to dress and glad
some expectation was with her one Of fare
well to past hopes and an unfortunate, If
not passionate. attachment. No wonder
that she wished to be alone. No wonder
that interruption angered her. Perhaps 1t
had found her on her knees. Perhaps
Here 1 felt myself seized by strong and
sudden excitement. l remembered the
filings l had gathered up from the small
stand by the window. filings which had
glittered and which must have been of
gold. What was the conclusion? In this
last hour of her maiden life she had sought
to rid herself of some article of jewelry
which she found 1t undesirable to carry
into her new life What article of jewery?
In consideration of the circumstances and
the hour 1 could think of but one. A ring!
The symbol Of some old attachment.
The slight abrasion at the base Of her
third finger which had been looked upon
as the result of too rough and speedy
Withdrawing of the wedding ring on the
evening of her death, was much more likely
to have been occasioned by the reopening
of some little wound made two weeks be-
fore by the file. If Durbin and the rest
had taken into account these filings they
must have come to very much the same
conclusion; but either they had overlooked
them In their search about the place, or,
having noted them. regarded them as a
clue leading nowhere.
But for me they led the way to very
definite inquiry. Asking to see the rings
Mrs. Jeffrey had left behind her on the
night she went for the last time to the
Moore house, looked them carefully over
and found that none of them showed the
my theory, and 1 proceeded to take my
next step with increased confidence. 1t
seemed an easy one. but proved unexpect-
edly difficult. My desire was to ascertain
whether she had worn previous to her mar
riage any rings which had not been seen
on her finger since. and it took me one
whole week to establish the fact that she
had.
But that fact, once learned, the way
cleared before me. Allowing my fancy full
rein, l pictured to myself her anxious
figure standing alone in that ancient and
ghostiy room fling OF this old ring
from her dainty finger. Then asked my
self what she would be likely to. do with
this ring after disengaging it from her
hand? Would she keep It? Perhaps; but
If so, why could 1t not be found? None such
had been discovered among her effects. OR
had she thrown it away. and II so, where?
The vision of her which had just seen In
my minds eye came out with clearness at
this. which struck me as providentfal 1
could discern as plainly as II had been a
part of the scene the white-clad form of the
bride bending toward the Hight which came