Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-04-29

|
CHAPTER ".
- AM in some ways representative.
| Among my other weaknesses /
| & have wholesome dread OF ridi.
- cule, and this is probably why !
| failed to press my theory on the cap
tain when be appeared and even for
bore to mention the various small mat
tiers which had SO attracted my atten-
| ton. If he and the experienced men
who came with him saw suicide and
| nothing but suicide in this lamentable
| shooting of bride of two weeks. then
it was not for me to suggest a deeper
crime, especially as one OF the latter
eyed me with open scorn when l pro-
posed to accompany them upstairs into
| the room where the light had been
seen burning. No. would keep my
| discoveries to myself, or at least for
bear to mention them till found the
| captain alone, asking nothing at this
| juncture but permission to remain n
the house till Mr.. jeffrey arrived.
had been told that an officer had
| gone for this gentleman. ard when l
heard the sound of wheels In front l
made a rush for the door. in my anx-
iety to catch glimpse Of him. but it
| was woman who ulighted.
| As this woman was In state Of
! great agitation, one Of the men hes
| tened down to offer his arm. As she
! took 1t asked Hibhard, who had sud-
| denly reappeared upon the scene. who
! she was.
| He said that she was probably the
sister Of the woman who lay inside,
upon which l remembered that this
| lady, under the name of Miss Tuttle
| she was but half sister to Miss Moore
had been repeatedly mentioned by
| the reporters in the accounts Of the
| wedding before mentioned as person
OF superior attachments and magnifi-
cent beauty.
r This did not take from my interest,
and, flinging decorum to the winds,
| approached as near as possible to the
| threshold which she must soon cross.
As / did SO was ast0nished to hear
| the strains Of Uncle David's organ
still pealing from the opposite side Of
the way. This at moment SO serious
and while matters Of apparent conse-
Quence were taking place in the house
to which he had himself directed the
attention OF the police struck me as
carrying stoicism to the extreme. Not
very f,lvorably impressed by this dis
play OF open II not insulting indiffer-
ence on the part OF the sole remaining
Moore, an Indifference which did not
appear quite natural even.in q man Of
His morbid eccentricity, I resolved to
know more of this old man and, above
all, to make myself fully acquainted
with the exact relations which had
existed between him and his unhappy
niece.
Meanwhile Miss futile had stepped
within the circle Of light cast by our
lanterns.
| l have never seer finer woman or
one whose features displayed more
heartrending emotion This called for
respect and I for one endeavored to
show it by withdrawing into the back
ground. But soon stepped forward
again. My desire to understand her
was too great, the impression made by
her bearing too complex. to be passed
over lightly by one on the lookout for
key to the remarkable tragedy before
US.
| Meanwhile her lips had opened with
the cry:
my sister! Where Is my sister,"
| The captain made hurried move
the laudable intention doubtless Of
preparing her for the CHASTITY sight
which awaited her, returned and open.
ed way for her into the drawing
room. But she was not to be turned
aside from her course. Easing him
by, she made directly for the library,
which she entered with bound.
Struck by her daring, we all crowded
up behind her and, curious brutes that
we were, grouped ourselves in a semi
circle about the doorway as she falter-
ed toward her sisters outstretched
form and fell on her knees beside 1t.
Her involuntary shriek and the fierce
recofl she made as her eyes fell on the
long white ribbon trailing over the
floor from her sisters wrist struck me
as voicing the utmost horror Of which
the human soul is capable. It was as
though her very soul were pierced.
Something in the fact itself, some
thing in the appearance Of this snowy
ribbon tied to the scarce whittier wrist,
seemed to pluck at the very root OF
her being, and when her glance, In
travelling Its length, lighted on the
death dealing weapon at its end she
cringed in such apparent anguish that
we looked to see her fall in swoon or
break out into delirium. We were cor
respondingly startled when she sud-
denly burst forth with this word of,
stern command:
"Untie that knot! Why do you leave
that dreadful thing fast to her? I'm
tie 1t, say! 1t Is killing me. cannot
bear the sight" And from trembling
she passed to shuddering till her whole
body shook conyulsively.
The captain, with much considera
ton, drew back the hand he had i'm
pulsively stretched toward the ribbon.
"No, no. he protested; 1--WE cannot
do that We can do nothing till the
onronor noynac ,,onocSorv thot 1,o