Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-09-30
CHAPTER MI Continued

CHAPTER MI (Continued.)
Mr.. Jeffrey bowed. He was prob
ably sorry for his momentary loss Of
self control, and gravely, but with eyes
bent downward, answered with the alb
rupt phrase:
well, then, will say no."
The coroner shifted his ground.
"Will You make the same reply when
I ask if the like forbearance was
shown toward your wife's name in the
conversation you had with Miss Tuttle
Immediately afterward?"
''Miss Tuttle was Mrs. Jeffrey's half
sister. The bond between them was
strong. Would she-would I-be- apt
to speak Of my young wife with bit
terness"
That is not an answer to my ques
ton, Mr.. Jeffrey. I must request q
more positive reply"
There were no recriminations ut.
tered. Mrs. Jeffrey had displeased me.
and said SO, but did not forget that
was speaking CT my wife and to her
sister,"
AS this was in the highest degree
nOncOmmittal, the coroner could be ex.
cused for persisting.
THE conversation, then, was about
your wife"
1T was"
I'm criticism Of her conduct"
YES"
"At the ambassadors ball?"
YES"
MIR. jeffrey was poor hand at lying.
That last yes" came with great effort.
The coroner waited, possibly for the
echo Of this last yes to cease: then
he remarked with GOODNESS which
lifted ut once the veil from his hitherto
well disguised antagonism to this wit.
ness:
III you will recount to us anything
which your wife said or did on that
evening which. in your mind, was
worthy Of all this coil, it might help us
to understand the situation"
But the witness made no attempt to
do so. and while many Of US were
ready to pardon him this show Of del.
icacy others felt that under the circum.
stances 1t would have been better had
he been more open.
Among the latter was the coroner
himself, who from this moment threw
aside all hesitation and urged forward
his inquiries in way to press the wit.
ness closer and closer toward the net
he was secretly holding out for him
EApuf no nhlirod <a khok ~
conversation with Miss Tuttle had moi
tended to smooth matters, that no rec.
onciliation with his wife had followed
1t and that in the thirty-six hours
which elapsed before he returned home
again he had made no attempt to
soothe the feelings of one who, accord
ing to his own story, he considered
hardly responsible for any extrava.
gances in which she might have in.
dulged.
Then when this inconsistency had
been given time to sink into the minds
Of the jury Coroner z. increased the
effect produced by confronting jeffrey
with witnesses who testified to the
friendly, If not loverlike, relations
which had existed between himself and
Miss Tuttle prior to the appearance of
his wife upon the scene, closing with
question which brought out the de-
nial, by no means new, that an en-
gagement had ever taken place be-
tween him and Miss futile and hence
that bond had been Cancelled by his
marriage with Miss Moore.
Some hint Of what the coroner con-
templated had already escaped him In
the persistent and seemingly. inconse-
Quent questions to which he had sub
jected this witness. But the time had
now come for a more direct attack,
and the interest rose CORRESPONDENCE
high when the coroner, lifting again
to sight the scrap Of paper containing
the few piteous lines SO often quoted,
asked Of the now anxious and agitated
witness if he had ever noticed any
similarity between the handwriting of
his wife and that of Miss futile.
An Indignant "Now was about to
pass his lips when he suddenly checked
himself and said more mildly: There
may have been a similarity. hardly
know. I have seen too little Of Miss
Tuttle's hand to judge"
This Occasioned diversion. Specl-
mems of Miss Tuttle's handwriting
wereproduced, which. after having been
duly proved, were passed down to the
jury along with the Communication
prOfessedly signed by Mrs. Jeffrey.
The grunts Of establishment which en-.
sued as the knowing heads drew near
over these several papers caused Mr.
Jeffrey to flush and finally to cry out
with startling emphasis:
Il know that those words were writ
ten by my wife"
But when the coroner asked him hts