Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-11-11

the half hour preceding her
nlarriac" had come not from the bride
groom, rs had supposed. but from
III" 80 called stranger. Mr.. Pfciifer.
For Ill this proof that Mr.. Pfeiffer
WIS we'll known to her. if not to the
rest of the bridal party. no acknOwl-
element of this was made 10y any of
them then or afterward. nor any con
tradictiOn given either 10y husband or
wife 10 the accepted theory that this
seeming stranger from the west had
gone into this fatal room of the
Moorcs to crafty his own morbid Gu
riosity.
ON the contrary. an extraordinary
effort WAS Immediately made by Mr.
Jeffrey to rid himself of the only wit
neSscs who could tell the truth con-
corning those fatal ten minutes, but
this brought no peace to the miserable
wife. who never again saw Il really
happy moment.
Extraordinary efforts at concealment
argue extraordinary causes for fear.
Fully to understand the circumstances
of Mrs. Jcffreys DEATH it would be
necessary first to know what had hap
pened in the Moore house when Mr..
Jeffrey learned from Curly Jim that
the man. whose hold upon his bride
had been such that he dared to demand
an interview with her just as she was
on the point of descending to her
nuptialS, had been seated, or was
about to be seated, in the room where
death had once held its court and
might easily be persuaded to hold court
again.
The encouragement afforded me by
my late discoveries was such that l
felt confident that nothing could hinder
my success save the necessity Of COM
pletely pulling down the house. Be-
sides, all investigation had hitherto
started, If it had not ended, in the
library. was resolved to begin work
in quite a different spot. had not
forgotten the sensations l had ex-
perenced in the southwest chamber.
During my absence this house had
been released from surveillance. But
the major still held the keys. and I had
no difficulty in obtaining them. The
next thing was to escape its owners
vigilance. This managed to do
through the assistance Of jimmy, and
when midnight came and all lights
went out in the opposite cottage l en-
tered boldly upon the scene. AS be-
fore, went first Of all to the library.
l wished to make certain that l had
exhausted every suspected as we'll as
every known clew to the information
sought. In my long journey home and
the hours Of thought 1t had forced upon
me had more than once been visited
by fitting visions Of things seen in this
old house and afterward nearly for
gotten. Among these was the book
which on that first night Of hurried
search had given proofs of being in
some ones hand within a very short
period. The attention I had given it
at moment of such haste was neces-
sarily cursory, and when later a Sec
ond opportunity was granted me of
looking into it again I had allowed
very slight obstacle to deter me. This
was mistake was anxious to rectify.
Anything which had been touched with
purpose at or near the time Of so mys-
ferrous tragedy-and the position of
this book on a shelf SO high that
chair was needed to reach 1t proved
that it had been sought and touched
with purpOse-held out the promise of
q clew which one on so blind n trail rs
myself could not afford to ignore
But when I had taken the book down
and read again its totally uninteresting
and unsuggestive title and by another
reference to its dim and faded leaves
found that my memory had not played
me false and that it contained nothing
but stupid and wholly irrelevant
statistics, my confidence in it as n
possible aid in the work I had in hand
departed just as it had on the previous
occasion. I was about to put it back
on the shelf, when I bethought me
Of running my hand in behind the two
books between which it had stood.
All, that was 1t! Another book lay
fat against the wall at the back Of the
shelf; by the removal Of those in front
l was enabled to draw this book out,
l soon saw why it had been relegated
to such remote place of concealment
on the shelves Of the Moore library.
1t twas a collection Of obscure memoirs
written by an Englishwoman, but an
EnglishwOman who had been in Amer.
lea during the early part Of the century
and who had been brought more or less
into contact with the mysteries con-
nected with the Moore house in Wash
ington. Several passages were marked,
one particularly, by heavy pencil line
running the length of the margin. As
the name of Moore was freely scatter
ed through these passages as we'll as
through two or three faded newspaper
clippings which discovered pasted on
the inside cover. lost no time in set
ting about their perusal.
The following extracts are from the
book itself. taken in the order In which
found them marked:
ut was about this time that 1 spent
a week in the Moore house. that grand
and historic structure concerning which
ana Its occupants SO many curious ru-
mors are afioat. knew nothing then
OF Its discreditable fame, but from the
first moment Of my entrance into its
ample and we'll lighted halls I expert
enced sensation which l will not call
dread. but which certainly was far
from being the impulse of pure delight
which the graciousness of my hostess
and the imposing character Of the place
Itself were calculated to produce. This
emotion was but transitory, vanishing.
as was natural in the excitement of nv
welcome and the extraordinary interest
l took in Callista Moore, who in those
days was n most fascinating little
body. Small to the point of appearing
diminutive and lacking oil assertion in
manner and bearing. she was never
theless such lady that she easily dom.
mated all who approached her and pro-
duced. quite against her will, 1 am sure
an impression Of alOOfness, seasoned
with Kindness, which made her most
surprising and entertaining study to the
analytic observer. Her position rs
nominal mistress of an establishment
already accounted one Of the finest in
WaShingtOn-the real owner Rauho,