Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-11-18


thing inoyahl" had been pushed back
against the wall and an open space
cleared, In the center of which could he
seen one drop of blood. What is Ger
tain Is that Mr.. Moore is held to the
house by something even more serious
than his deep grief, and that the young
lady wNJ WAS the object of this fatal
dispute has left the city"
Pasted under this was the following
short announcement:
Married on the 2lst Of January. at
the American consulate in Rome, Italy,
Edward Moore of Washington, ID. c..
United States Of America. to Antoi-
nette Sloan, daughter Of Joseph Dewitt
Sloan. also of that city"
With this notice my interest in the
book ceased, and l prepared to step
down from the chair on which l had
remained standing during the reading
of the above passages.
AS | did SO l spied slip of paper
lying on the floor ut my feet. AS 1T had
not been there ten minutes before there
could be no doubt that it had slipped
from the book whose leaves had been
turning over SO rapidly. fastening to
recover 1t, l found 1t to be sheet OF
ordinary note paper partly inscribed
with words in Il neat and distinctive
handwriting. This was great find,
for the paper was fresh and the hand
writing one which could be readily
identified. What l saw written there
was still more remarkable. 1t had the
look Of some Of the memoranda had
myself drawn up during the most per-
picking moments Of this strange case.
I transcribe it just as 1t read:
I'VE have here two separate accounts
Of how death comes to those who
breathe their lust on the ancestral
hearthstOne Of the Moore house library.
Certain facts are emphasized in
both:
Each victim was alone when he fell.
Each death was preceded by n scene
Of alteration or violent controversy
between the victim and the alleged
master Of these premises.
reaped some benefit. real or fancied.
from the others DEATH"
A curious set Of paragraphs. Some
one besides myself was searching for
the very explanation was at that mo-
ment intent upon. should have con-
sidered it the work Of our detectives II
the additional lines l now came upon
could have been written by any one
but n Moore. But no one Of any other
blood or associations could have in
dited the amazing words which follow
ed. The only excuse l could find for
them was the difficulty which some
men feel in formulating their thoughts
otherwise than with pen and paper.
they were SO evidently intended for
the writer's eye and understanding
only. as witness:
Let me recall the words my father
was uttering when my brother rushed
In upon us with that account Of my
misdeeds which changed all my pros
poets in life. 1t was my twenty first
birthday. and the old man had Just In
formed me that as the eldest son l
might expect the house In which we
stood to be mine one day and with 1t a
secret which has been handed down
from father to son ever since the
MOores rose to eminence in the person
of Colonel Alpheus. Then he noted
that was now Of age and Immediately
went on to say: This means that you
must be told certain facts, without the
knowledge Of which you would be no
true Moore. These facts you must
hereafter relate to your son or whoever
may be fortunate enough to inherit
from you. 1t Is the legacy which goes
with this house and one which no in
heritor as yet has refused either to re-
ceive or to transmit. Listen. You have
often noted the gold f1ligree ball which
wear on my watch guard. This ball
Is the talisman Of our house. Of this
house. II In tho course Of your life
you find yourself in an extremity from
which no issue seems possible-mind
the strictness Of the injunctton-an ex-
tremity from which no issue seems
possible-Q have never been in such q
case; the gold filigree ball has never
been opened by me)-y0u will take this
trinket from its chain. press upon this
portion Of 1t SO and use what you will
find inside. in connection with
ALAS, 1t was at this point John judi
son came rushing in. and those dis
closures were made which lost me my
fathers regard and gave to the inform
or my rightful inheritance, together
with the full secret Of which I only
got part But that part must help
me now to the whole. I have seen the
flligree ball many times. Veronica has
1t now. But its contents have never
been shown me. If l knew what they
were and why the master Of this BE-
cret always left the library
Here the memorandum ceased with q
long line struggling from the letter ~"
as II the writer had been surprised at
his task,
The effect upon me Of these remark
able words was to heighten my inter
est and raise me into a state OF re-
newed hope If not Of active expecta.
ton.
Another mind than my own had been
at work along the only groove which
held out any promise Of success, and
this mind, having at its command GER
tain family traditions, had let me into
a most valuable secret. Another mmu,
Whose mind? That was a question
easily answered. But one man could
have written these words, the man
who was thrust aside in early life in
favor of his younger brother and who
now by the sudden death Of that broth
er's daughter had come again into his
inheritance. Uncle David, and he only,
was the puzzled inquirer whose self
communings had just read. This fact
raised new problem for me to work
upon. and could but ask when these
lines were written--before or after Mr..
Pfeiffer's death-and whether he had
ever succeeded In solving the riddle he
had suggested or whether 1t was still q
battling mystery to him. was so
moved by the suggestion conveyed In
his final and half finished sentence