Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-08-31

consideration of the circumstances and
the hour l could think of bit one-a
ring, the symbol of some old attach
ment.
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 occa-
stoned by the reopening of some little
wound made two weeks before by the
file. If Durbin and the rest had taken
into account these filings, they must
have come to very much the same con-
clusion, but either they had overlooked
them in their search about the place
or, having noted them, regarded them
rs clew leading nowhere.
But for me they led the way to q
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 least mark of the
file. This strengthened my theory, and
l proceeded to take my next step with
increased confidence. 1t seemed an
easy one, but proved unexpectedly DIFF
ficult. My desire was to ascertain
whether she had worn previous to her
marriage any rings which had not
been seen on her finger since, and 1t
took me one whole week to establish
the fact that she had.
But that fact once learned, the way
cleared before me. Allowing my fan
cy full rein, pictured to myself her
anxious figure standing alone in that
ancient and ghostly room filing off this
old ring from her dainty finger. Then
l asked myself what she would be
likely to do with this ring after dis
engaging 1t from her hand? Would
she keep it? Perhaps. But, If so. why
could it not be found? None such had
been discovered among her effects.
Or had she thrown it away, and if SO,
where? The vision of her which I
had just seen in my minds eye came
out with clearness at this, which
struck me as providential. could
discern MS plainly as if had been a
part of the scene the white clad form
of the bride bending toward the light
which came in sparsely through the
half open shutter she had loosened for
this task. This was the shutter which
had never again been fastened and
whose restless blowing to and fro had
first led attention to this house and
the crime it might otherwise have con-
cealed indefinitely. Had some glimpse
of the rank grass growing underneath
this window lured her eye and led her
to cast away the ring which she had no
longer any right to keep? 1t would be
like woman to yield to such an i'm
pulse, and OH the strength of the posi-
bility 1 decided to search this small
plot for what it might very reasonably
conceal.
Calling together posse of street
urchins, 1 organized them into band,
with the promise of good supper all
around If one of them brought me the
pieces of broken ring which I had
lost in the grass plot OF house where
had been called upon to stay all
night. That they might win the sup
per in the shortest possible time and
before the owner of this house., who
lived opposite, could interfere, ad-
vised them to start mt the fence in
long line and, proceeding on their
knees, to search, each one, the ground
before him to the width of his own
body. The fortunate one was to have
the privilege of saying what the sup
per should consist off, 10 give n plausi.
BILE excuse for this search n ball was
to be tossed up and down the street
till it lighted in the Moore house in
closure.
did not accompany them. jimmy,
who has such an innocent air on the
street, took my place and promenaded
up and down the block just to see that
Mr.. Moore did not make too much
trouble. And it was well she did so,
for though he was not ut home-I had
chosen the hour of his afternoon ride
his new manservant was, and he no
sooner perceived this crowd of urchins
making for the opposite house than he
rushed Mt them and would have scat
tered them far and wide In twin
king If the demure dimples of my lit
tie ally had not come into play and
distracted his attention SO completely
as to make him forget the throng of
unkempt hoodlums who seemed bound
to invade his masters property. She
was looking for Mr.. Moore's house, she
told him. Did he know Mr.. Moore and
his house, which was somewhere near,
not his new, great, big house, where
the horrible things took place of which
she had read in the papers, but his lit
tie old house, which she had heard was
soon to be for rent and which she
would be just the right size
for herself and mother. Was that it?
That dear little place all smothered in
vines? How lovely! And what would
the rent be, did he think, and had it
back yard with garden room enough
for her to raise pinks and nasturtiums,
md so on, and so on, while he stared
with delighted eyes and tried to put in
n word edgewisc, and the boys-well,