Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1904-07-22
The candle in the tumbIes

front Of the house and thus to the
stairs communicating with the upper
floor.
1t was on the rug lying at the foot of
these stairs that came upon the first
Of a dozen or more burned matches
which lay in distinct trail up the
staircase and along the floors Of the
upper halls. AS these matches were
all burned as short as fingers could
hold them, it was evident that they
had been used to light the steps Of
some one seeking refuge above, posi-
bly, in the very room where we had
seen the light which had first drawn
us to this house. How then? Should I
proceed, or await the coming Of the
boys" before pushing in upon q pos
sible murderer? 1 decided to proceed.
fascinated. think. by the nicely Of
the trail which lay before me-
But when after a careful following
in the steps of him who had so lately
preceded me I came upon n tightly
closed door at the end Of a side pas
sage, l gave slight push to the door
and, on seeing crack Of light leap into
life along the jamb. pushed the door
wider and wider till the whole room
stood revealed.
The instantaneous banging Of q shut
ter In one of its windows proved the
room to be the very one which we had
seen lighted from below. Otherwise
all was still, nor was l able to detect
In my first hurried glance any other
token Of human presence than a can
die sputtering in its own grease at the
bottom of tumbler placed on one cor
ner Of an old fashioned dressing table.
This, the one touch of incongruity in
a room otherwise rich If not stately in
its appointments. was loud in its sug-
gestiOn Of some hidden presence given
to expedients and reckless Of conse-
quences, but of this presence nothing
was to be seen.
Not satisfied with this short survey,
turned my attention to my surround
ings, which had many points of inter-
est. Foremost among these was the
big four poster which occupied a large
space at my right. I had never seen its
like in use before, and / was greatly
attracted by its size and the air Of
mystery impaired to 1t by its closely
drawn curtains Of faded brocade.
A dressing table laden with woman's
fixings and various articles of the tot
let, all Of an unexpected value and
richness, occupied the space between
the two windows. and on the floor, i'm
mediately in front Of high mahogany
mantel, there lay. amid a number Of
empty boxes, an overturned chair.
This chair and the conjectures its po-
sition awakened led me to look up at
the mantel, with which it seemed to
be in some way connected, and thus I
became aware Of a wan old drawing
hanging on the wall above It. Why
this picture, which was q totally unin-
teresting sketch Of a simpering girl
face. should have held my eye after
the first glance cannot say even ROW.
1t had no beauty, even Of the sentiment
tai kind. and very little II any mean
ing. Its lines, weak at the best, were
nearly obliterated and In some places
quite faded out, yet not only paused
to look at 1t, but in looking at it forgot
myself and well nigh my errand. Yet
there was no apparent reason for the
spell 1t exerted over me.
1t may seem both unnecessary and
out of character for a man Of my call
ing to acknowledge these chance SEN
sations, but only by doing so can nc.
count for the minutes which elapsed
before I summoned sufficient self pos
session to draw aside the closed cur
tains Of the bed and take the quick
look inside which my present doubtful
position demanded. But, once I had
broken the spell and taken the look
just mentioned, I found my manhood
return and with it my old ardor for
clews. The bed held no gaping, chat
tering criminal. yet was it not quite
empty. Something lay there, and this
something, while commonplace in It.
self, was enough out of keeping with
the place and hour to rouse my inter-
est and awaken my conjectures. It
was lady's wrap. 80 rich in quality
and Of such festive appearance that
1t was astonishing to find it lying in a
neglected state In this crumbling old
house. Though I know little of the
cost Of women's garments. I do know
the value OF lace. and this garment
was covered with it.
Interesting as was this find, it was
followed by one still more So Nestled
In the folds Of the cloak lay the with.
cred remains Of what could only have
been the bridal bouquet. Unsightly
now and scentless, it was once a beau.
uiui specimen Of the florists art. As l
noted how the main bunch Of roses
aad lilies was connected by long satin