Morris tribune., 1904-06-18

how to do so. She felt herself fixed
to the spot and stood watching Mrs
Jeffrey till that lady, suddenly becom.
ing conscious of the girls presence
turned, and in the midst of the means
which broke unconsciously from her
lips said with a pitiable effort at he1
old manner:
$50 away, Loretta; 1 am i'll; have
been i'll for two days. l don't like peo-
pie to look at me like that" Then, as the
girl shrank back, she added in break
ing voice, when Mr. Jeffrey comes
home and said no more for several
minutes, during which she clutched
her throat with both hands and strug-
gled with herself till she got her voice
back and found herself able to repeat:
"When Mr.. Jeffrey comes, If he does
come, tell him that was right about
the way that novel ended. Remember
that you are to say to him the moment
you see him that was right about the
novel and that he is to look and see if
it did not end as I said it would. And,
LORETTA here she rose and approach
ed the speaker with a sweet, appeal
ing look which brought tears to the
impressionable girls eyes-"don't go
gossiping about me downstairs.
shan't be sick long. 1 am going to be
better soon, very soon. By the time
you see me here again I shall be quite
like my old self. Forget how-how"-
and Loretta said she seemed to have
difficulty in finding the right word here
-"how childish I have BEEN"
Of course Loretta promised, but she
is not sure that she would have had
the courage to keep all this to herself
If she had not heard Mrs. Jeffrey stop
| in Miss Tuttle's room on her way out.
| That relieved her and enabled her to
go downstairs to her own supper with
more appetite than she had thought
| ever to have again. Alas, it was the
last good meal she was able to eat for
days! In three hours afterward a
man came from the station house with
the news of Mrs. Jehrey's suicide in
the horrible old house in which she
FORE
AS this had been a continuous mar
rative and concisely told, the coroner
had not interrupted her. When at this
point little gasp escaped Miss Tuttle
and groan broke from Francis JEFF
frey's hitherto sealed lips the feelings
Of the whole assemblage seemed to
find utterance. A young wife's misery
eliminating in death on the very spot
where she had been so lately married!
What could be more thrilling or ap-
peal more closely to the general heart
Of humanity? But the cause Of that
misery! This was what every one pres
ent was eager to have explained. This
Is what we now expected the coroner
to bring out But instead of condnu-
ing on the line he had opened up he
proceeded to ask:
where were you when this officer
brought the news you mention?"
'In the hall, sir. 1 opened the door
for him.
"And to whom did he first mention
his errand?"
'"To Miss futile. She had come in
Just before him and was standing at
the foot of the stairs"-
What! Was Miss Tuttle out that
EVENING""
eyes; she went out very soon after
Mrs. Jeffrey left When she came in
she said that she had been around the
block, but she must have gone around
it more than once, for she was absent
two hours"
did you let her in7"
ayes, sir"
"And she said she had been around
the block?"
Eyes, sir"
"Did she say anything else?"
''She asked if Mr.. Jeffrey had come
in"
Anything else?'
"Then if Mrs Jeffrey had returned"
''To both of which questions you an
swered"-
"a plain No."
"Now tell us about the officer"
'He rang the bell almost Immediate
~ dl leE size ulu. 1ulukluS she WOulu
want to slip upstairs before admitted
any one, l waited a minute for her to
60 but she did not do 50, and when the
officer stepped in she"-
"Well?"
"She shrieked" /
"What! Before he spoke?"
eyes, SIR
"Just at sight Of himT'
eyes, SIR
"Did he wear his badge in plain
view?"
Eyes; on his breast"
$50 that you knew him to be a police
officer?
eyes"
"And Miss futile shrieked at seeing
a police officer?"
Eyes, and sprang forward"
"Did she say anythingT
"Not then"
"What did she doY'
EWa ifnd for him to sneak"