The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-06-10

| tinuiea. hlrai ABOUT which you have
made such a coil Ny errand was two
fod-l wanted FIRST to see what Mr..
I JcGrey has beeu up 90 the night be-
/ fore and next 90 spend an hour over a
/ certain book OF old memoirs which In
recalling the past might explain the
| present You remember n door leading
into the library from the rear room. II
was by this door I entered. bringing
With me from the kitchen the chair You
afterward found there
II knew where the volume OF mem
oifs I speak OF was 70 bq found-you
do. too ] see--for ID was my hand
which had placed Il in its present con
cealment Quite determined TO reread
such portions Of IL as had long before
marked as pertinent TO the very at
tempt had tn mind. : brought In the
cnndelabrum from the parlor and drew
ont @ table to bold A. But I waited
few moments before taking down the
book itself I wanted drst to learn
what Mr. Jeffrey had been doing up-
stairs the night before; so, leaving the
light burning in the library | proceed
ed TO the southwest chamber holding
an unllt candle in my hand the light
feebly difused through the halls from
some upper windows being sufficient
for me 10 see my way. But In the
chamber itself all was dark
The wind bad not yet risen and the
shutter which half hour later moved
so restlessly on its creaking hinges
Rugged the window 80 tightly that |
D q. Il
the night before. Looking for some re-
ceptaole in which to set the candle I
now ht, l failed TO ind anything but an
empty tumbler. 20 | made use Of that
Then l glanced about me. bat seeing
nothing worth my attsntion~Mrs JEFF
frey's wedding dxings did not interest
me, and everything else about the
room looking natural except the over
turned chair, which struck me a. im-
material-I hurried downstairs sgain
leaving the candle burning behind me
In case | should wish 10 return aloft
after l had refreshed my mind with
what had been written about this old
room.
mot a sound disturbed the house as
I seated myself 10 my reading In front
| OF the library shelves. was as much
| alone under that desOlate roof as NOR
tai could be with men anywhere with
in reach OF him | enjoyed the solitude
and was making n very pretty theory
for myself on a scrap of paper I tore
| from another old book when a noise
suddenly rose in front. which. slight az
Il was, was quite unmlstnkable % ears
trained 10 listening Some one was un.
locking the front door.
Naturally | thought II to be Mr. JET
/ frey returning for n second visit to his
wife's house. and, knowing what
might expect II be surprised me on the
/ premises, restored the book hastily
to Its place aud as hastily blew out the
candle. Then, With every intention OF
/ hight, I backed toward the door by
which | had entered But some i'm
/ pulse stronger than that OF escape
made me stop Just before 1 reached IT,
I could see nothlng-the place was dark
as Tophet-but could listen. The per
sOn-Mr Jeffrey OF some other-was
coming m. way, and In perfect dark
ness. could hear the fAltering steps
the nngers dragging along the walls
thea rustic as OF skirts. proving the
intruder to be a woman--S fact which
greatly surprised me-then long
drawn sigh or gasp.
This last determined me The stu
alton was too intense for me to leave
without first learning who the woman
was who ia terror and shrinking dared
to drag her half resisting feet through
these empty halls and into place
cursed with such unwholesome mem
ories. did not think OF Veronica No
one looks for a butterfly in the depths
OF dungeon. But did think Of Miss
Tlttle-that woman OF resolute will
Without attempting to imagine the
reason for her presence, / stood my
ground and harkened tll the heavy
mahogany door nt the other end OF
the room began TO swing in by Jerks
under the faint and tremulous pugb OF
sllence-a long silence followed by
moan so agonlzod that / realized that
whatever was the cause OF this painting
woman's presence here, IL was due to
no mere errand OF curiosity This
whetted my purpose. Anything done
In this house was In way done to me;
so remained quiet and watched But
tho sounds which now and then came
from the remote corner upon which
my attention was concentrated we're
very eloquent.
Il heard signs ana bitter groans. with
now ana then murmured prayer.
broken by a low wailing, In which 1
caught the name OF Francis And still,
possibly on account OF the utterance OF
this name, l thought the woman near
NE 10 be Miss Tuttle, and even went
80 far as 10 imagine the cause OF her
suffering II not the nature OF her re
trbutiOu. Words succeeded cries and
caught phrases expressive Of fenr
and some sort ot agoElzsd hesitation
Once these broken CALCULATIONS we're
interrupted by a dull sound Some
thing had dropped to the bare noor
We shall never know what II was but
have no doubt that Il was the pistol
and that the marks Of dust to be found
on the connecting ribbon we're made
by her own fingers in taking II again In
her hand you Will remember that
these same nngers had but a few min
utes previous CROPPED thsir way along
ths wallsJ For her voice soon took a
different tone. and such unintelllnble