The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1905-05-03
extraordinary efforts at concealmem

Extraordinary efforts at concealmen,
argue extraordinary causes for fear.
Fully to understand the circumstances
Of Mrs. Je1rey's death, it would be
necessary first to know what had hap
pened in the Moore house when Mr..
jeffrey learned from Curly Jim that
the man, whose hold upon his bride
had been such that he dared to demand
an interview with her just as she was
on the point of descending to her
nuptals, had been seated, or was
about to be seated, In the room where
death had once held its court and
might easily be persuaded to hold court
again. Vs
The encouragement afforded me by
my late discoveries was such that II
felt confident that nothing could hinder
my success save the necessity OF COM
pletely pulling down the house. Be.
sides, all investigation had hitherto
started. IL it had not ended, in the
library. was resolved to begin work
in quite different spot. had not
forgotten the sensations / had ex-
perienced in the southwest chamber.
During my absence this house had
been released from surveillance. But
the major still held the keys, and had
no difficulty in obtaining them. The
next thing was to escape its owners
vigilance. This managed to do
through the assistance Of jimmy, and
went out in the opposite cottage en-.
tered boldly upon the scene AS be.
fore, went first OF all to the library.
wished to make certain that had
exhausted every suspected as we'll as
every known clew to the information
sought. In my long journey home and
the hours of thought 1t had forced upon
me had more than once been visited
by fitting visions Of things seen in this
old house and afterward nearly for
gotten. Among these was the book
which on that first night of hurried
search had given proofs Of being in
some ones hand within a very short
period. The attention / had given it
at moment Of such haste was neces.
sarily cursory, and when later sec.
ond opportunity was granted me Of
very slight obstacle to deter me- This
was mistake was anxious to rectify.
Anything which had been touched with
purpose at or near the time Of SO mys
Sterious a tragedy-and the position of
this book on shelf so high that a
4 chair was needed to reach it proved
!, that it had been sought and touched
with purpose-held out the promise OF
y clew which one on SO blind trail as
Eself could not afford to ignore
6Sut. when l had taken the book down
and read again its totally uninterestins
and unsuggestive title and by another
reference to its dim and faded leaves
found that my memory had not played
me false and that 1t contained nothing
but stupid and wholly irrelevant
statistics, my confidence in it as a
possible aid in the work had in hand
departed just as it had on the previous
occasion. l was about to put it back
on the shelf, when l bethought me
of running my hand in behind the tive
books between which it had stood.
All, that was it! Another book lay
fiat against the wall at the back of the
shelf; by the removal Of those in front
was enabled to draw this book out,
soon saw why it had been relegated
to such remote place of concealment
on the shelves of the Moore library.
1t was a collection of obscure memoirs
written by an Englishwoman, but an
Englishwoman who had been in Amer,
lea during the early part of the century
and who had been brought more or less
into contact with the mysteries con
& nedted with the Moore house in Wash.
iDgton. Several passages We're marked
/ pnf particularly, by a heavy pencil limo
running the length of the margin As
Sills name Of Moore was freely scatter.
SeN through these passages as we'll as
flnrough two or three faded newspaper
clippings which discovered pasted OH
Ithe inside cover, lost no time in set
Fling about their perusal.
The following extracts are from thu
book, Itself. taken in the order in which
found tl,cm marked:
ut was about this time that spent
a week in the Moore house, that grand
and historic structure concerning which
and its occupants SO many curious ru
mors are aflOat. l knew nothing then
Of it's discreditable fame, but from the
first moment of my entrance into its
ample and well lighted halls expert
enced sensation which / will not call
dread, but. which certainly was far
from being the impulse of pure delight
which the graciousness of my hostess
\ and the imposing character of the place
itself We're calculated to produce. This
lemotion was but transitory, vanishing.
las was natural in the excitement of my
n welcome and the extraordinary interest
I I took in Callista Moore, who in those
days was most fascinating little
body. Small to the point of appearing
diminutive and lacking all assertion in
manner and bearing, she was never
theless such lady that she easily DOM
mated all who approached her and pro-
duced, quite against her will, am sure,
Ian impression of aloofness, seasoned
with kindness, which made her most
surprising and entertaining study to the