The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1905-05-31
CHAPTER Xxx

Aht hhii uouE preceding hei
marriage had come not from the bride
groom, as l had supposed, but from
the so called stranger. Mr.. Pfeifer
For all this proof that Mr.. Pfeifel
was well known 20 her. n not 70 IN,
rest Of the bridal party. 30 ncknowl
edgment OF this was made by any OF
them then or afterward. nor any con
tradiction given either by husband OF
wife TO the accepted theory that this
seeming stranger from the west had
gone into this fatal room OF the
Moores to crafty his own morbid Gu.
riOslty.
On the contrary, an extraordinary
effort was Immediately made by Mr.
jeffrey TO rid himself OF the only Wit.
nesses who could tell the truth con.
cerning those fatal ten minutes, but
this brought no peace to the mlserable
wife. who never again saw really
happy moment
Extraordinary efforts at conceaImenl
argue extraordinary causes for fear.
Fully TO understand the circumstances
OF Mrs. Jeffrey's death. it would be
necessary first 90 know what had hap
pened In the Moore house when Mr..
jeffrey learned from Curly Jim that
the man, whose bold upon his bride
had been such that he dared 10 demand
an interview with her just as she was
on the point OF descending TO her
puptials, had been seated. or was
abont TO be seated, In the room where
death had once held its court and
might easily be persuaded to hold court
again.
The encouragement afforded me by
my late discoveries was such that /
felt confident that nothing could hinder
my success save the necessity OF CON.
pletely pulling down the house Be
sides all investigation had hitherto
started. II II had not ended. in the
library. | was resolved 10 begin work
in quite a different spot had not
forgotten the sensations had ex.
perlenced 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 It's owners
vigilance. This I managed to do
through the assistance OF Jimmy, and
when midnight came aud all lights
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 MS we'll as
every known clew 10 the information
sought In my long Journey home and
the hours OF thought Il had forced upon
me 1 had more than once been visited
by filtting 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 iB
some ones hand within very short
period. The attention | had given Il
at moment OF such haste was neces.
sarily cursory, and when later a see
ond opportunity was granted me OF
looking into # again / had allowed q
very slight obstacle 10 deter me This
was a mistake / was anxious 10 rectify.
Anything which bad been touched with
purpose at or near the time of so mys.
terious a tragedy-and the position Of
this book on shelf so high that a
chair was needed TO reach 1t proved
that It had been sought and touched
with pupose-held out the promise OF
a clew which one on so blind q trail as
myself could not afford to ignore.
But when ] had taken the book down
and read again its totally uulntorestlng
and unsuggestlve title and by another
reference 20 its dim and faded leaves
found that my memory had not played
me false ana that It contained nothing
but stupid and wholly Irrelevant
statistics, my confidence in Il as
possible aid 10 the work / had I'm hand
departed just as It had on the previous
occasion / was about 10 put II back
on the shelf when l bethought me
OF running my hand IN behind the two
books between which it had stood.
An, that was ~ Another book ay
hat against the wall az the back Of the
shelf; by the removal Of those in front
i was enabled TO draw this book out.
l soon saw why Il bad been relegated
10 such remote place Of concealment
on the shelves OF the Moore library
II was a collection Of obscure memoirs
written by an Englishwomnn. 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
nected with the Moore house in Wash.
Ington Several passages were marked.
one particularly, by a heavy pencil line
running the length Of the margin As
the name ~ Moore was freely scatter
ed through these passages as well as
through two or three faded newspaper
clippings which / discovered pasted on
the inside cover lost no time In set
Ting about their Derusal
ITO be continued tomorrow