Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-12-08

ed. "The bit Of paste shown us at
the inquest was never the gem Mrs.
Fairbrother wore on entering the al
cove. Besides, where all is sensation,
why cavil at one more impro ability?
Mr.. Grey may have come over to
America for no other reason. He is
known as a collector, and when a man
has a passion for diamondgetting-
He is known as collector"
In his own country"
II was not told that"
Nor 1. But found it OUT
How, my dear child, how?"
"By a cablegram or So"
"You-cabled-his name-to Eng
land?"
No, Inspector; uncle has code,
and made use of 1t to ask friend i'll
London for a list of the most noted
diamond fanciers in the country. Mr..
Grey's name was third on the list"
He gave me look in which admira-
Lion was strangely blended with doubt
and apprehension.
-"You are making brave struggle"
said he, "but 1t is hopeless one"
II have one more confidence to re-
pose in you. The nurse who has
charge of Miss Grey was in my class
in the hospital. We love each other,
and to her dared appeal on one
point. Inspector" here my voice
,lnconsciously fell as he impetuously
drew nearer-"a note was sent from
that sick chamber on the night Of the
ball,-7a note surreptitiously written
by Miss Grey, while the nurse was in
an adjoining room. The messenger
was Mr.. Grey's valet, and its destina-
ton the house in which her father was
enjoying his position as chief guest.
She says that it was meant for him,
but l have dared to think that the
valet would tell different story. My
| friend did not see what her patient
wrote, but she acknowledged that if
her patient wrote more than two
words the result must have been an
unintelligible scrawl, since she was
too weak to hold a pencil firmly, and
so nearly blind that she would have
had to feel her way over the paper"
The Inspector started, and, rising
hastily, went to his desk, from which
he presently brought the scrap Of pa
per which had already figured In the
inquest as the mysterious communica.
ton taken from Mrs. Fairbrother's
hand by the coroner. Pressing it out
| fiat, he took another look at it, then
glanced up in visible discomposure.
"If has always looked to us as if
written in the dark, by an agitated
hand; but
, l said nothing; the broken and I'M
| finished scrawl was sufficiently elo-
! quent.
did your friend declare Miss Grey
to have written with a pencil and on
small piece of unruled paper?"
| eyes, the pencil was at her bedside;
the paper was torn from a book which
lay there, She did not put the note
when written in an envelope, but gave
| 1t to the valet just as it was. He is
an old man and had come to her room
| foA some final orders"
"The nurse saw all this? Has she
that book?"
"No, it went out next morning, with
the scraps. 1t was some pamphlet,
believe"
The inspector turned the morsel Of
paper over and over in his hand.
| What Is this nurses name?"
Henrietta Person"
docs she share your doubts?"
IT can not say"
You have seen her often?"
mo, only the one time"
els she discreet?"
Very On this subject she will be
like the grave unless forced by you to
speak"
"And Miss Grey?"
"she is still i'll, too ill to be dis.
turbed by questions, especially on so
| delicate topic. But she is getting
/ well fast. Her fathers fears as we
heard them expressed on one memor.
able occasion were ill-founded, SIR
| Slowly the inspector inserted this
scrap of paper between the folds of
| his pocketbook. He did not give me
another look, though stood trembling
before him. Was he in any way con.
WINGED or was he simply seeking for
the most considerable way in which to
! dismiss me and my abominable
| theory? | could not gather his inten-
tons from his expression, and was
feeling very faint and heart-sick when
he suddenly turned upon me with the
remark:
/ "a girl as ill as you say Miss Grey
was must have had some very press
| ing matter on her mind to attempt to
write and send message under such
difficulties. According to your idea,
she had some notion of her fathers
| designs and wished to warn Mrs
Fairbrother against them. But don't
| you see that such conduct as this
would be preposterous, nay, unpar.
alleled in persons of their distinction?
You must find some other explanation
for Miss Grey's seemingly mysterious
action land I an agent of crime other
than one of England's most reputable
statesmen"
$50 that Mr.. Durand is shown the
same consideration, am content
said l. 1T is the truth and the truth
| only desire. am willing to trust
my cause with YOU
/ He looked none too grateful for this
confidence. Indeed, now that | look
back on this scene. do not wonder
that he shrank from the responsibility