The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1906-08-09
III Mysterious Servant


I had not been In charge a week when
wing walked On, =amarkinB that d1erP
wa 400 muchee ~man-p Wroce 8
Dotot1.am intelligence once Rthe ely
md yhen the coach came along told
Pete the driver. through whom
ways sent my uRssages, to ~ =
while was adding some Instructions 2
Woman's face appeared at the coaet
dor ahd asked IN a broad Eish voice.
: Nanted mt. It ended In my en-
G-afng her. she aliRhted, 4 large trunt
ra1loveG frIsl the boot, y befoet
the co9eh wa ont Of sight Bridges
O1Toose. as give her name, was gel
ting Sur supper.
Ppiea my Eusba1.d same In and Learn
ed Nhat I had done ho skook his heae
ominously, 0 I had taken a kzfyani
without a recommendation
Bridget was dressed better than seFt
ants usually drS-G but J IKE my SER
ants to be tidy md This did not rrog3is.
me She was about twenty-five year
old and a very pretty woman Had sht
not been irish she would surely have
been Swedish, having the fairness Of
the swede / Mingled with the rosy color
Of the Irish
Bridget was e mystery HSm the H0a
ment she came s b0 the house NY hns
band warned hS5 % look out for ms
vaIuables, and I SON came to sugpee
that my servart was docefying me
What mystic ! 1e was that occasion
ally W6Sn shI, Ssrgot herself he would
drop into a rehneC EngDJh accent But
I was not surprised thSk b was able
to talk thus, for Say ESgiis5 eervants
have such an acceEt I was puzzled to
know WY Sc used bot I'D English
and the Irish
One morning I took adv tHtage OF hH
being in TIE kitchen to go into hen
room . investigate. / tried the closet
door where her trunk was, but It was
locked, and the hey was gone. What
induced A0 70 do SO I can't explain.
but I turned Down a pillow N the bed
There lay a beautiful little watch stud
Ged with jewels, ticking away Just as
e It weie IN VIC boudotr q . lady. ]
hook it up to L0k at It and on the
back was a crest. I put b watch
back where 1 had SoJnd II and when
my hpskSad cam5 homo told him thai
he was rlGht-We must have a thief In
the house. When I me1tioned my find
he said that he didn't know what we
could DO in the matter unless we dis.
charged Bridget which we must DO
merely on SUSPICION, BESIDES depriVins
surselves OF an excellent servant TIL"
result was that we did nothing, though
I put everything valuable In the house
under lock and key. It vas rather
singular that Bridget and her mistress
should be locking their belongings from
each other.
Bridget received letters occasionally
and we considered the propriety c.
opening them. But there Is something
about opening other peoples communal,
cations that refined people shrink from
Besides, the letters coming thus In our
care somewhat diminished our suspE
cions. I examined the writing on sev
eral Of them addressed IN a oarse
hand and suspected hat 1t was dis
guised. But of this I was'by nc means
sure
One evening a man aHghted from
the coach. He said he had business In
the ncighborhood, and since there was
no hotel within miles he begged that
we would keep him overnight. The
latchstring is always open among
ranchers, and we . him in. BE was
dressed us became the country, but
his accent Indicated that he was a wei
bred Englishman. BE arrived an hour
before supper, and M husband. told
him that we suspected we had a coun'
try woman of his In the house who ap
peased to be sailing under falsO col
ors, n we would be obliged II he
would advise US what to do in h mat
ter. He replied that he would LOOK
her over when she waited on us ut tn
bic.
Supper being announced, we took our
seats, and In a few moments Bridget
came In with a tray Of dishes. I had
my eye on her and saw her start as
soon as she saw the stranger. he
looked her over coolly, she teeping
her eyes on what she was doing and
going out as soon as she a finished.
The stranger explained her starting at
seeing him as arising from the fact
that, living In c-oncealment, she would
start at seeing any stranger. he said
be believed she was above the condi-
zion OF a servant or a thief and II we
would permit BIN n few moments WITH
her. being a countryman OF hers, be
would try to get her secret
After Bridget had finished her even
ing work I sent her into the living
room, where the stranger was waiting
for her. They remained In the same
room for quite awhile ~conversing in
q low tone. Meanwhile we waited IN
q room across the hall. Presently they
came In together where we were.
'HThere IS no longer any necessity
for secrecy said the stranger. Your
maid Is the daughter of Sir Henry
Tomkyns OF England and till a few
days g wns the wife OF a British
rancher who had much better be called
a brute. But she is now divorced.