The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1907-08-23
The Mystery
BY
JOSEPH BROWN o
Copyright. 1871. by st%ory-Press CorporatIonJ
CHAPTER xxlv.-Continued.

hitherto unsupported person into the
case. Whom did the widow mean by
"sle?" 1t could not have been Miss
Weston, who was too Ill to leave her
bed, and, after considerable thought,
l was forced to believe, as the only
possible explanation, that the pronoun
referred to one of the servants in the
house. This, to my mind, added ma
t~erially to the gravity of he affair. for
If unknown members of the domestic
staff were concerned in the matter
there was no telling how far the con-
spiracy might reach nor to what pur-
pose 1t was carried on.
had become so accustomed to mys-
terious happenings of this sort, and
my head was SO filled with visions of
Miss Carney, and with tho words |
was now determined to say to her,
that no impression could have been
made on my mind by anything short
of a most startling phenomenon.
AS | have said, the message was
evidently intended for jerks and was
from the widow, who, it seemed equal
ly clear, either was or had been in the
subterranean passage holding con-
verse with its loathsome inhabitants.
From my window l could see that
there were no lights in her cottage,
and l was or the point of v%enturing
forth again and, from a safe distance,
watching the pit until she emerged
and started for home, when a realiza-
ton of my physical exhaustion tool
bold 30 - a~I \ NI 49, .t.--
plan of remaining in my room.
The night was far from %restful, and
at the first glimpse of daylight ]
dressed and returned to the manhole.
There was a light fall Of snow on the
ground and was not surprised to see
that someone had climbed out of the
shaft and gone across the lawn toward
the Bruce house, but the lid of the
manhole was securely fastened down
as before.
In my efforts to raise it, or at least
to assure myself that it was locked, /
found, at the sides, two openings in
the grating larger han the others and,
slipping my revolver easily back and
forth through of these, / was no
longer at a loss to understand how 1t
had appeared SO my~steriously the
night before.
1t was quite evident that 1t had been
passed up through the opening and
turned until it lay fiat on the grating,
the person below doubtless installing
me for jerks and misconstruing my
efforts to raise the lid into a signal
from the stage driver that he had ar.
rived and was awaiting orders. That
l did not understand this simple
mareuver from the first and appre.
ciate the situation at a glance was
because Of my highly excited nervous
state and my subsequent encounter
with jerks himself.
On my return to the house | found
the following telegram which had just
arrived:
Wire received. Will not await let.
ter. Sure to arrive on time.
CARNEY"
This message was dated New York
and, apparently, had been transmitted
thence from the cable over the local
wire to Ca~rney-Croft. 1t must have
been in response to my dispatch OF
the previous day and served to set
my mind at rest as to the where
bou and purposes of John Carney
which had been troubling me in an in
definite way for some time past.
The only thing now left for me to dc
seemed to be to remain virtually pas
sive until he arrived. keeping a SHARP
watch on things, but taking no posi-
tive steps in his absence unless un
foreseen circumstance arose to cal
for immediate action. My chief desire
was to see Miss Carney and make
clear to her my feelings, but this
seemed to be out of the question, as
she remained constantly with Miss
Weston and no longer came to an,
meals or showed herself about the
house.
The country was fast taking on the
mantle of white under which 1t was t.
sleep for so many long weeks, and Il
was with a comfortable shiver that
entered the library, just before lunch
con, and strobe up to the fire to warn
my hands and toast my shins ant
back successfully.
found Miss Weston's physician
similarly engaged and asked him SO
l~icitously concerning his patient.
His face clouded and / even though
/ saw q tear in the corner of his eye
for. like all doctors with the right kim
of stuff in them, familiarity with hui
man suffering had only warmed hi
heart and softened his nature.
II had hoped" he continued, tina
young Carney's return would have
good effect on her, but when we tolt
her of the message that came thi,
morning she only drew the sheets owe
her face and broke down completely
There is something more to this. MI
Ware. than the mere absence of he
sweetheart, but what 1t is 1 canno