Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-05-18
CHAPTER Xxx.
Innocence Established.

i s
Innocence Established.
Miss Carney was not at breakfast,
nor did she show herself during the
day, and my inquiries concerning her
ELECTED the information that she was
constantly with Miss Weston, whose
| condition had become truly alarm
ing.
wrote to John Carney, as his sis
ter had asked me to do, telling him
all that l knew Of Miss Weston's con-
dition and Of her strange connection
with the mystery Of Carney Croft
which, for the first time, recited to
him in full Moreover, on the bare
chance that he might, Through his
previous intimacy with Miss Weston,
be in possession Of knowledge that
would give me a clew If not actually
explain the present inexplicable oc-
currences, asked him to cable me
Immediately any facts that might help
to clear up the situation and put
me on the right track in my war
against thel Bruce woman and her
| allies.
did this, hardly thinking that he
could be Of any material assistance to
me in my investigations, but, rather
than leave any stone unturned, re-
lated in detail the events OF the last
few months, not emitting my expert
ence Of the. morning in the little hill
side graveyard, and I closed by urging
him most earnestly to return home
by the nrst steamer.
This letter ] posted at once, so
that it would catch the next mail boat
for England, and, to make sure that
| it would reach him promptly, cabled
to his bankers that an important let
ter was on its way and asked them to
recall him at once to London II he
was at any distant point.
When these matters were attended
to again set to work to organize a
plan Of campaign against the Bruce
gang, and, as preliminary step, |
went into the village and made all
the inquiries that ! judiciously could
concerning her and her character.
To my surprise / found that she
was respected and held in the high
est esteem by the townspeople, and
prominent IN all the good work of
the parish. Some OF the people even
said that she gave SO much Of her
meager income to charity that she
often suffered herself for the ordi-
nary comforts Of life.
AS to jerks. could only learn
that he was an honest Trustworthy
fellow, that he was ardently devoted
to the Widow Bruce, but. with it all,
I could not find, soul to say word
against the character Of either; unless
jerks keenness in striking bar
| gain, and the businesslike way in
which he brought home the intoxi-
Gated frequenters of Hoskins' hotel
when they had the money for their
fare, and left them to- get home as
| best they could when they had not,
could be laid up against him as q
crime. X
His own occasional potations seem
ed to be entirely overlooked by the
townspeople in general. or else Who'll
" unknown to them, and, taking
everything into consideration, jerks
seemed to be regarded by the COM
munity as pretty fair sort Of citi-
zen.
With these facts In my mind tried
10 reconcile the doings Of the early
morning, as well as the other hap
penings of which / was cognizant,
with the regulations borne by jerks
and the Bruce woman, and freely
confess that soon became complete
| ly bewildered.i
It must be admitted that / had no
positive assurance that the little
graves up on the hill contained the
bodies Of infants, except that their
general appearance suggested as
much, and the fragments Of bone
that l had seen served as . mute wit
ness OF some CHASTITY crime
MacArdel, too, had identified the
odor Of the rags beyond all question Of
doubt, at least as far as he was con-
cerned, but it still must be ,remem-
bered that ! had not opened the par
Gel and that / had no way Of know
ing that 1t contained anything more
than rags, as did the one that we
had examined so carefully In the sum-
mer.
The more thought Of 1t the less I
was able to make out Of 1t, and, final
ly, as had determined to take a
walk, and was leaving the house for
this purpose, my establishment was in
creased by meeting the widow face
to face In the hallway as descended
the stairs.
She was dressed neatly In freshly
laundered calico, with an immaculate
apron of generous propositions. and, in
her hand, she held tray with cup
and some plates on it. We gazed at
each other for an instant and then
I said, in as unconcerned q tone
as could muster up for the occa-
sion:
Good afternoon, Mrs. Bruce. Do
you remember, me? am Mr.. Ware,
you know
ooh, yes, sir" she replied, bowling
pleasantly as she spoke, 4 remember
you very well indeed, sir
smiled at this in spite OF myself
and stopped her as she would have
passed me and gone up the stairs.
What are you doing here, Mrs.
Bruce?" l asked. 81 had no idea Of