The Lamar register., 1907-06-19
CHAPTER XIII.



Now then" said MacArdel. the next
morning, as we were comfortably seat
ed in the library, this mystery is
clearing itself up more rapidly than
1 expected. Have you got those two
notes with you? l mean the one you
found on your bed the other morning
and the one that slipped out of your
pocket last night?"
1 handed them to him and we
spread them -out on the table and ex-
amined them closely. The first was
written in Icramped labored hand
which was obviously disguised, while
the more recent one had evidently
been dashed OFF hurriedly and with
no attempt at masking the chriog-
raphy of its author. In both in
stances, however, the English style of
writing was so clearly exemplified
and there were SO many letters having
points in common, that it did not re-
q,iIre the skill of an expert to per-
ceive that the two notes were the
work of the same individual.
You see,2 exclaimed MacArdel. II
was right, only l got the cart before
the horse. l told you that after we
had discovered how the first note was
placed on your bed we would have lit
tie or no difficulty in tracing it's au.
thorship. AS matters haze turned out,
however, we know the author but we
don't know how she got the paper
into your room. Nevertheless you
ought to be satisfied for you remem-
Der you said that you cared very little
how the letter reached you If you
A. IL
Il am not SO sure that We know who
wrote it even now" returned, gloom
ily., THE goings-on in this house are
altogether too bewildering to suit my
taster
why. 1t must nave been the
woman!" cried MacArdel. with empha
sis. Who else could have done it. man?
You'll admit that both were written by
the same hand. and l hardly think
you'll deny that she was responsible
for the one we found last night. If
she wrote one shs must have written
the other, too"
Perhaps she didn't write either"
muttered insistently.
"Oh, rubbish, Ware" exclaimed
MacArdel. impatiently. whats the
the whole thing is as good as ex-
planned! There she was, locked up
in that little room across the hall She
couldn't get out, except through the
window, and there was only one. which
openeti on the veranda right beside
my chair But she could look out and
see all that was going on. and when
we had our little tussle with jerks.
she took 1t all in from start to finish
Now, the widows no fool. Ware,
and as soon as she realized that she
and jerks were completely in our pow
err she wrote this note at the desk in
the corner of the room and kept 1t
in her hand until the opportunity came
to slip 1t into your pocket. She wrote
hurriedly for she did not know when
she would be interrupted and so she
had no time to disguise her hand as
she. did before. She's English the
writings English and I'll warrant the
paper in the desk is the same as this
she used."
We crossed the hall to the little re.
ception room, and, as MacArdel had
suggested, we found the desk open and
some stationery strewn about which
exactly matched the paper | held in.
my hand. Moreover, on the floor near
by was lead pencil which. apparent
ly, had been thrown down carelessly
so that it rolled off the desk to the
place where we discovered it.
The note was in pencil. and, un
doubtedly. had been written with this
pencil or with one of the same quality
of lead.
T. f<x,.
further argument as to the identity OF
the author of these remarkable com
munications, but. while the facts con-
corning the second were sufficiently
plain. much mystery still surrounded
the first.
Hang 1t all. Mac!" 1 exclaimed, I'll
have to admit that the widow wrote
the notes in spite of myself, but how
on earth did she know of my feelings
toward Miss Carney? And. what's
more, how did she get that letter on
my bed?" ~
Guessed at it, as far as your first
question is concerned replied Mac
Ardel, cheerfully. Just used her COM
mon sense as to the fitness of the
match, and took the chance. That's
all there is to it. Ware
Even so.' l returned. land I'm
hardly willing to admit that your ex-
PLANTATION is correct, how did the note
get on the bed?"
Easiest thing in the world. laughed
MacArdel You were in and out of
your room after you made up the bed
for the night, weren't you?"
why, certainly, rejoined. 81
fixed it up first and then came down
and locked up the house. must have
been out of the room for 10 or 20
minutes after the bed was made
Well" he continued. what more
do you want? The woman. or one of
her accomplices, evidently has way
of getting in and out of the houses, at
pleasure, and while you were fussing
around downstairs the note was tuck
ed under told of the counterpart
with the idea that you would find 1t
when you turned in. AS a matter OF
fact you didn't find it till morning. but
-1I