The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-09-28
CHAPTER XXI.
Anne Watson's 3torY.

Liddy discovered the fresh break |
in the trunkroom wall while we were |
at luncheon, and ran shrieking down |
the stairs. She maintained that, as
she entered. unseen hands had been
digging at the plaster; that they had
stopped when she went in, and she
had felt gust of cold damp air. In
support of her story she carried in
ny wst and muddy boots, that l had
unluckily forgotten to hide, and held
then sat. to the detective and myself.
What did I tell your she said
dramatically. Look at 'em. They're
yours, Miss Rachel-and covered with
mud and soaked to the tops. l tell
you, you can scoff all you like: some
thing has been wearing your Shoes.
As sure as you sit til ere, there's tie
i smell of the graveyard on them. How
do we know they weren't tramping
through the Casanova churchyard last
night, and sitting on the graves"
Mr.. Jameson almost choked to
death. "I wouldn't be at all surprised
! If they were doing that very thing.
Liddy." he said, when he got his
breath. 'They certainly look like it."
think the detective had plan
q which he was working, but which
was meant to be coup. But things
went so fast there was no time to
carry it into effect. The first thing
that occurred was message from
the Charity hospital that Mrs. Wat
son was dying and had asked for me
did not care much about going
There is a sort Of melancholy plea
sure - be had out of funeral, with
It's pomp and ceremoay, but l shranl
from death-bed. However, Liddy
got out the black things and the crepe
ven l keep Sor such occasions, and
went. l left Mr.. Jameson and til,
day detective going over every incl
Of the circular staircase, pounding
probing and measuring. was inward
" elatod to think of the surprise wa
going to give them that night; as
, turned out, l did surprise them-a
most into spasms.
drove from the train to the Char
ty hospital. and was at once take
to q ward. There, in a gray-walle
1 room ina high iron bed, lay Mrs. Wa
son. She was very weak. and sh
. sAly opened her eyes and looked 6
l ne when l sat down beside her.
t was conscience-stricken We had bee
so engrossed that had left this poo
. creature to die without even a woI
}. of sympathy.
The nurse gave her stimulan
b and in a little while she was able
I! talk. So broken and half-coherer
;. however, was her story that l sha
> tell it in my own way. In an no,
n from the time I entered the Chart
r. hospital I had heard a sad AID pitif
8, narrative, ard had seen a woman 81
Of into the .xhcoHsciousness that is on
n srep from death.
he Briefly, then, the housekeepel
q stoTy was this:
II. She was almost 40 years old, a.
e. had been the sister-mother of lar
* family of children. One by one tn
e. lad died, and been buried beside the
ae parents in little town in the midt
H. west There WAS only one sister lie
te the baby. Lucy. On her the older &
er had lavished all the love of an imp
siye and emotional nature. VIII
an Anne, the elder, was 80 and Lucy
ad ys~ss man mad ecms to the toS
OF He was going east after spending I
lat summer at a celebrated ranch in Y
hy oming-one of those places VIII,
De wealthy men send worthless and {
Tut elnatad sons for season of temr
pg ance, nesn air and hunting. /
rk sisters, of course, knew nothing
this, and the young mans ardor RI
len er carried them away. In a WI
re saven YEARS before. Lucy Haswell