The Irish standard., 1909-07-24
CHAPTER XIII.
Quiet ls Restored.

quiet Is RESTORED.
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
l expected. Have you got those two
notes with you? I mean the one you
found on your bed the other morning
and the one that slipped out of your
pocket last night?"
handed them to him and we
spread them out on the table and ex.
amined them closely. The first was
written in cramped labored hand
which was obviously disguised, while
the more recent one had evidently
been dashed of 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-
quire tho skill Of an expert to per-
ceive that the two notes were the
work Of the same individual.
you see," exclaimed MacArdel, II
was right, only got the cart before
the horse. 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 have turned out.
however, we know the author but we
don't know how she got the paper
In IN Nnvortholoou
ought to be satisfied for you remem-
Der you said that you cared very little
how the letter reached you If you
could only find out who wrote it."
81 am not so sure that we know who
wrote 1t even now" l returned, gloom
ily The goings-on In this house are
altogether too bewildering to suit my
taste"
why, 1t must have been the
woman!" cried MacArdel, with empha-
sis. Who else could have done 1t, man?
You'll admit that both were written by
the same hand, and hardly think
you'll deny that she was responsible
for the one we found last night. II
she wrote one she must have written
the other, too"
Perhaps she didn't write either"
muttered insistently.
"Oh, rubbish, Ware!" exclaimed
MacArdel, impatiently. Whats the
use of looking for more mystery when
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
opened 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 it 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
Ell she wrote this note at the desk In
the corner of the room and kept it
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 a4s
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 of the desk to the
place where we discovered it. "a.
The note was in pencil, and, i'm.
doubtedly. had been written with this
Ito be Continu9d.)