The Tupelo journal., 1909-04-09

told his story he would-well, he
would have his mind settled one way
or another.
Here the telephone bell rang; the
manager informed Col. Winter that
Mrs. Wigglesworth had returned.
"Wigglesworth? What an extraor-
binary name!" cried Millicent when
the colonel shared his information.
Good old New England name; I
know some extremely nice Wiggles-
worths in Boston," Mrs. Winter
amended with a touch of hauteur; and,
at this moment, there came a knock
at the door.
There is all the difference in the
world between knocks; a knock as
often as not conveys a most uninten-
of the one behind the knuckles; and
often, also, the mood of the knocker is
reflected in the sound which he makes.
Were there truth in this, n would
Judge that the person who knocked at
this moment must be a woman, for the
knock was not loud, but almost timid-
ly gentle; n might even guess that
she was agitated, for the tapping was
in a hurried, uneven measure.
Il believe it is Mrs. Wigglesworth
herself" declared Aunt Rebecca. Der
tie, I'm going into the other room;
she will talk more freely to you. She
would want to spare my nerves. That
is the nuisance of being old. Now open
the door,"
She was halfway across the thresh-
old before she finished, and the colo
nel's fingers on the doorknob waited
only for the closing of her door to
turn to admit the lady in waiting.
A lady she was beyond doubt, and
any one who had travelled would have
been sure that she was a lady from
Massachusetts. She wore that little
close bonnet which certain elderly Bos-
ton gentlewomen can neither be driv-
en- nor allured to abandon; her rich
and quiet black silken gown might
have been made any year within the
last five, and he9 furs would have
graced a princess. She had beautiful
gray hair and a soft complexion and
wore glasses. Equally evident to the
observer was the fact OF her sup
pressed agitation.
She waved aside the %colonel's prof
fered chair, introducing herself in q
musical, almost tremulous voice with
the crisp enunciation Of her section Of
the country. II am Mrs. Wiggles-
worth; / understand, Col. Winter
you?-y-yes, no, thank you, ! will not
sit. IL understand Mrs. Winter-ah,
your aunt, is an elderly woman"
"This is my sister-inlaw, Mrs. Mel
vile Winter" explained the colonel.
my aunt is elderly in years, but in
nothing else"
The colonel, in a few words, dis
played the situation. He had pre-
vailed upon his visitor to sit down, and
while he spoke he noticed that her
hands held each other tightly, al
though she appeared perfectly COM
posed and did not interrupt. She an
swered his questions directly and
quietly. She had been away taking
tea with a friend: she had remained
to dine. Her maid had gone out ear
lier to spend the day and night with .
sister in the city; SO the room was
empty between six and ven o'clock.
The chambermaid wasn't there,
then?"
Il don't think so. She usually does
the room and brings the towels for the
bath in the morning. But ! asked her.
to make sure, and she says that she
vas not there since morning. She
seems a good girl; I think she didn't
but / have found something. At
least / am AL may have found some
thing. / thought ] might e Mrs.
| Winters niece about N'-she glanced