The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1909-01-09

Mary Anne advanced Willingly. but
az / raised the button by the little key
and held it toward her, her jaw
dropped suddenly and the color for.
sook her rudy face
"Where'd YOU find IT. miss"
In the cellar. right by the steps"
"Yon ve-been-down in the eel
lar?'
Certainly; why mott"
Mary Anne wiped her face with a
corner of her gingham apron. and
poked wood into the stove with reck.
less prodigality.
It's entirely too fore 'anded you are,
Miss Elizabeth" she grumbled
cellar lookin' like distraction and you
soin down there the fust time. What
Kind of ousekeepin do you think l
do2 This very day laid out 10 put
everything shipshape down there and
take you around mesef And the
cellars damplike. and no place fur
lady any'ow. and you like 10 take
cold ard sneeze yer cad on"
Elizabeth laughed and assured her
that this catastrophe was not liable to
ildbll'i Ai-idt. anu SiE iIldL lit
cellar might be improved by the in
PRODUCTION Of fresh air aud sunlight.
"AnG how soon you got the shelf
fixed'" she added. by way of soothing
Mary Anne's ruffied feelings
Shelf" she repeated vaguely oh,
of course miss 'Ow could / git along
without it, And what else did We find
in the cellar. Miss Elsie. besides the
little button"
| thought she watched me keenIy as
/ replied | had not looked for anything
more. and wondered she had not seen
II on her trips up and down the steps.
Me eyes are not so good as they
once We're. nor so bright as yours,
Miss Elise" she remarked It's
pretty thing. now isn't It? What will
you be doin' with it,"
But / did not reply for Gabrielle,
who had been TO the village for the
mail, now appeared. and Elizabeth
Immediately los, interest in everything
else
do not wish 10 arouse false sus-
picions but Elizabeth certainly wrote
a great many very long letters. and re-
ccis ed volumes all in the same hand
writing. which always arrived on ear-
tain days Of the week. She used 10
open them with an air OF Indifference
and glance over them carelessly then
in few minutes she would make some
excuse to go of alone, and We could
sometimes see her poring over them,
dead to the world as she turned page
after page. and smiling a smile which
eXasperated Gabrielle exceedingly, al
though she also did not little corre-
spending on her own account that sum
mer.
To-day, however she handed Elizabeth
her letter without comment. and only
glanced casually at the cum link when
| displayed II in triumph for she was
eager TO relate the news she had ac-
cumulated during her trip to the vii
lage
You know that smuggler?' she be-
gan. seating herself on the kitchen
doorstep and removing her hat.
NO" / interrupted; I'm happy to
say don't know him"
You know about him, don't you2
It's all the same thing. Well. I've
been to the hotel. and | heard that he
is suspected of having been on the
island the night of the storm, and they
think'-she dropped her voice eau
tiously-"they think he took Mrs.
Bundy's emeralds,"
Who thinks so?"
oh the detectives. OF course. Lady
Edith told me. And they say 1t was a
very foolish thing for him to do, be-
cause he can now be arrested in Cana
da. And our government officials are
perfectly wild too. for a whole lot
of things were smuggled in somehow
right under their noses"
rs he on the island now?"
"Oh. no. As Lord Wilfrid said, It
would be madness for him to stay here
now He must have been one of the
men who left the hotel so early that
morning-before Mrs. Bundy discov-
cred her loss. They are following
them up, of course. but it was easy
enough to register a false name and
address. | can forgive his smuggling,
but | can't forgive his robbing that
poor old woman-shes just scared to
death. and expects to have her throat
cut every night, they say-so l hope
they will catch him"
ITO BE CONTINUED