Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1909-08-05
orTUMwA CoURIEE

SuosbSu 5uS MOutu. II nave JuSt
been chased by thief, Miss Innes."
Did he chase you out of the house
and back again?" / asked.
Then Rosie began to cry--not ST.
lently, but noisily, hystericaIly. | stop
ped her by giving her good shake.
What in the world Is the matter
with your" snapped. Hes the day
of good common sense gone by! Sit
up and tell me the whole thing"
Rosie sat up then, and sniffed.
Il was coming up the drive she
began.
you must start with when you
went down the drive with my dishes
and my silver" l interrupted, but,
seeing more signs OF hysteria, gave
in. Very we'll. You were coming UP
the drive
II had basket of-of silver and
dishes on my arm, and was carrying
| the plate, because-because I was
afraid I'd break it. Part way up the
road a man stepped out of the bushes
| and held his arm like this. spread out,
SO couldn't get past. He said--he
| said-'Not so fast, young lady; want
| YOU to let me see what's in that bas-
| ket'
She got UP in her excitement and
took hold OF my arm
ut was like this, Miss Tnnes," she
! said, "and say you was the man. When
he said that, i screamed and ducked
under his arm like this. He caught at
the basket and dropped it. ! ran as
fast as could. and he came after me
as far as the trees Then ne stopped.
Oh, Miss lnnes, IL must have been the
man that killed that Mr.. Armstrong" +"
Don't be foolish" said. whoever
killed Mr.. Armstrong would put as
much space between himself and this
house as he could. Go up to bed now ::
and mind, ii I hear of this story being
repeated to the other maids. ] shall
deduct from your wages for every bro
ken dish I find in the drive
listened to Rosie as she went up-
stairs. running past the shadowy
places and slamming her door. Then
| sat down and looked at the Coalport
plate and the silver spoon. had
brought my own china and silver, and
from all appearances, would have lit
tie enough to take back But though
might jeer at Rosie as much as
wished, the fact remained that some
one had been on the drive that night
who had no business there Although
neither had Rosie, for that matter.
4 I could fancy Liddy's face when she
missed the extra pieces OF chinu-she
had opposed Rosie from the start II
Liddy once finds a prophecy fulfilled
especially an unpleasant one, she
never allows me to forget It. 1t seem
ed to me that :t was absurd to ,cave
that china do.tsd along the road fol-
her to spy the next morning: SO witt
a sudden resolution, opened IT, dool
again and stepped cut into the lark
ness. AS the door closed behind me-
half regretted ny impulse. then
shut my teeth ard went on.
l have never been nervous wcman
as said before. Moreover. {, minute
or two in the darkness enabled ne II
see things fairly we'll. Beuiah CAV,
me rather start ty rubbing ,lncSrcrt
edly against my feet; then we two
side by side, went down the lrive.
: There were no fragments Of china
but where the gro1c began picked i'll
, a silver spoon. So far Rosies stor,
was borne out; began tc wonder /
: it were not indiscreet, TO say tn,
least, this midnight proving N
: neighborhood with such deserved,
bad reputation. THIN saw somethin:
cleaning, which Loved 20 be tn
handle of a cup, e,'d step or tw,
farther on found V-shaped bit Of
plate. But the most surprising thinl
Of all~was to find the basket sittin
comfortably beside the road, with tn
rest Of the broken crockery piled neat
: ly within, and a handful of small silve
spoons, forks and the like on top!
| could only stand and stare. The