The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-05-13


 indifference toward her"
 "Was she with you after dinner?"
 Fessenden thought.
 "I went to my room early;and Mrs. Carleton had then already excused herself. Yes.-I left Schuyler and Miss Burt in the drawing-room, and later I saw them from my window, strolling through the rose-garden."
 "On his wedding eve!" exclaimed Kitty, with a look akin to horror in her eyes.
 "Yes; and I thought nothing of it, for I simply assumed that he was devoted to Miss Van Norman, and was merely pleasant to his mothers companion. But-in view of some thing Miss Van Norman said to me yesterday-can it be it was only yes terday 1.-the mattre becomes seri- GUS"
 What did she say?"
 ''It seems like betraying a. con fidence, and yet it isn't, for we must discover if it means anything. But she said to me with real agitation, Do you know Dorothy Burt?' At that time, hadn't met Miss Burt, and had never heard of her, so I said No; who is she?' Nobody said Miss Van Norman, Tess than nobody! Nev. CT mention her to me again. Her voice, even more than her words, be- tokened grief and even anger, so of course the subject was dropped. But doesn't that prove her anxious about the girl, if not really jealous?"
 "Of course it does," said Kitty. 'I know that's the one that has been troubling Madeleine. Oh, how dread full it all is''
 And then, too," Fessenden said, still reminiscently, Miss Van Nor man said she wanted to go away from Mapleton immediately after her wedding, and never return here again.
 Did she say that. Then, of course, it was only so that Schuyler should never see the Burt girl again. Poor, dear Maddy; she was so proud, and so self-contained. But how she must have suffered! You see, she knew Schuyler admired her, and respected her and all that, and she must have thought that once removed from the presence of the rosebud girl, he would forget her."
 But can't understand old Schuy- Ter marrying Miss Van Norman if he didn't truly love her. You know, Miss French, that man and have been staunch friends for years; and though I rarely see him, know his honorable nature, and I can't believe he would marry one woman while loving another" "He didn't said Kitty in a mean ing voice that expressed far more than the words signified. Fessenden drew back in horror. Don't" he cried. You can't mean that Schuyler put Miss Van Norman out of the way to clear the path for Miss Burt!"
 'I don't mean anything" said Kitty, rather contradictorily. "But, as l said, Maddy was not killed by any one inside the house-I'm sure of that--and no one from outside could get in, except Schuyler-and he had a motive. Don't you always, in de- tective work, look for the motive?'' "Yes, but this is too horrible!" "All murders are too horrible.' But I tell you it must have been Schuyler l it couldn't have been Miss Burt!' Don't be absurd! That little girl couldn't kill fly, I'm sure. I wish you could see her, Miss French. Then ] you'd understand how her very con- | trast to Miss Van Norman's splendid beauty would fascinate Schuyler. ] saw it in his repressed manner las! | evening, though I didn't realize ii then as I do now"
 | T have Q theory" said Kitty slow ly. "You know MT. Carleton went away yesterday afternoon rather an gry at Maddy. She had carried her filtration with Tom little too far and MT. Carleton resented it. I don't blame him,-the very day before the wedding,-but it was partly has fault too. Well, suppose he went home rather upset over the quarrel, and then seeing Miss Burt, and her prob ably mild, angelic ways Q'm sure she has them !-supposed he wished he could be off with Maddy, and marry Miss Burt instead"
 1 "But he wouldn't kill his fiancee if he did think that!'
 l "Wait a minute. Then suppose after the evening in the -garder with the gentle, clinging little girl he concluded he never could be happy with Maddy, and suppose he came al eleven o'clock, or whatever time ii was, to tell her so, and to ask hel to set him free"
 l "On the eve of the wedding Gay With the house already in gala dres' | for the ceremony?"
 "Yes, suppose the very nearness ot | the ceremony made it seem to hin | impossible to go through with it."