Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1910-05-11
CHAPTER XIV.
At the Station.

So it had been the tiger, not the
lady! Well, had held to that theory
all through. Jennie suddenly be-
came a valuable person; if necessary
she could prove the connection be-
tween Sullivan and thesmurdered man,
and show a motive for the crime. /
was triumphant when Hotchkiss came
in. When the girl had produced
photograph Of Mrs. Sullivan, and had
recognized the bronze-haired girl of
the train, we were both well satisfied
which goes to prove the ephemeral
nature of most human contentments.
Jennie either had nothing more to
say, or feared she had said too much.
She was evidently uneasy before
Hotchkiss / told her that Mrs. Sulli-
van was recovering in Baltimore
hospital, but she already knew il,
from some source, and merely nodded.
She made few preparations for leav-
ing, while Hotchkiss and / compared
notes, and then, with the cat in her
arms, she climbed into the trap from
the town. ! sat with her, and on the
way down she told me a little, not
much.
IF you see Mrs. Sullivan" she adj
vised, land she is conscious, she prob
ably thinks that both her husband and
her father were killed in the wreck.
She will be in bad way, sir"
You mean that she-still cares
about her husband?"
The cat crawled over on my knee,
and rubbed its head against my hanc
invitingly. Jennie stared at the un-
dulating line of the mountain crestS, a
colossal surf against blue ocean OF
sky. Yes, she cares" she said soft
ly. Women are made like that. They
say they are cats, but Peter there in
your lap wouldn't come back and lick
your hand if you kicked him. Tiff
you have to tell her the truth, be as
gentle as you can sir. She has been
good to me-that's why I have played
the spy here all summer. It's thank
less thing, spying on people"
1t is that" / agreed soberly
Hotchkiss and arrived in Washing
ton late that evening, and, rather than
arouse the household, / went to the
next morning and admitted myself.
Mcknight rarely appeared before half
after ten, and our modest Office force
some time after nine. l looked over
my previous days mail and waited,
with such patience as l possessed, for
Mcknight. In the interval | called
up Mrs. Klopton and announced that
/ Of hot ioI1f hot
my household subsists on during my
numerous absences l have never dis
covered. Tea, probably, and crackers.
Dilligent search when / have made q
midnight arrival, never reveals any
thing more substantial Possibly l i'm
agine it, but the announcement that
| am about to make journey always
seems to create a general atmosphere
of depression throughout the house,
as though Euphemia and Eliza, and
Thomas, the stableman, were already
subsisting, in imagination, on Mrs.
Klopton's meager fare.
So called her up and announced
my arrival. There was something un-
usual in her tone, as though her
throat was tense with indignation. Al
ways shrill, her elderly voice rasped
my ear painfully through the re-
ceiver.
Il have changed the butcher, Mr..
Lawrence" she announced portentous-
ly. "The last roast was a pound short,
and his mutton-chops- any self-re-
speeding sheep would refuse to ac-
knowledge them"
As | said before, can always tell
from the voice in which Mrs. Klopton
conveys the most Indifferent matters,
if something of real significance has
occurred. Also, through long habit,
l have learned how quickest to bring
her to the point
You are pessimistic this morning"
I returned. Whats the matter, Mrs.
Klopton? You haven't used that tone
since Euphemia baked a pie for the
iceman. What is it now? Somebody
poison the dog?"
She cleared her throat.
1.-THE house has been broken into.