Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-18
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| NAk ASTORY OF MYSTERY
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Copyright. 1903. The Bosss- Nsrdn Company

to herself as she picked the pieces UP.
and then was left alone.
With confused puzzles moving
through my mind day there, tense,
feverish, tossing, each moment expect
ing some one to come and tell me
could go home. Finally, ! seemed at
last really to be going. The only trou-
BILE was that the nuns told me could
not leave until left as bride, and
they had no satin and no orange
flowers.
was startled out Of this fancy by
voices sounding loud upon the edge OF
my dream. One said angrily, In the
first place you ought never to have
taken her to that Internal house, either
for the sake Of getting evidence or any
other thing" The other retorted, well
WANTED to keep her out Of the whole
business. 1t was you who insisted on
dragging her in; and once you get into
this sort OF thing difficult situations
often present themselves"
My eyes opened wide, and In the
faint light of the floating candle flames
Just above me saw Mr.. Dingley 8 face.
"You weren't there! Why weren't you
there?" said, sitting up.
"You see" woman's voice that
thought was the Mother Superior's, pu:
in, "she says and does such strange
things that | dared not let her go out
into the street alone"
Then, with an unutterable sense OF
relief, recognized fathers voice. Eyes,
that was quite right. She was better
here" And he sat down on the edge OF
the bed.
3 "Oh. take me home!" cried.
He smiled, and said with that same
exasperating sort Of reinsurance which
the Mother Superior had used, Eyes,
we are going Immediately"
They all made me feel, as II they
thought that / didn't know what ! was
talking about. EITHER every one Is
crazy" thought, cor the whole world
is in some plot against me, and they
have deceived father, too" OF course
my mind knew that to be ridiculous,
but everything conspired to make ia
miliar people strange. What was it Mr..
Dingley had been telling father just
before l returned to consciousness,
Perhaps after am alone with father
at home can get him to listen to what
l want to say" thought.
But there were many reasons why
this undertaking was much more diff
cult than had supposed.
In the first place it was Mr. Dingley
who began by asking me where ! had
gone. He had been waiting in the front
hall for me all the while, he said, and
how had Iagot out without this seeing
me He had hunted all through the
rooms on the lower floor, and not find
ing me- had gone back to our house,
supposing had returned; and from
there had set out In search Of me.
z It sounded very reasonable, and /
was at a loss to understand why 1t
didn't seem probable to me. Then,
when we reached home, we found a
person waiting-a detective Mr.. Ding
ley had sent for-and to him and to
Mr.. Dingley, as well as to father, l
had to tell my story It came out In
bits and snatches. with questions and
answers, Mr.. Dingley's all mixed in
with mine; and when they did let me
speak uninterruptedly was so excited
that the words came tumbling out, all
confused. It seemed to me, too that IA
Their was much more anxious over the
fact, that was feverish and had q
lump on my forehead, than the fact
that the Spanish woman had offered
me that glass OF wine, and then said 1
should never leave the house. But he
said the thing should be Investigated;
and Mr.. Dingley said something about
making inquiries tonight; and finally
all three went out together, leaving me
in wretched state Of anxiety and
doubt.
It seemed to me that none Of them
at al. understood the situation, and 1t
was SO wonderfully clear in my own
mind, SO enormous and astounding in
it's menace, that was woefully puzzled
to see how they could have missed It.
But was to learn no more until the
following day, when, lying in bed, stih
and sore with every muscle In my
arms and shoulders aching, father
came in with that unwontedly grave
and puzzled face that the poor dear
had worn so often since the beginning
OF the whole miserable experience.
hesdetective and police had been to
the Spanish wcman's house, he said.
and had interviewed her. She had told
them quite frankly that she had indeed
sent for me to come to her, and had
implored me not to give the evidence
which was expected to give; because
she said she fully believed 1t to be
false-that the pistol had thought I
had seen in Johnny. Montgomery's
hand must have been fancy Of mine,
and that she could not bear to have
such damaging testimony given so
recklessly. She had thought, SO she
said, that being a woman SIC might
perhaps know better how to elicit the
real facts Of the case from me, since
the lawyers. police officers, and
even my father might very we'll have
frightened away my memory by their
manner Of going about It, But when |!
had been so obstinate, she said, she
had lost her head and became angry.
and that she frightened me. She said
she had tried In every way to reassure.
me; but when had resisted all her ef-i
forts OF hospitality, and finally, becom-
ing historical, had struck glass OF
wine which she had offered me, out Of
her hand and rushed out Of the room,
before she could stop me or even dis.
cover why had SO suddenly fed.