The evening world., 1910-12-08

AA tween them sat a packing
80 box. and they were having .
spirited discussion rs to how II should
be opened.
Here. give It to me-" Miss Letitia
demanded, as we stopped In the doorway.
You've got stove lengths there for "
iays " you don't chop 'em up into
splinters."
With the Ratchet poised In midair she
saw us hut she let II descend with cons
| siderable accuracy nevertheless, ana
our greeting was made between thumps.
Come ip"--thump-"like as not It's .
mi stake'-bang-"but the expressage
was prepaid. II it's mineral water -
crash. Something inside broke.
III It's mineral water" l said. you'd
better let me OPEN II. Mineral water 10
meant for Internal use. and not FOR han
CARPETS" got the Ratchet from het
gradually. Il knew a case once where
a bottle OF hair tonic was spilled on q
rag carpet. and In n year they Lad II
dyed with spots over It and called II Z
tiger skln.' =
She watched me suspiciously while
Strengthened the nails she had bent.
and lifted the boards. In the matter oil
curiosity, Miss IStitla was truly femi'
nine: great handouts of excelsior she
| uEakEti w wv "a "a hNsf'' VI
uepp'e's blue epron. stretched out on
the floor.
The article tha had smashed under
the ylgor OF Miss Lctltia's seventy years
lay on the top. II had been a teapot OF
some very beautiful ware | have called
lust now from my study TO ask what
sort OF ware II was. and the lady whu
sets me right says II was Crown Derby,
Then there were rows OF ups and
saucers. and heterogeneous articles In the
same material that h women folk
seemed 10 understand.
Not until Miss Letitia had arranged u
all on the dining-room table. and Mar
Kerry had taken off her wraps and ad
mired from all -four corners. did Mis-
Letitla begin to ask whesc they has
come from. And by that time IIeppi,
had the crate IN the woodbox, and tn,
excelsior was n black and smoking mas
a. the kitchen end of tho grounds.
There was not the slightest clue TO tn,
sonder, but willie Miss Letitla rated
ifcppie loudly In the kitchen and Belle
swept up the hall. Margery voiced IN,
same Idea that had occurred 10 me
'It-f Aunt Jane wcre--ail right.'' shs
said trcmuiously, IT would he just the
sort OF thing she loves to do"
I had Intended 10 80 back to the city
~. once. but Miss Letitla's box had pu,
or lb an almost cheerful humor, and
10 Insisted that | go with her to Miss
JanGE room and see how IL was pre-.
pared for It's owners return.
TN not pretending to know whai
took Jane Maitland away from THU
house iH The middle OF tho night sh,
SAID. She was a good bit OF a fool
lane WAS: she never grew up. hut n
know Jane Maitland. she will come bach
and he buried with her people. II III
only to put Mary's husband out of the
end Of the lot.
And another thing. Knox" she Wen
on, aud ! saw her old hands were shak.
ing, 81 told You the last time you were
here that I hadn't bsen robbed OF any
Of the pearls after all. Half Of thoss
pearls were James ant--she had . per,
feet rlg!it to take fo%rty-nlne of them n
she wanted. She-sh told me she wa,
going To take some, and it-slipped m,
mind"
believe II was the hrst lie she had
ever told In her hard. conscientious ola
,ifc. Wsg she right? wondered. Had
Miss JAM taken the pearls, n n sht
lad. why?
Warlrg2 hal been taking a l1ns walk.
he got back about 1--WE. and as Miss
|letltii was In tae middle OF a dia trlhs
agalnst white u~nderysrments for cob
'red children Margery and he had d
i9lf-hpur alone together. | had known
2 course. that II must come, but undci
ne circumstances, with my whols
future existence at stake, ] was vagu,
as 20 whether It was colored under,
'arment4 on white orphans or the othel
way round.
when ! got away a. last ! found Bells
waiting FOR me In the hall. Her eye
we're red with crying and she had 4
crumplsd newspaper IN her hand. Sh,
broke down when she tried to speak
but I got the newspaper from her an,
she pointed VITA one work-hardene,
finger TO a column on the first page. 4
vas the nnOuncsment OF Mrs. Butler'l
tragic accident "a the mystery tina
surrounded II. There was no mention
of schwartz.
us she-dead?' Bella choked out a
last.
Not yet, but there Is very littl,
hope"
Amid fresh tears and shakinss of heI
heavy shoulders ~ she sal IN hel
fayo its place on the stairs BELL. told
ne b iefly that she had lived with Mrs
Vu'lor s'uCe she was sixteen and ma,
only left when tae husbands suicid.
r,d broken up the home. ! could ge
Nothing else out Of her, hu, gradualll
""1a's saare In the mystery wal
coming 10 Eight,
slowly, toO--.t was A new business
or mel was forming a theory OF m,
own. II was n strange one, = but l
seemed 10 NJ the facts as | knew them
with the story WhrdrOp told that AZ
%ternoon came my hrst glimmer Of light
He was looking better than he ha,
when I saw him before, hut the new,
OF Mrs. Buffers approaching death AM
the manner OF her injury affected hin
strangely, lilo had seen the paper, liz
Bella, and he turned on me almos
! nercsly when J entered the library
Marsery was IN her old position al tn
window. looking ou.. and 1 knew tn