Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-04

and that she tried to kill me with
chloroform?"
II hardly think 80" I returned
evasively. 81 am inclined to think
some one actually got in over the
porch roof"
II am afraid" she said, pressing
her gloved hands tight together.
Wherever I go, something happens
that can not understand. l never
wilfully hurt any one, and yet these
terrible things follow me. l am afraid
Ito 60 back to Bellwood, with Aunt
Jane still gone. and youth the CITY,"
"A lot Of help have been to you,
I retortea bitterly. .Can you think
of single instance where have been
able to save you trouble or anxiety!
Why, allowed you to be chloro-
fore found YOU"
"But you did find me-" she cheered
me. And just to know that you are
doing all you can"
"My poor BEST" I supplemented.
1T is very comforting to have q
friend one can rely on" she finished,
and the little bit Of kindness went 10
my head. If she had not got cinder
in her eye at that psychological mo-
ment, I'm afraid would figuratively
have trampled Wardrop under foot,
right there. Al 1t was, / got the
cinder, after great deal of looking
into one beautiful eye-which is not
as satisfactory by half as looking into
two-and then we were at Bellwood.
We found Miss Letitia In the lower
hall, and Heppie on her knees with
Ratchet. Between them sat packing
box, and they were having spirited
discussion as to how it should be
opened.
Here, give 1t to me-" Miss Letitia
demanded, as we stopped in the door
way. you've got stove lengths
there for two days If you don't chop
'em up into splinters."
With the Ratchet poised In mid air
she saw us, but she let 1T descend
with considerable accuracy neverthe-
less, and our greeting was made be-
tween thumps.
"Come in''-thump-"like as not It's
mistake"-bang-"b the express
age was prepaid. If it's mineral wa
ter" crash. Something broke In
side.
"If it's mineral water" I said,
you'd better let me open 1t. Mineral
water is meant for internal use, and
not for hall carpets" Il got the
Ratchet from her gradually. II knew
case once where bottle of hair
tonic was spilled on rag carpet, and
in year they had it dyed with spots
over it and called it a tiger skin"
She watched me suspiciously while
T strafghtened the nails she had bent,
and lifted the boards. In the matter
of curiosity, Miss Letitia was truly
feminine: great handfuls of excelsior
she dragged out herself, and heaped
on Heppie's blue apron, stretched out
on the floor.
The article that had smashed under
the vigor of Miss Letitia's seventy
years lay on the top. It had been q
tea pot Of very beautiful ware. have
called Just now from my study, to ask
what sort of ware 1t was, and the lady
who sets me right says 1t was Crown
Derby. Then there were rows OF cups
and saucers, and heterogeneous
| articles in the same material that the
women folk seemed to understand. AZ
the last, when the excitement seemed
over, they found toast rack In 9
lower corner Of the box and the "ohs'
and "ahs" had to be done all over
again.
Not until Miss Letitia had arranged
the whole business on the dining room
table. and Margery had taken off her
wraps and admired from all four cor
ners. did Miss Letitia begin to ask
where they had come from. And by
that time Heppie had the crate IN the
wood-box, and the excelsior was
black and smoking mass at the Kitten
en- end of the grounds.
There was not the slightest clue to
the sender, but while Miss Letitia
rated Heppie loudly in the kitchen,
and BELLA, swept up the hall. Margery
voiced the same idea that had occur.
red to me.
Off Aunt Jane were-all all
right" she said TREMENDOUSLY, ut would
be lust the sort of thing she loves to
do -
I intended to go back to the city at
once, but Miss Letitia's box had put
her in an almost cheerful humor, and
she insisted that go with her to Miss
James room, and see how it was pre-
pared for its owners return.
| .Tm not pretending to know what
took Jane Maitland away from this
house in the middle of the night" she
! said "She was good bit of fool
Jane was; she never grew up. But II
I know Jane Maitland, she will come
back and be buried with her people, II
| it's only to put Mary's husband out OF
the end Of the lot.
"And another thing, Knox" she
went on, and saw her old hands
| were shaking. Il told you the, last
time you were here that'I hand't been
robbed of any Of the pearls, after all
Half of those pearls were James and
she had perfect right to take forty
nine Of them II she wanted. She she
told me she was going to take some
and it-slipped my mind"
| believe it was the first lie she had
ever told in her hard. conscientious
old life. Was she right? / wondered
Had Miss Jane taken the pearls, and Il
she had, why?
Wardrop had been taking Iona
walk; he got back about five, and as
Miss Letitia was In the middle of 8
| diotrIho apainat white 'underRarmerlts