Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-29
BY Mary Roberts-R;neharl

ert's ladder, but they were decorous,
well-behaved birds, whose prim court
ing never partook OF the exuberance OF
their neighbors', bursting their little
throats in an elm above the baby per-
ambulator in the next yard.
When Bella had let me In, and l
stood once more in the straight hall,
with the green rep chairs and the
Japanese umbrella stand, involuntarily
I listened for the tap Of Miss James
small feet on the stairs. Instead came
Bella's heavy tread, and request
from Miss Letitia that 60 upstairs.
The old lady was sitting by win
dow of her bedroom, in a chintz up
holstered chair She did not appear
to be feeble; the only change no
ticed was a relaxation in the severe
tidiness of. her dress. | guessed that
Miss James exquisite neatness had
been responsible for the white ruch-
ings, the soft caps, and the spotless
shoulder shawls which had made lovely
their latter years.
You've taken your own time about
coming, haven't vou?" Miss Letitia
asked sourly. IF it hadn't been for
that cousin Of yours you sent here,
Burton, I'd have been driven to send
ing for Amelia Miles, and when l send
for Amelia Miles for company, I'm in
a bad way"
Il have had a great deal to attend
to-" I said as loud as could. II came
some days ago to tell you Mr.. Elem
ing was dead; after that we had to
bury him, and close the house. It's
been very sad"
did he leave anything?" she inter-
rupted. 1T isn't sad at all unless ne
didn't leave anything"
"He left very little. The house
perhaps. and | regret to have to tell
you that woman came to me yester-
day who claims to be second wife"
She took off her glasses, wiped them
and put them on again.
Then" she said with snap,
there's one other woman in the world
as big fool as my sister Martha was.
l didn't know there were two Of 'em.
What do you hear about Jane?"
"The last time l was here" l
shouted, you thought she was dead;
have you changed your mind?"
"The last time you were here she
said with dignity, II thought a good
many things that We're wrong. !
thought had lost some Of the pearls,
but I hadn't
What" / exclaimed increduously
She put her hands on the arms of her
chair. and leaning forward, shot the
words at me viciously.
Ct II had lost some of
the-pearls- embellishments"
She didn't expect me to believe her,
any more than she believed it her,
self. But why on earth she had
changed her attitude about the pearls
was beyond me. l merely nodded
comprehensively.
Every WE'LL" said. I'm glad to
know 1t was mistake Now, the next
thing is to find Miss Jane"
1--WE have found her," she said
tartly That's what sent for you
about"
Found her!'', This time did get
out of my chair. What on earth do
you mean, Miss Letitia? Why, we've
been securing the country for her.
She opened religious monthly on
the table beside her, and took out
folded paper. / had to control my inn
patience while she changed her glasses
and read it slowly.
"Heppie found it on the back porch,
under milk BOTTLE" she prefaced.
Then she, read it to me. do not
remember the wording, and Miss Lett
tia refused, both then and later, to let
it out of her hands. AS result. I'M
like the other manuscripts in the case,
l have not even copy. The substance
shorn Of it's bad spelling and grammar,
was this:
The writer knew where Miss Jane
was; the inference being that he was
She was well and happy,
but she happened to read newspaper
with an account of her disappearance
and 1t had worried her. The payment
of the small sum of five thousand dol
lars would send her back as well as
the day she left The amount, left In
a tin can on the base of the Maitland
shaft in the cemetery, would bring
the missing lady back within twenty
four hours. On the contrary, II the
recipient of the letter notified the po-
lice, it would go hard with Miss Jane.
What do you think OF it?. she
asked, looking at me over her glasses.
"If she was fool enough to be carried
away by a man that spells cemetery
with one m, she deserves what she's
got. And won't pay five thousand,
anyhow, it's entirely too much"
at doesn't sound quite genuine to
me-" said, reading it over. Il should
certainly not leave any money until
we had tried to find who left this
"Tm not so sure but what shed bet
ter stay while anyhow" Miss Lett
tia pursued. "Now that we know
she's living, amt SO particular when
she gets back. She's been notionate
lately anyhow"
had been reading the note again.
There's one thing here that makes
me doubt the whole story" said.
"What's this about her reading the
papers? / thought her reading glasses
were found in the library"
Miss Letitia snatched the paper from
me and read 1t again.
Reading the paper!' she snined.
you've got more sense than I've been
giving you credit for, Knox. Her
-. &b{o YniNrJta. without