Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1911-10-20

I FIND HER LYING nioh.o Da,,o.
by the discovery,
| drew myself up and stepped quickly
forward into the room where the two
officials stood. Ny hands were clean
Of this murder, and, allowing the sure
| ty of this fact to take foremost
| place in my mind. faced these men,
and with real feeling. but as little dis
play of 1t as possible l observed:
"You have come to my aid in a crit
| ical moment. This is my betrothed
wife-the woman | was to marry
and find her lying here dead in this
closed and lonely house. What does
1t mean? know no more than you do"
The two men eyed me quietly; then
Policeman Hexford whom knew,
| pointed to my shoeless feet and sternly
retorted:
Permit me to doubt your last as
sertion. You seem to be in better po-
sition than ourselves to explain the
circumstances which puzzle you"
| They were right. 1t was for me to
talk, not for them. But here emotion
seized me, and / almost broke down.
l was In position much more dread
full than any they could imagine or
should be allowed to.
Their silence led me to examine
their faces. Hexford's mouth had
settled into stiff, straight line, and
the other mans wore a cynical smile
l did not like. At this presage Of the
difficulties awaiting me | felt one
strand Of the rope sustaining me
above this yawning gulf Of shame and
ignominy crack and give way. But
the courage which had served me in
lesser extremities did not fail me now,
and kneeling down before my dead
! betrothed, | kissed her cold white
hand with sincere compunction before
attempting the garbled and probably
totally incoherent story with which I
endeavored to explain the inexplain-
able situation.
They listened-I will do them that
much justice-but 1t was with such
an air of incredulity that my words
fell with less and less continuity and
| finally lost themselves In confused
stammer as | reached the point where
| pulled the cushions from the couch
and made my ghastly discovery.
You see-see for yourselves-what
confronted me. My betrothed -
dainty, delicate woman-dead, alone,
In this solitary, faraway spot, the
victim of what? l asked myself then
L ask myself now. | cannot under
stand it-or those glasses yonder-or-
or those marks! They were black by
this time-unmistakabe to be ig-
nored by them or by me.
1--WE understand those marks. and
you ought to-" came from the second
man, the one I did not know.
My head fell forward. My lips re-
fused to speak the words. The vision
of the one woman bending over the
other was maddening one. l shook
myself free from It by starting to my
feet "It's-its"- gasped.
"She has been strangled," quoth
Hexford doggedly.
"a dogs DEATH" mumbled the
other.
"You had better sit down." Hex
ford suddenly suggested, pushing a
chair my way. "Clarke, look up the
telephone and ask for three more men.
am going into this matter thorough
ly. Perhaps you will tell US where
the telephone Isl" he asked, turning
my way.
The second man left the room to go
to the telephone. AS he did so Hex
ford lit the candle. Idly watching,
for nothing now could make me look
at the lounge again, I noticed the can
dlestick. 1t was of brass and rare In
style and workmanship candlestick
to be remembered, one Of pair, per-
haps. I felt my hair stir as took In the
details Of It's shape and ornamental
ton. If it's mate were in her house.
No, no, no! | would not have 1t so.
I could not control my emotion If I
let nv Imagination stray too far. The
candlestick must be the property of
the club. I had only forgotten. 1t
was bought when? While thinking,
planning. ! was conscious of Hex
ford's eyes fixed steadily upon me.
"Did you go into the kitchen in
your wanderings below?" he asked.
mo-" / began, but seeing that
had made mistake. I bungled and
added weakly, eyes; after matches"
"And did you get themT'
"Yes."
"In the dark? You must have had
trouble in finding them?'
"Not at all. Only safety matches
are allowed here, and they are put in
receptacle Mt the side Of each door
l had but to open the kitchen door
feel along the jamb, find the recep
tacle and pull the box out. I'm well
used to all parts Of the house"
"Where did you light your first
match%
"Upstairs."
"Not in the kitchenT
"No, sir"
That's pity. thought you might
be able to tell me how 50 many wine
and whisky bottles came to be stand
ing on the Kitchen table"
stared at him, dazed. Then I re
membered the two small glasses OF
the little table across the room ant