Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-04-20

Il !
knew.
IT can not help thinking that he
deserved very nearly what he got,
Edith broke in, looking much less vim
dictive than her words. when one
thinks of the ruin he brought to poor
Henry Butler, and that Ellen has been
practically an invalid ever since,
can't be sorry for him."
What was the Butler story?"
asked But Fred did not know, and
Edith was as vague as women usually
are in politics.
Henry Butler was treasurer of the
state, and Mr.. Fleming was his cash
Ter. don't know just what the trou
BILE was. But you remember that
Henry Butler killed himself after he
got out of the penitentiary, and Ellen
has been in one hospital after another
\. I would like to have her come here fol-
a few weeks" she said appealing
"She is in some sanatorium or other
now, and we might cheer her little
Fred groaned.
Have her If you like, petty" he said
resignedly, "but refuse to be cheerful
unless l feel like It, What about this
young Wardrop, Jack? 1t looks to me
as If the Times-Post reporter had a
line on him.
Hush" Edith said softly. "He is
Margery's fiance, and she might hear
you"
"How do you know?" Fred demand.
ed. did she tell your"
| LOOK at her engagement ring, .
Edith threw back triumphantly. 1.-TWO
pearls and beautiful diamond"
! I caught Fred's eye on me. ant the
very speed with which he shifted his
gaze made me uncomfortable. I made
my escape as soon as could, on the
plea of going out to Bellwood, and In
the hall upstairs met Margery
81 saw Bella today" she said. "Mr
Knox, will you tell me why you stayed
up last night? What happened i'm the
house?"
Ell thought heard some one in the
library l sta1amered, "but I found
no one"
SIS that all the truth or only part OF
it," she asked "Why do men ALWAYS
evade issues with woman" Luckily
woman-like. she did not wait for a re
ply, She closed the nursery door and
stood with her hand on the knob, look
ing down.
81 wonder what you believe about al
this?" she said do you think my ia
ther-killed himself? You were there;
me everything
1t seemed to me it was her right tC
know. The boys were romping noisily
In the nursery. Downstairs Fred and
Edith were having their Sunday after
noon discussion Of what In the world
had become Of the money from Fred's
latest book. Margery and sat down on
4 the stairs, and, as we'll as could re-
member the details. told her what had
happened at the White Cat She heard
me through quietly.
"And SO the police have given ur
the case?" she said despairingly. "And
if they had not. Harry would have
been arrested. Is there nothing can
do? Do have to sit back with my
hands folded?"
1.-THE police have not exactly given
UP the CASE told her, "but there is
such thing, of course, as stirring UP
a lot of dust and then running to cover
like blazes before it settles. BY the
time the public has wiped it out of its
eyes and sneezed it out of it's nose and
coughed it out Of It's larynx, the dust
| has settled in q heavy layer, clues are
|obliterated, and the public lifts its
skirts and chooses another direction
! The mo thorcugbfare' sign is up"
She sat there for fifteen minutes, in
terrupted by occasional noisy excur
sions from the nursery, which resulted
in her acquiring by degrees lapful OF
broken wheels, three-legged horses
and live water beetle which the boys
had found under the kitchen sink anC
| imprisoned in glass topped box
whore. to its bewilderment they were
assiduously offering it dead and man
gled flies. But our last five minutes
were undisturhed and the girl brought
out with an effort the request she had
! tried to make all day.
whoever killed my father-and il
was murder, Mr.. Knox-whoever did II
is going free to save scandal. All my
I-friends''-she smiled hitterly-"ar
afraid Of the same thing. But can not
| sit quiet and think nothing can be
done. must know. and you are the
only one who seems willing to try to
| find OUT
So it was, that. when left the house
a half hour later. / was committed.
| had been commissioned by the girl
Iloved-for it had come to that-tc
clear her lover of her fathers murder
and so give him back to her-not in SC
many words. but was to follow up the
l crime. and the rest followed. And was
morally certain of two things-first
/ that her lover was not worthy Of her
and second, and more to the point. that
innocent or guilty. he was indirectly
implicated in the crime.
I had promised her also to see
/ Miss Letitia that day If could and
] turned over the events of the preceding
night as l walked toward the station
but made nothing Of them. One thine
occurred to me, however. Bella had
told Margery that I had been uD al
i night. Could Bella? But dismissed
the thought as absurd-Bella, who had
scuttled to bed in panic Of fright
| would never have dared the lower
floor alone, and Bella, given all the
courage in the world. could never hav.
moved with the swiftness and light
certainty of the midnight prowler. II